14 Fun Engineering Activities for Kids Planet Smarty Pants was the inspiration behind this week’s Share It Saturday theme – engineering activities for kids! I looooooved her daughter’s design and construction of a roller coaster! Here on Fun-A-Day, I often refer to my son as Engineer. He loves planning and building all kinds of creations, so I know he’d get a kick out of these engineering activities! Design and build a roller coaster | Planet Smarty Pants Play and learn with Rube Goldberg machines | Brain Power Boy Create a flag using LEGO pieces | Shield of Faith Homeschooling Use a “Book of Structures” to inspire block building | Fun-A-Day! Construct a LEGO camping lantern | LalyMom Engineer and explore very unique forts | TinkerLab Design one of these 14 catapults | Fun-A-Day! Make a snack pulley | Left Brain Craft Brain Create mazes for hexbugs | Buggy & Buddy Experiment with a homemade marble run made from recyclables | Fun-A-Day! Challenge the kids with mystery engineering bags | Childhood 101
50+ Genius STEM Activities for Kids - The Stem Laboratory With a name like The STEM Laboratory, it’s no surprise that we’re obsessed with science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities for kids. These 50+ STEM projects are sure to keep little scientists engaged, learning and well-prepared for their STEM-filled future. Get inspired below and then sign up for our 5 Day STEM Challenge! Not only will you learn exactly how to plan and teach STEM like a pro – but we’ll show you how to do it using supplies you already have in your storage closet. Score! It’s never been simpler (or faster!) This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Science Projects There are countless science experiments for kids but these 14 projects are our hands-down favorites! Make a mini model of the water cycle with just a Ziploc bag! Turn your name into crystals! Find out why the sky is blue. // Rookie Parenting Test whether objects are magnetic. // The Measured Mom Whip up some frothy, foamy toothpaste. Pour ice that is warm to the touch but freezes. Go fishing for ice.
114 Tips to Create a STEAM Makerspace in Schools Do you ever wonder what you should include in a STEAM Makerspace in schools? Maybe you’ve received some grant funding, or maybe you have a great PTA who is willing to help you create a starter STEAM lab. Or, you might just have some extra supplies and want to know what you need to get a STEAM-focused makerspace up and running. You’re not alone! To help you out, we’ve gone ahead and created a free downloadable for you that contains 114 tips, ideas, resources and even lesson ideas for creating your very own STEAM Makerspace in Schools. Certainly, you could extend this list even further with more tools, technology, and resources. Getting Started These are the least expensive items you’ll need, and the ones that will get students creating the fastest. Digging Deeper These are items you’ll need to purchase. Web Resources These are websites students can use to help them find ideas, create and share their work. Apps for STEAM Makerspace in Schools Be Sure to Consider STEAM Units of Study Email Susan
20 Awesome DIY Science Projects To Do With Your Kids Before the advent of the uber-popular show Mythbusters or the push for more STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) in schools, parents and their kids were doing at-home science experiments. Now, the trend continues to blossom, although many of the experiments have remained somewhat the same…and always awesomely exciting! If you’re a parent and you want to do something with your kid that isn’t related to cleaning the toilets or forging through homework, check out these 20 great science projects that you can complete in the confines of your humble abode. Most of them use around-the-home items that you probably have on hand, although some will require a little bit of shopping ahead of time. 11 Cool Science Projects for the Younger Set 1. Want to visually explain how bleach works? What you’ll need for this project: Two clear plastic cupsFood coloring (red is great to use)BleachWater Directions: WARNING: Do not under any circumstances drink the bleached water! Source 3. 4. 5. 6.
Lawrence Hall of Science - 24/7 Science Welcome to Twenty Four Seven Science! Activity Collections View All Citizen Science Activities How fast does the wind blow? So many questions—and so many ways to find answers! Bridge Builders How Fast Is the Wind Gooo! Filling Without Spilling Parachute Drop Crystals Bird Beaks Sticky Situations Oil Spill How Old is Your Penny? Measure Yourself Where Do Plants Grow? Bug Hunt! Afterschool KidzScience Afterschool KidzScience AfterSchool KidzScience™ kits are designed specifically for children in grades 3 - 5 in out-of-school settings. Check Out Science Check Out Science Check Out Science makes doing science with your family easy, no scientific expertise necessary. Explore Your World Explore Your World You don't have to trek through a rainforest, blast off for space, or dive to the deep sea to explore your world. Roadside Heritage Roadside Heritage Roadside Heritage is an informal science educational project with its origins in the stunning landscape of the Eastern Sierra along the 395 scenic byway. Save Sam!
6 Amazing Things About TAB Classrooms Sometimes good ideas precede general acceptance. There’s no pedagogy in art education this is more true for than TAB. When Katherine Douglas, Pauline Joseph, and John Crowe pioneered this teaching method in the 1970s they weren’t trying to revolutionize the way art is taught, but the work they were doing was so powerful more and more teachers followed their example. Today, TAB, which stands for Teaching for Artistic Behavior, has never been more popular. Presentations about the approach fill up fast, social media sites dedicated to the practice have memberships in the thousands, and gurus like Ian Sands are invited to be keynote speakers at conferences. TAB has reason to be so popular. The days of one-size-fits-all projects are gone. 1. Students are responsible for their own supplies in TAB classrooms. 2. Have you seen that movie? 3. In TAB classrooms, everyone finishes at different times, without issue. 4. 5. 3D can tame distracted behavior. 6. Thinking of trying TAB?
