STEM Activities for Legos

 

How to Use Legos in STEM Class

Find the updated post here at STEM Activities for Kids!

 

 

I love using legos for STEM building projects! They are easy to work with, keep clean, and can be reused. If you were wondering how to use legos or generic building bricks in a more intentional way, I have the resource you are looking for!

Introducing STEM Mats

What are STEM mats? I created a set of reusable mats that have design constraints and criteria as part of the building task. Students will use a paper clip and pencil to spin their challenge! For the above example, students are tasked with creating a tower. The shape of the base is defined by the STEM mat as well as the minimum height. Because there are at least 2 criteria per challenge, there are many combinations of tasks to be built! How students will go about creating their prototype will change depending on the mat and the constraints.

Where are the building instructions?

I have received this question before on my STEM mats, and it's also been suggested to me that building instructions would make this resource better. However, these tasks are not like a lego building set you would purchase at your local toy shop. Students must come up with a plan of their own. They may or not be successful in meeting the criteria. What is important is that they work toward a solution. The attempt is the important part of this task! If they don't get it right the first time, they can make modifications and try again.

Why should you try STEM Mats?

• STEM mats are easy to set up (provided you have building bricks!). You don't need specific sizes or styles of bricks - students must use whichever bricks you have available. When they are finished, they will disassemble their creation.
• These tasks keep students engaged for a good amount of time! They can be used in STEM class, for indoor recess, or during a STEM family night. While some tasks will be simpler than others, all will require planning time, building time, modification time, and clean up!
• Most of the STEM mats require students to measure their prototype! That means they will get practice using measurement tools and other hands-on math skills. You will also see students get more and more creative as they get used to using the mats.
• Once students have used STEM mats once, you can set up a station of them and students can work independently.
  

Can I try out STEM Mats?

Yes! I created a separate post about STEM mats for building bricks over at STEM Activities for Kids, and you can download a sample to try them out.

Download STEM Mats Now!

Already know you want to get STEM mats and use them? Find them all here:

 

STEM Activities for the First Week of School

STEM Class Activities for the First Week of School

If you want to get to know a little more about your students, and get them started to think like scientists, mathematicians, and engineers, I have some great ideas for you!

Get to Know You Activities for STEM Class

Get to know your new STEM students with an All About Me activity! The Math About Me and Science About Me activities are perfect for this. With multiple options, depending on what grade you teach, there is something for everyone. These activities have your students think about things in a slightly different way.

 

For example, in the Math About Me activity, their age can be displayed as a mathematical expression (such as 48÷4), while in the Science About Me activity, the banner asks students to write down how many solar orbits they have taken (their age).

Collaborative Activities and Team Builders

ABC STEM Game: Try to think of a "STEM word" for each letter of the alphabet as a class. You might start with "astronaut, architect, or ASK (the first step of the Engineering Design Process).

Find Your Pair or Find Your Team: Use sets of colored straws, pencils, colored dice, or mini erasers. Pass out one to each student and then have them find the other student(s) with the same color/type of object. You can also use pairing cards such as these. This is great for when you want to build STEM teams, too!

Find all my favorite STEM Team Builders and Icebreakers in this post:

STEM Lab Rules and Expectations

It's important to go over safety rules for all equipment, your specific rules to your classroom, and then to set expectations for students. You may have some you start with and you may want to ask your students to help come up with some basic ones too.

Some ideas for STEM rules and expectations:

• Only operate equipment you've been trained to use. safety
  
• Report accidents right away.  safety
  
• Clean up your workspace when you are finished. responsibility
  
• Listen to your teammates. It's okay to disagree but not be disrespectful. cooperation
  
• Sometimes you will fail and that's okay! Do your best and try again. growth mindset
  
• If you don't know, ask. curiosity
  

What other rules and expectations do you use in your class?

You may want to have a specific set of rules for things like robots, too! I created a free set of robot rules you can download below:

Need a safety poster for your glue guns? This editable resource is available to download here:

STEM Building Challenges

Try some basic building challenges with your students so they can get a feel for hands-on activities right away! You can download Tower Task Card Challenges from my free resource library:

You can also find STEM challenge cards to use with KEVA planks in this blog post:

STEM Books to Read

What better way to start off your school year than with books that inspire creativity and explore failure and growth mindset! Find all my recommendations over at this blog post:

I hope you have a great start to your STEMtastic year!

