Winter Break goes by too fast, doesn’t it?! By now, you’re either already back in school or getting pretty close. I hope your break was restful, joyful, and rejuvenating! Because I don’t want the rest of your winter to feel long & dark, I’m creating a couple of new challenges to keep the enthusiasm for […]
Winter STEM Challenge: Snow Scoop Solution Read More »
Holy Moly, it’s been a loooong time since I did a post about writing! It’s so difficult to be torn between my two great loves: science (especially STEM challenges) & writing! There’s only so much time in a day! So, without further ado… Martin Luther King, Jr. put together some of the most beautiful, powerful
Martin Luther King, Jr. Writing Prompts Read More »
The main thing I want to put forward today is that we shouldn’t assess for sake of assessing or out of habit. Assessments should always be thoughtful and serve a worthy purpose. So, before making any decisions about assessments, ask yourself why are you doing STEM challenges in your classroom? What do you hope to achieve? What
STEM Challenges: To Assess or Not to Assess… Read More »
By now, I hope you’re home enjoying a well-earned Winter Break! Maybe you’re sipping on some hot chocolate, looking for some engaging ways to get your kids thinking deeply when you return to school. Keep this winter STEM activity in your back pocket! Wait for one of those tough days when you and your students
Popular Marshmallow Winter STEM Challenge: Frozen Fortress Read More »
You are almost to Christmas/Winter Break, or maybe you’re visiting after break and looking for a way to ease those late winter blues! This snowman STEM activity is perfect if you’re looking for very low-prep and very simple materials. In fact, all you really need is a few sheets of copy paper, tape, and scissors
Superb Snowman STEM Activity: Snowman Stretch Read More »
You are almost to Winter Break and this winter STEM activity is just what you need to solve every teacher’s dilemma during this time of year–how can you have fun and enjoy the holidays without wasting instructional time? STEM Challenges … the answer is always STEM Challenges!! Premise of Sleigh/Sled & Slope In Sleigh/Sled &
Worthwhile Winter STEM Activity: Sleigh/Sled & Slope Read More »
As the holiday break inches ever closer, keeping students engaged in academic work can be an uphill battle! Engaging winter or Christmas classroom activities like this December STEM challenge are the perfect way to get kids excited to work collaboratively in deep critical thinking and problem solving! This week’s December STEM challenge is one of
December STEM Challenge: Riveting Reindeer Relay Read More »
Congratulations, teachers! You are almost to a beautiful, well-deserved Christmas/Winter break, but getting to that finish line can be its own impossible challenge! The kids’ brains are toast, and (likely) so is yours! But because you are a responsible adult, you don’t want to throw in the towel too early and risk wasting instructional time,
Festive Winter/Christmas STEM Activity: Candy Cane Calamity Read More »
We don’t like to be the bearers of bad news. Some of us avoid conflict at all costs, but we do our students a gross disservice when we shield them from challenges in a bid to protect their self esteem. Perhaps they will avoid the temporary sting of defeat when we don’t challenge them, but they will
All Students Deserve to Fail Read More »
Kids have the worst time trying to concentrate on school the day of Halloween — and it’s even worse the day after! You’ll need something extra engaging for them in order to keep their brains working at max capacity. Wouldn’t you know it, I’ve got just the Halloween activity: Ghosts in the Graveyard! Premise: Students build
Halloween Activity & Captivating STEM Challenge: Ghosts in the Graveyard Read More »
