Weather Activities for Kids Spring is upon us, and it is the perfect time to teach your weather unit in science! Depending on where you live, spring likely showcases a lot of diverse weather patterns which makes this the prime time for weather observations and experiments. If you’re teaching weather right now (or about to), check out these fun weather activities for kids to really engage your students. 5 Weather Activities for Kids 1. Cloud Demonstration In this simple science experiment, students will observe what causes clouds to rain. For this activity, you will need: First, fill the jar with water. Then, top the jar off with shaving cream. The…
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How to Set Up and Run a Successful STEM Challenge
Have you ever done a STEM challenge? One of my favorite activities to do in the classroom is a STEM challenge. These short, quick engineering challenges are easy to implement, fun for students, and SO meaningful! I guarantee you that your students will be begging for more. I highly recommend any science teacher implementing STEM challenges regularly into their instruction. When I taught third grade, I tried to do one challenge per week. When I moved to a new school, I didn’t quite have time for that in my new schedule. However, it still made a great, special activity every once in awhile. If you’ve never implemented STEM challenges in…
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3 Easy and Exciting Spring Science Activities to Celebrate the Season
Spring is just around the corner, and it’s a wonderful time of year filled with blooming flowers, butterflies, and (depending on where you live) lots and lots of rain! Spring brings so many GREAT opportunities to do some really fun activities in your science class. So, today, I wanted to share with a few of my favorite spring science activities! Butterfly Craft This is a simple craft that helps students learn about the anatomy of a butterfly! Students will have fun making beautiful butterflies they can take home, while also being able to identify the parts of a butterfly’s body. Here’s what you need for each student: 1 clothespin 3…
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How to Help Your Students Develop Strong Problem Solving Skills for Kids
Building Problem Solving Skills for Kids Problem solving is one of the key foundational aspects of math. At its core, math isn’t about numbers – it’s about solving problems! Naturally, kids with strong problem solving skills have an easier time in math class. Problem solving comes naturally to some students, but not for others. However, there are things we as teachers can do to help build strong problem solving skills in our students. If this is something you think would benefit your students, here are a few ideas for carrying this out. Problem Solving Skills for Kids Activities Each of the following activities are helpful for building students’ problem solving…
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How to Teach the Steps in the Design Process to Your Students
How to Teach the Design Process Steps to Students Do you do a lot of STEM challenges in your class? If not, you should definitely start! But if you are already doing them, then hopefully you also understand the importance of teaching your students the steps in the design process. Students will be much more successful in completing STEM challenges if they understand these steps. However, the design process steps themselves can be a little hard to understand. Because of this, I broke the steps down into an easy-to-remember, 5-step process using the acronym B.U.I.L.D. If you’re interested in learning more about teaching your students the design process using B.U.I.L.D.,…
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3 Fun Yet Easy Valentine’s Day Activities for Kids
Valentine’s Day Activities for Kids Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and if you’re like me, you can’t wait to do all the heart-themed activities! If you know me, you know I’m a big fan of easy, low-prep, and hands-on activities. So, to help you out this February, I compiled a list of a few of my favorite Valentine’s Day activities for kids that are up to my standards! 3 Valentine’s Day Activities for Kids 1. Candy Heart Towers This game/STEM activity is SO simple, and all you need are some of those jumbo sized candy hearts! (You can do them with small ones, too, but I personally prefer…
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This is One of My Favorite Christmas STEM Activities!
Christmas STEM Activities ‘Tis the season, friends! Christmas is my favorite time of the year. Because of this, I often go a little crazy in my classroom at Christmastime. I’m a huge fan of seasonal and holiday-themed activities. Last year, I shared some Christmas STEM activities and science experiments, including one of my favorites – a jingle bell maze! This particular activity is so elaborate that I felt it needed it’s own dedicated blog post! So, today I’m going to walk you step-by-step through the process of having your students create their very own jingle bell maze. Jingle Bell Maze Teacher Prep Before you start, you’ll need to have all…
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3 Quick Thanksgiving STEM Activities You’ll Be Thankful For
Thanksgiving STEM Activities I know how the week right before a break for a holiday goes – it can be absolutely crazy! And sometimes, you even start running out of things to teach. You don’t want to start something new right before the break, so what do you do to fill the extra time? STEM challenges are a great solution to this problem! They both engage and challenge students, and the way I do them, they’re incredibly low-prep and inexpensive! So, if you find yourself needing a quick and meaningful activity this month, here are some of my favorite Thanksgiving STEM activities. 1. Corn on the Cob For this STEM…
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2 Thrilling Halloween STEM Activities That Are Un-BOO-lievably Easy!
Halloween STEM Activities Happy October! Halloween is just around the corner, and if you’re like me, you love incorporating seasonally-themed activities into your instruction! If you’re looking to have a little Halloween fun, then these Halloween STEM activities are perfect for you! They are low-prep and use only materials that can be purchased at Dollar Tree. Your students will be THRILLED to complete these fun STEM challenges! How to Do STEM Challenges STEM challenges have always been a big hit with my students. Typically, STEM challenges involve a short design/engineering task that students are required to complete using only certain materials. They are not told HOW to complete the task,…
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4 Fall Science Activities That Are Easy and Fun
Fall Science Activities for Elementary Students Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. It starts off a little crazy with all the back to school chaos, but by mid-to-late September, things start calming down, the weather gets cooler, and the leaves change color. And that means it’s time to break out all the fun fall-themed activities! If you’re a teacher who loves fall like me, then you’ll love these fall science activities! 4 Fall Science Activities #1: Apple Oxidation Experiment Materials needed: 1 apple, a variety of liquids (such as water, lemon water, lemonade, sugar water, pure lemon juice, orange juice, water with honey, etc.), containers labeled…