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Zoom Tips for Teachers

Tips for Using Zoom with Your Students

A member of the STEM Teachers Group asked for everyone's best tips for using Zoom with their students. The tips were so awesome and useful that I compiled them in this post (and downloadable graphic) so that everyone could benefit!

If you have additional tips please be sure to let me know via email so I can add them in!

1. Set Expectations

Set out expectations clearly at the beginning of your meeting on a slide, or keep a poster propped up behind you with expectations and procedures. Build community by having your students help come up with expectations and procedures!

2. Use the Waiting Room Feature

Use the virtual waiting room feature and enable the doorbell sound/chime when
someone enters. Not only will it alert you if someone enters late, it will help keep your meeting more secure. Once all students arrive, lock the meeting.

3. Make Sure to Mute

Make sure your meeting is set to "mute upon entry" and encourage your
students to mute themselves after speaking.

As a backup option, learn where the "mute all" button is in the event they
forget to mute themselves!

4. Set a Meeting ID

Set up a meeting ID and password so it's always the same for a particular group.

Beware, though that if the link gets shared with others you may need to change it.

5. Use Breakout Rooms

For small group collaboration, utilize the breakout room feature. Rotate through to pop in and check on each group. *Breakout rooms may need adult supervision, so ask for volunteer helpers if possible.

6. No Annotation, Chat, OR Screen Share

Turn OFF annotation and screen share, or students will be able to draw on the screen or share their own screen with everyone.

Turn OFF chat for everyone but the host.

7. Basic Requirements

Consider having basic requirements for your meetings for your meetings, such as:

• Students must use their real name when logging in.
• Cameras must remain on.
• Students must virtually raise their hand to speak.

8. Headset Quality

Built-in microphones are often not clear. Your voice should be clear for the
students and you want your ears to be comfortable, too! Invest in a good headset or mic.

9. Try New Things

Not only can you keep your meetings more interesting, you can make them run more efficiently if you keep tabs on what your students see as a student participant, using keyboard shortcuts to not have to constantly search in menus for what you need, and having a variety of ways to interact to keep students engaged.

• Backgrounds
• Split screens
• A document camera
• Using two computers/devices (one as yourself and one as a student)
  
• Learn keyboard shortcuts
  

10. Pre-record

Pre-record video lessons for your students to watch prior to your meeting, or find a suitable YouTube video on the topic you are teaching. Give students tasks before the meeting, so that when you do meet, you are following up with them and addressing issues or questions.

11. Take Breaks

Have a fun activity like scavenger hunt while students are waiting to join. Try quick brain breaks, stretching exercises, or mindfulness activities to help your students stay focused.

12. Be Willing to Learn

If you have a meeting that didn't go well, take a deep breath and try again next
time. There will be kinks to work out, but enlist your students to help brainstorm
ways to make your meetings work for everyone!

Download the tips! You can download this graphic to keep a copy of the tips:

Do you like STEM? Try Elementary STEM Club!

You may have noticed that little logo at the bottom left corner of the image for Elementary STEM Club. If you are a K-5 teacher and incorporate STEM, or a dedicated STEM teacher, I would love for you to check out Elementary STEM Club!

What is it?

Elementary STEM Club is a 3-month experience to kickstart your back to school months with support, activities, and tips for navigating the year, whether you are in person, distance teaching, hybrid teaching, or mobile.

Each month, you will gain access to:

• A tried and true STEM resource with a video walk-through of what you need to get started, how to use it, and tips for success.
• A LIVE panel discussion, featuring educators chatting about a timely topic in STEM.
  
• A book chat: a focus on K-5 picture books to enhance your STEM lessons and learning.
• Some surprise bonuses along the way (from our hosts, presenters, and guests)!
• Interaction with other STEM educators in the private Facebook group and club site - you may even find your new STEM teacher bestie!

  Most of all, you will receive a solid foundation and the support you need this fall to start your school year off right.

