stem challenges

Elementary Engineering

Engineering…It’s Everywhere!

As an elementary teacher, you might be intimidated by incorporating engineering into your classroom. Engineering feels so exotic, different, and overwhelming. But, if you know how to recognize when people are trying to solve a problem, then you are ready to start a conversation about engineering. I think that high-quality children’s literature provides great opportunities …

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Elementary STEM Circuits

STEM Makeover: How to Throw a STEAM Holiday Party with Simple Circuits and Old Christmas Lights

 Circuits: Making Connections with Hands-on Learning, Basic Materials, and Tools Got some old festive tree lights laying around the house? Don’t throw them out. You can turn them into a curiosity center where students can explore the basics of electric current. They can be used for a variety of hands-on learning projects, like creating …

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Overcoming Epic Fail

Dealing With The Epic Fail

 In our Saturday webinar with Kerry Tracy from Feel Good Teaching, she touched upon the topic of failures. While teachers may have the impulse to save kids from feeling failure and disappointment, failure —especially epic failure, where everything falls apart— is a valuable teachable moment for our students. When students fail and are given …

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Elementary Engineering

Introducing Engineering Practices to Your Classroom

 Although STEM Challenges aren’t magic, they’re the closest thing to it that I’ve ever experienced in my teaching career! There are so many benefits – developing critical thinking, problem-solving, growth mindset and more. But like so many things in teaching, the magic is in how you deliver the activity to your students. One approach …

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