Are you getting the sense that your students are totally over this school year? Or maybe as the teacher you’re feeling a little checked out. What you need is a few engaging end of the year activities to get through it. Oh look, here’s one now! Premise Working […]
End of the Year Summer STEM Challenge: Keep it Cool / Make it Melt Read More »
My father was a master at packing the car for a road trip. It was seriously impressive. I created a 2-D version of this perennial 3-D real-life challenge as a tribute to his awesome skills! This is a perfect end of the school year activity! Premise
End of the School Year STEM Challenge: Pick & Pack Read More »
You are almost there. The end of the school year is calling to you like a siren song. The problem is your students hear it too. You don’t want to waste your instructional time with “fun”, but keeping students engaged as summer approaches is no easy feat. Summer STEM
End of the School Year STEM Challenge: Drippin’ Dash Read More »
Bean Bind is a bean-sorting STEM Challenge. While it ties in perfectly with Easter, it can really be used any time of the year! Premise Working against a criteria & constraints list, students design a way to sort jelly beans from other types of beans. You can tell younger students
Spring / Easter STEM Challenge: Bean Bind Read More »
Carrot Carriage is a fan favorite STEM Challenge! Your students will use an unlikely set of materials to create a sweet, new ride for the Easter Bunny! (Read on for ways around the Easter connection!) Premise Working against a criteria & constraints list, students design a vehicle made primarily of carrots for
Spring / Easter STEM Challenge: Carrot Carriage Read More »
I started my career teaching 5th grade in 2000. Any classroom teacher will tell you that first year is a killer. Hanging on for dear life, I decided not to pursue a master’s degree, or in fact any hobbies or social life outside of teaching; there simply wasn’t time. Fast-forward to 2008: Since I kept coming
How I Became a STEM Challenge Fanatic Read More »
Maybe Rome wasn’t built in a day, but New Earth City can be! This challenge is perfect for Earth Day, but it can really be used any time of the year. Fun fact: my master’s degree is in design-based learning, which shares many similarities with the engineering design process. This city-building challenge was my gateway
Earth Day STEM Challenge: New Earth City Read More »
Basket Bounce is another of my hybrid STEM / PE challenges. It was definitely designed with Easter in mind, but I’ve got a couple of ideas to get around that if you don’t want to (or aren’t allowed to) link it to Easter in your classroom. Premise Working against
Easter / Spring STEM Challenge: Basket Bounce Read More »
This STEM challenge is a classic egg drop, making it perfect for any time in spring, including — but not limited to — Easter! I fondly remember doing this challenge when I was in kindergarten — before “STEM Challenges” were a thing! I also recall the best design (not mine) used blown-up balloons to make
Spring / Easter STEM Challenge: Egg-hanced Read More »
This STEM challenge is a perfect Easter or spring activity! Premise Working against a criteria & constraints list, students create a nest designed for maximum capacity. There are a variety of materials & options described in the video below to make this spring activity easier or more challenging. Materials
Spring STEM Challenge: Nice Nest Read More »