Find out more about Elementary STEM Club:

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Bingo Games in the Math Classroom

BINGO - It's not just for old people

When you think of BINGO, do you think of a room full of senior citizens with their daubers ready to go?

I'm going to let you in a secret.

KIDS.

LOVE.

BINGO.


Whether you are playing for 5 in a row or blackout bingo (complete the whole card), there is just something in the anticipation of whether or not YOUR NUMBER is going to be called next.

Most kids already know how to play this game, and even if they don't, it's so easy you don't need to take a lot of time explaining the rules (unlike a lot of strategy games that come with a tome of rules that make no sense until you have played a few times!).

Practice and Review Math Facts with Bingo

This bingo game is perfect for kids learning their multiplication facts or for review, even up through middle school grades! There is no shame in reviewing the basic multiplication tables, particularly before standardized testing. It solidifies fluency, which allows students to work on the problem solving and not make an avoidable multiplication error when under pressure.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Multiplication-Bingo-826501?aref=s2635xts&utm_source=Momgineer%20Blog&utm_campaign=BINGO%20Games%20-%20Multiplication%20Bingo

Create Your Own Bingo Math Games

There are a number of websites you can use for personal use to create your own BINGO games. It does get a little tricky when you are creating games for math instead of with words, particularly if you are working with fractions, which can be difficult to format correctly.

Bingo Baker

Print-Bingo Custom Cards Creator (generate multiple times for enough cards)

My Free Bingo Cards

Osric Bingo Generator - Simple but gets the job done!

Purchase Pre-Made Math Games

I have made several math bingo games and am open to requests on making more (just contact me).

All Bingo Games

Or find these popular math bingo games on Teachers pay Teachers

Equivalent Fractions Bingo

Mixed Number & Improper Fractions Bingo

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9 Ways to Use Task Cards in the Classroom

Task Cards Can Be Used a Variety of Ways

Task cards have become a staple in the elementary classroom. They are so versatile for reinforcing learning; if you haven't tried them yet, I highly recommend them. They reusable year after year, so after you prep them once you are good to go storing them for the next year.

1. Use Task Cards at Your Centers

This is definitely one of the more obvious ways to use task cards. Prep your task cards on card stock, laminating if desired, and store in pouches or small containers. Provide blank paper for recording or use recording sheets that come with your task card resource. Students can work through the appropriate task cards to reinforce whichever concept you are currently working on.

2. Use Task Cards in Your Interactive Notebooks

This method will require that you print out multiple copies of your task cards, however then students can review them at any time! This is particularly helpful if you have ELA or Math INBs because students can then return to the cards to study for standardized testing. For a more detailed look at using task cards in interactive notebooks, visit this post.

3. Use Task Cards as a Whole Class Activity 

Use a document camera and work through the problems concurrently or together!

4. Use Task Cards to Host a Mini Quiz Bowl

Most task card resources come with a number of task cards. Split your class into teams of 3-4, use a document camera or project one card. Have a team "buzz in" to answer the question and keep score. Winning team gets bragging rights!

5. Use Task Cards to Play Scoot

If you haven't played SCOOT, Jenny has written a great post about it! Check it out here.

6. Use Task Cards for Homework

Assign 1-4 task cards, depending on difficulty and have students complete the cards at home.

7. Use Task Cards as Exit Slips

Do a quick check on student understanding and learning by using task cards as exit slips.

8. Use Task Cards for Early Finishers

Keep a variety of task card sets available, including ones that are at a "challenge" level for your students. If they have finished their work and could use a challenge, this is a great way to provide enrichment. If you are using task cards with QR code answers, these will even be self-checking. Read more about QR codes and task cards.

9. Use Task Cards as Sub Tubs or Sub Plans

You can have a variety of task cards in different subjects saved for a sub. When the inevitable stomach bug or flu rolls through the school (or through your own child's school), your sub plans will be ready to go!

