2014 - momgineer

Happy Holidays!

I hope everyone has a safe and lovely holiday. Please hold your kids, pets, friends, and family close.  My heart is breaking for all families that are missing a loved one this holiday season. While it's always fun to give gifts to those we love,


it's even more important to realize what a gift it is to have those loved ones in our lives.



My heart is full with love for these two special guys, and I am so lucky to have them. From us to you, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!



Fun Electrical Circuits Activities for Kids

Electrical STEM Activities for Kids

Fun hands-on and virtual electrical circuit activities for kids. Try hands-on circuits as well as virtual activities to get familiar with how they work, and learn about logic gates. | Meredith Anderson - Momgineer

Simple circuits for kids with Snap Circuits

My 6 year old has been having a lot of fun working in "creative mode" (any Minecraft fans out there?) with Snap Circuits (affiliate link, please read my full disclosure here). After a brief lesson on Ohms law and basic circuit components such as resistors, capacitors, batteries, and motors, he went to work. In the end he used both of our battery packs and a fan to make a flying saucer that flew way higher than it did with just one battery pack. His big takeaways are: "Always make a loop," and "Make sure you don't switch things around the wrong way, especially the LEDs (polarity)."

Snap Circuits are one of the few ways I have found for young kids to easily explore circuits. It is one of my favorite STEM toys. Definitely check them out if you can.


It is so much fun to build with Snap Circuits!


Use Minecraft to Learn about Logic

Did you know that you can create logic gates right IN Minecraft? I'm betting your kids know (if they play) but they may not realize that logic gates are used across programming languages. You can learn about AND, OR, NOT, and more here:

https://youtu.be/9EY_XoEImjM


If your kids aren't into Minecraft but like dominoes, these are amazing:

https://youtu.be/lNuPy-r1GuQ

Online Circuit Activities and Simulators

Some great virtual resources:

I highly recommend the Blobz Guide to Electric Circuits.

I also found the following, The Fusebox circuit builder




Electricity Circuits Game at Science Kids (click to go to the site and play):

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/gamesactivities/electricitycircuits.html

BrainPOP has a way to simulate circuits and components as well!


What ARE Circuits?

For more background on electrical circuits, why not visit these sources:

Try a Digital Breakout!

For some basics about circuits, as well as fun code-cracking, I created some digital breakout activities for upper elementary and middle school:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Electric-Circuits-Digital-Breakout-Distance-Learning-5389336

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Electric-Circuits-Digital-Breakout-Distance-Learning-5389301

Hands on Circuits

If you are looking for more hands-on ways to explore electrical engineering activities for kids, here are some other great kits (affiliate links):


We have used this and it's great, though I recommend it for about ages 10 and up:


Graphics in main image from Teachers Resource Force and The Cher Room.

 

Get into STEM (and STEAM) Resources!

Here is a blog post at Teachers pay Teachers about some amazing STEM resources. Have a favorite resource or activity? Link it up in the comments!


 If you are looking for even more STEM and STEAM resources, try one of the stores listed below:



Joyful Explorations
Joyful Explorations
Science and Math With Mrs Lau
Science and Math with Mrs Lau
Meredith Anderson
Meredith Anderson
Elementary Ali
Elementary Ali
Strawberry Shake
Strawberry Shake
Nitty Gritty Science
Nitty Gritty Science
Rainbow City Learning
Rainbow City Learning
The Science Penguin
The Science Penguin
Teachers are Terrific
Teachers are Terrific
More then a Worksheet
More than a Worksheet
Learning to be Awesome
Learning to be Awesome
UtahRoots
UtahRoots
Theresa's Teaching Tidbits
Theresa's Teaching Tidbits
Vivify
Vivify
Mary Carr
Mary Carr
Nitty Gritty Science
Nitty Gritty Science
Get Caught Engineering
Get Caught Engineering
Getting Nerdy with Mel and Gerdy
Getting Nerdy with Mel and Gerdy
Pinfeather Press
Pinfeather Press
Love2learn2day
Love2learn2day
Hello Learning
Hello Learning
Silly Sam Productions
Silly Sam Productions
Erintegration
Erintegration
Literacy Loves Company
Literacy Loves Company
Jennifer Maschari
Jennifer Maschari
Winged One
Winged One
Artistic Educational Tools
Artistic Educational Tools

If you would like to be added to this list, please let me know! I'm happy to add more STEM & STEAM educators.

*Graphics for button above provided by EduClips Design.

New Winter FREEBIE up!

A slight twist on the standard color-by-number. I have uploaded a new freebie:
  • color by product
  • color by equivalent fraction
  • color by state of matter
  • color by verb tense
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Winter-Coloring-FREEBIE-for-big-kids-1602086
http://mcdn.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Winter-Coloring-FREEBIE-for-big-kids-1602086-1418222406/original-1602086-2.jpg

http://mcdn.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Winter-Coloring-FREEBIE-for-big-kids-1602086-1418222406/original-1602086-2.jpg



Enjoy!