Enlightening Young Engineers
Happy Holidays, teacher friends! If you’re anything like me, you’re scrambling around like crazy right now prepping #allthethings for the holidays. (Teacher mommas, I’m talking especially to you!) December is a short month but a very BUSY one, with lots of little elves who need to stay engaged as we count down to Winter Break. STEM Challenges are the perfect… Read More
The holidays are upon us and I’m SO excited to dive into some fall and Thanksgiving themed STEM with my students! These challenges are perfect to keep your kids engaged and learning all month long, not to mention LOW PREP for you! Here are all the STEM Challenges I’ve got planned for this month. Dinner Table STEM Challenge The Dinner… Read More
October is FINALLY here, which means that it’s time to pack in all the Spooky Halloween STEM fun! Whether you teach STEM whole class on Fridays, set up stations for fall party day, or keep your kids engaged with challenges during the days surrounding a fall break, I’ve got you covered with 7 low prep elementary challenges that will quickly… Read More
One of the biggest concerns I get from teachers and media specialists is the lack of space (and time) for a full-blown Makerspace. I completely get it, y’all! I’d be lying if I didn’t say it takes a lot of time, space, patience, and commitment to ensure that our Makerspace runs properly, which is why I wanted to create something… Read More
We are SO over-the-moon excited to share that our Maker Shop furniture design for Makerspaces is now being sold through our partnership with Cooper Systems in Oklahoma City and is officially available for preorder!! What started out as the perfect vision and original design by my amazing husband, Andy, turned into the perfect all-in-one, interactive storage solution for Makerspaces, STEM… Read More
I’ll never forget Ellie trying the Wind-Powered Maze challenge for the first time when she was only 4.💗
I just knew my students would love it!
Can’t wait to do this challenge with my firsties very soon!! 💨💨💨
bit.ly/marchstem
Today, our amazing principals kicked off staff meeting with a video montage of Jerry Harris and his epic “Mat Talks” from the Netflix series Cheer. We were then challenged to play this game that EVERYONE should immediately bring to your next staff meeting or PD:
1️⃣Find any colleague in the room and play Rock-Paper-Scissors.
2️⃣Whoever wins gets to find another winner to challenge, BUT the loser then becomes that person’s “cheerleader,” and follows them around with over-the-top Mat Talks to encourage them. (cheering wildly, complimenting, clapping, woo-hooing, you name it)
3️⃣As the winners are narrowed down, the cheering sections and Mat Talks get louder and more exciting and encouraging, until only one winner remains.
The game only lasted a couple minutes, but we all returned to our seats with huge smiles on our faces and out of breath. It was the perfect burst of positive energy at the end of a busy Wednesday, and reminded us of how powerful it is to lift each other up, even when teaching can seem so overwhelming at every turn.
If you’re in need of a pick me up, chances are that teacher friend next door just might too. Pop on over tomorrow and surprise her with a Mat Talk.💗
“Life begins when you get back up.” -Dan Santat
💗✈️🥚
I always get #allthefeels when I share this book with my students because it has so many underlying messages that apply to all walks of life. My second graders absolutely loved After the Fall and ROCKED the Air Mail challenge like engineering pros! I love how this challenge requires so much perseverance and positive growth mindset, just like Humpty Dumpty in the book as he overcomes his fear of heights and learns to fly.
If you’re looking for the perfect paper airplane tutorial site, FoldNFly is the best! ✈️
(Air Mail Challenge found in my Valentine’s Day STEM pack)
“If you’re anything like me, you might wait until far too late to ask for help with anything. I’m typically on the verge of a mental and emotional breakdown, attempting to keep all my plates spinning, and then one by one, the plates start to fall and I end up angry with one of my family members or throwing myself a tearful pity party. As an added bonus, this often happens around busy holidays, parent teacher conferences, when one or both of my kids are sick, or state testing.
Teacher moms and dads have to learn to hang up our superhero cape, swallow hard, and accept that we are human. We must ask for help, from our colleagues, from our spouse or significant other, and from friends and family members when we need it most. Whether it be a load of laundry, a nap, a diaper change, wrapping presents, or emergency sub plans, just ask, and do your best to return the favor during a time when they might need it most.”
More on the blog:
teachoutsidethebox.com/2016/04/7-ways-to-survive-the-teacher-mom-struggle/
Happy National Engineers Week!! 🎉🧑🏽🚀👩🏻🚀💡
How awesome are these new Plus-Plus space sets?!
Beau built the astronaut and Ellie built the moon scene, and Beau and Andy even knocked out Saturn V last night! These sets are all part of the new Apollo 11 Space Playset Bundle! 🚀Plus-Plus are some of my students FAVORITE STEM Bins!
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