Free Task Card Download

To get you started, this is one of my most popular free downloads! There are 16 task cards to get you started with a fun animal theme! These have been designed for 4th grade but will also work in 5th or as challenge cards in 3rd:

Quick Links to Other Popular Task Card Resources

All Task Cards

Task Cards for 1st Grade
Task Cards for 2nd Grade
Task Cards for 3rd Grade
Task Cards for 4th Grade
Task Cards for 5th Grade

Best Selling Task Cards! This is by far my most popular set of Fractions task cards:

Yet another topic that seems to be difficult for students to master is equivalent fractions, but you can find those task cards here:

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5 Ways to Celebrate Before Winter Break that DON'T Include Christmas

5 Ways to Celebrate Before Winter Break that DON'T Include Christmas

While I grew up celebrating Christmas both at home and in school, I also went to a Catholic school where almost everyone was also celebrating Christmas (and kids were there by parental choice). If you have a situation where every one of your students celebrates Christmas, or you are hosting a variety of winter holiday celebrations, then by all means celebrate Christmas...

BUT

if you are looking for ways to celebrate that don't exclude some of your students but are still TONS of fun for all involved, why not try some of these ideas?

Celebrate Solstice Instead with a Sundial Project

Winter solstice is nature's holiday this time of year! I just love celebrating solstice, and look forward to it every year. Why? It signals the end of the short daylight hours and the stretch of increasing daylight hours that I adore!

What better way to celebrate solstice than with SCIENCE (yes, I know I'm a big nerd)!

Here are some websites to get you started:

Scientific American Sundial 
15 Minute Papercraft Sundial
Explorable Sundial

While making a sundial, why not talk about what the solstice is and why we have it? Read a book or watch a video:

Books (Amazon affiliate links, read disclosure here).

The Shortest Day by Wendy Pfeffer
The Return of the Light by Carolyn Edwards
The Winter Solstice by Ellen Jackson
The Solstice Badger by Robin McFadden
The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper
Video
Crash Course Kids: Seasons and the Sun

Curriculum Connection: The solar system!

Celebrate Winter with Snowflakes

Even if you don't live in a region that gets snow, there are still a lot of ways to celebrate with snowflakes! One of my favorite things to do is to craft paper snowflakes but you can also make crystal borax snowflakes too, which are so pretty, especially hanging in a window so the light can catch them.

Curriculum connection: If you are studying symmetry this is the perfect tie-in!

Snowflake Creation Ideas

• Paper snowflakes
• Borax crystal snowflakes
• Geoboard rubberband snowflakes (obviously just don't use as ornaments)
• Popsicle stick snowflakes
• Pipe cleaner snowflakes
• Digital snowflakes

Get in my Belly!

This is just one way of fostering connection with kids: baking together! Not only can you sneak in measurement math without anyone noticing, you can create something together that you can all enjoy! Not possible due to food allergies? Why not ask for allergy-free recipes from families, or instead pop popcorn (chemical change! volume!).

Set up an exploration station where students can smell and taste small amounts of ingredients, such as salt, sugar, cinnamon, etc.


Working on sequencing? Have students instruct you how to make hot cocoa, s'mores, etc. and then follow their directions. They will talk about it for MONTHS. Watch this video of a dad making sandwiches instructed by his kids.

Curriculum connection: Sequencing, measurement, senses.

Cozy up with a Good Book

Once you have your baked goods, hot cocoa, etc. have a PJ day or "winter campfire" and read to your students. They might not have someone reading to them at home. Even middle schoolers and high schoolers will enjoy being read to (if it's the right book). Leave out those holiday stories and choose a book about kindness.

Picture Books About Kindness
7 Middle Grades Books that Teach Empathy
Books that Teach Empathy (all ages)

 Curriculum connection: literacy, community, character education.

Play Games

If you do choose to have a party, pick games that include all! Playing together is truly one of the greatest ways to form connections with your students. While some families play games at home, not all do and many kids get left out of this wonderful past time. We play a lot of games at home, but it helps that both my kids are close in age and there are a lot of games we all like to play as a family.

Indoor party game ideas from Red Tricycle.

Try pin the nose on the snowman.

Active Games

• If you are brave, have a snowball fight with cloth snowballs.
• Play musical chairs (leave out the Christmas music!)
• Capture the flag.

If you want something the whole class can play without getting too out of hand, try Winter BINGO.

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