50+ Genius STEM Activities for Kids - The Stem Laboratory With a name like The STEM Laboratory, it’s no surprise that we’re obsessed about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities for kids. These 50+ STEM projects are sure to keep little scientists engaged, learning and well-prepared for their STEM-filled future. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Science Projects There are countless science experiments for kids but these 14 projects are our hands-down favorites! Make a mini model of the water cycle with just a Ziploc bag! Turn your name into crystals! Find out why the sky is blue. // Rookie Parenting Test whether objects are magnetic. // The Measured Mom Whip up some frothy, foamy toothpaste. Pour ice that is warm to the touch but freezes. Make one orange sink and another one float! Pour a rainbow into a jar. Capture fireworks in a jar using just a few common household supplies. // I Can Teach My Child Go fishing for ice. Learn about color mixing when you make water walk! Catch a cloud in a jar. Technology Activities Malia
How to Start a Makerspace When You're Broke | Knowledge Quest Everyone’s Favorite Excuse I’ve had the honor and privilege of sharing with hundreds of librarians and educators about our makerspace. Unfortunately, I see many educators hold back on starting a makerspace because of funds. I’m always hearing excuses like: “I’d love to do (insert cool Maker activity) at my school, but we don’t have a budget for that.” What many people don’t realize is that the idea that you need a lot of money to start a Makerspace is a myth. Share Your Vision with ALL THE PEOPLE You want to start a makerspace. Recycled materials can make for awesome projects Seek out Donations Never discount the value of donated materials. Consider putting out a bin for donations of recycled materials. We first started our makerspace with bins of K’nex found in a storage room Work with What You’ve Got Since you’ve started sharing your vision, you might have found out that your school already has some maker supplies lying around. Our Epic LEGO Wall was funded through DonorsChoose Like this:
40 STEM Activities for Kids Activities for ages 4 and up. STEM activities (Science Technology Engineering and Math) are all the buzz in education. Kids love finding out how things work through fun, hands-on projects and teachers love knowing that they’re preparing students for their techy future. These 40 kid-approved STEM activities are the perfect complement to our super popular Endless STEM Challenge Bundle! Science Projects We love science so it’s hard to pick a favorite in this first category of STEM activities. Make exploding pop rockets. Pull together an easy water drop race. // What We Do All Day Create fireworks in a jar. // I Can Teach My Child Blow up a batch of magic balloons. Create a water cycle in a bag. Make ordinary flowers glow in the dark. // Fun at Home with Kids Whip up some magic dancing raisins. // Coffee Cups and Crayons And speaking of dancing, make gummy worms boogy. Test out a simple recipe for Oobleck. // STEM Mom Turn your name into crystals. Whip up a batch of Magic Aqua Sand. // Paging Fun Mums
28 Days of Hands-On STEM Activities for Kids - Left Brain Craft Brain I can’t tell you how excited I am… February’s going to be BIG!! There are 28 days (plus an extra for leap year this year) pack-filled with hands-on STEM activities for kids. I’ve partnered with some of my favorite bloggers and here’s a little math to show you just how BIG this is… 60 activities + 29 bloggers = an AHmazing month of hands-on science, tech, engineering & math for your kiddos at home and in the classroom. Why Hands-On STEM? When kids get their hands on exciting projects, it can inspire them to learn. STEM Goes Green The first week of our Hands-On STEM series is all about the earth. February 1 February 2 February 3 February 4 February 5 February 6 February 7 Trash Tower Building Challenge || Our Daily Craft STEM Challenges Life is a challenge, so let’s prepare our kids for it. February 8 February 9 February 10 February 11 Build a 3D Structure || Go Science GirlsBuild a Bedroom Model || Line Upon Line Learning February 12 February 13 February 14 Coding for Kids Coding. February 15 February 16
100 Free Halloween STEM Activities via EdTechPicks.org I’m a big believer in leveraging student interests for instructional engagement rather than fighting against their excitement (check out my posts on Fidget Spinners and Pokemon Go). Halloween is an exciting holiday for students and a quick search will return tons of lesson ideas. I’ve rounded up 100 Halloween STEM activities that are completely free! While you’ll find some outstanding ideas in this roundup, many others provide a great starting point for modification to meet the needs of your students. 19 Spooky STEM Projects For Kiddos This Halloween Morgan Shanahan’s collection of Halloween STEM activities features magnetic slime, alien eggs, a ghost geyser, and of course dry ice. 31 Days of Halloween STEM Activities and Projects Make ghosts dance with static electricity, investigate optical illusions, launch pumpkin rockets, use density to create a skittles rainbow, make self-inflating ghosts, and more with this roundup of activities from Steam Powered Family. You Might Also Like
This site is a resource that can be used to support teachers in the classroom. Multiple activities that involve math, technology, engineering and math. These activities can be used within a lesson plan or if extra activities are needed for deeper understanding. These activities can be done in small groups or as the entire class. by devonzamora Nov 3