It’s officially fall, y’all! October is one of my favorite months of the year for so many reasons, but mostly because it lends itself beautifully to so many of my favorite read alouds and Halloween STEM Challenges! Here are some of our newest Storybook STEM lessons that are sure to keep your Kindergartners, First Graders, and Second Graders engaged all… Read More

Are you interested in starting a classroom or school Makerspace OR maybe want to learn more about how Makerspaces work? You’ve come to the right place!  I have to admit that this blog post is lonnnnnng overdue because my Makerspace has been ever changing and evolving over the past three years.  The “Makers Movement” is gaining more and more traction… Read More

Ever since Katie King and I released our Storybook STEM Units for K-2 last December, upper grade teachers in third, fourth, and fifth grade have been begging us for a similar version with novel studies.  Well, we’ve been working our tails off for the past few months, and both happen share a love of all things young adult literature.  In… Read More

The Best STEM Challenge for Grades 2-5 Improve Student Learning with a STEM Challenge The Roller Coaster STEM Challenge from my May STEM Challenges pack covers a variety of standards related to force and motion. Students discover the difference between potential (stored) energy and kinetic (working) energy.  Students also learn about friction, momentum, and gravity.  The design of a working… Read More

STEM in the Great Outdoors The other day, I was on my back patio with my own two and four year old kiddos, Ellie and Beau, basking in the beautiful spring sunshine as I watched them play.  My son found a stack of small planter cups that we were planning to use, and immediately sat on the patio to start… Read More

I’m always searching for simple, innovative ways to implement iPads into STEM challenges and activities.  As a “newbie” to iPad integration over the past year, I continually look to the guidance of other iPad savvy teacher bloggers such as Kami Butterfield of Teaching with Appitude and Erin Flanagan of Erintegration. Here are my Top 3 favorite FREE kid-friendly apps that… Read More