Listen to This! 10 Great STEM Podcasts for Teachers

Top 10 Podcasts for STEM Teachers and Parents (and finding time to listen to them)

I resisted podcasts for a long time because I didn't think I had time for them. I also prefer to read over listening to get my information, but over time podcasts have really grown on me. Hopefully you are already an avid podcast fiend...but if not (I understand, really) read on anyway for some ideas on how to incorporate these into your life. You might even enjoy them!

Listen on iTunes or wherever you enjoy podcasts. *Please note, most of these are appropriate for kids, too, but I did find a few episodes that I'd pass on sharing with my own kids and listen alone instead.

1. STEM everyday: Listen to an interview with the EiE founder, or find topics such as STEM projects with an education focus. Integrate STEM into your everyday!
2. STEM Diversity - This is an interview podcast focuses on professionals with underepresented backgrounds - great for inspiring students who might not think they have what it takes because they don't see STEM professionals that look like them. (yes, they've got it!)
3. STEAMchannel UCTV - strong focus on design thinking, empathising with the people in need to make sure the design needs are being met. This podcast also includes a series with Sally Ride.
4. Lab Out Loud - sponsored by the NSTA and includes everything from underwater robots to a Mole Day podcast.
5. The K12 Engineering Education Podcast, from Pios Labs - a great podcast that explores many facets of K-12 STEM. From the website, "Listen as we try to find better ways to teach and inspire kids in invention, problem-solving, persistence, teamwork, and imagination."
6. The Naked Scientists Podcasts - Learn about space, questions answered you never even dreamed of asking, and questions you may have asked your kids, such as "Why do people pick their noses?"
7. The Wired Homeschool - As a fellow homeschooling parent, I was thrilled to find this one. It's great for parents and teachers, too. Listen to screen time management ideas or about internet safety for kids.
8. MakerCast - A podcast for makers! Get ideas from these makers for projects you could incorporate into your own classroom.
9. When you don't have a lot of time: 60 Second Science or Engineering Word of the Day (Engineering WOTD also from Pios Labs)
10. STEM Read - This is a podcast from NPR that explores the connections between STEM and storytelling. As someone who enjoys making a literacy-STEM connection, this one had to make my top 10 list.

Tips for Finding Time to Listen to Podcasts

You might think you don't have time to listen to podcasts. I know I felt this way until I got a bit creative with the when of it.

Podcast Tip #1 - Listen on your Commute

Maybe just on your ride TO work, since the ride home your brain is probably too tired to pay attention, am I right? Listen any time your hands are occupied - like when you're driving, prepping dinner, braiding your child's hair, or you are getting ready in the morning.

Podcast Tip #2 - Listen on your Workout

This is my favorite way to listen to podcasts. When I'm running, I often like to listen to a playlist I'd find embarrassing to share, but for a few runs a week I switch it up and listen to a podcast. Whether you are pumping iron, walking, running, or doing yoga, try adding a podcast to the mix.

My last tip, though I'm sure not everyone will agree...

Podcast Tip #3 - Speed it UP

I'm going to be honest. I'm not the most patient person I know. It's not something I'm always proud of, and I often have to remind myself to slow down. Sometimes speeding up a podcast slightly can really help, though. I'm not talking about 2X or even 1.5X, but most podcast apps allow you to speed it up to 1.1 or 1.2. It's subtle, but it's something.

If you don't want to speed up the audio, there are apps that can eliminate pauses to save time. Try Overcast with SmartSpeed.

Share your favorite STEM podcasts!

Join the STEM educator Facebook Group and share your favorite STEM podcasts with us.

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How to take a break when you homeschool

Don't become a burnt out homeschooler! These tips also work for stay at home parents, especially when your kids are small and you feel like you are on the never-ending merry-go-round of diapers, too-little sleep, and managing basic needs. Here are five ways that you can try to take a break.

Wake up early. Okay, so I'm not saying this is for everyone. In fact, it's not even for me these days. If your kids are late risers, take advantage of that morning time. Give yourself 45 minutes of quiet before the day starts. Check out FitnessBlender on YouTube for some awesome workouts (they have kid workouts, too!), have your breakfast at your own pace, do some breathing exercises, or something else you like to do but enjoy less when your kid(s) are around (alone time with your partner? knitting? probably best not to mix those, but you get the idea =) ). You'll start your day off on the right foot. If your kids are like my kids and arise early and/or at the slightest sound in the morning, see if you can get some exercise in! I try to go for a run or to the gym most mornings. Even 30 minutes does me a world of good, and I'm a much better parent when I've taken care of myself first.

Try quiet time. We know many families that follow this daily. My kids are readers (yay!) so they often pick their own quiet time in the afternoon. All of a sudden I will realize it is quiet and stumble upon them reading in another room. They are 9 and 7, so it isn't like the worrisome quiet when you have a toddler and the panic sets in, wondering what they could have gotten into (a time comes to mine when my son unwound hundreds of feet of string all over the house, in every room, around every piece of furniture, like a giant spider web, all while I was on the phone with my mom). If your kids aren't reading yet, have them rest or listen to calm music or audio books.

Swap with another homeschooling family. I don't know about you, but I find it a lot easier to manage my own kids when I don't have to manage them at all. The most hands-off time I find is when they are occupied with friends. Even if I am hanging out with other people's kids, I can often sit down and read because the kids all entertain each other. If I leave them with someone else, I can run an errand or just have some me time. Bonus points if you leave out educational materials just in case spontaneous learning takes place (it usually does).

Sign up your kids for a drop-off homeschooling class. If there isn't one around, try organizing one! A few years back, I set up a 3 hour drop-off class at a local Audubon that runs classes for school groups. They get to learn about wildlife and farming skills while I get a much needed break. I also signed them up for a group music class just for homeschoolers - as a bonus it is across the street from Trader Joe's so I can get what I need for the week while they are at music class. It's so much easier to get a little shopping done sans kids! Farm school:

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For this particular program, I scheduled it at a time when I could meet my husband for lunch on days he was available, so we managed some daytime dates. It's a bonus if all of your children can participate at once, or if you have little ones still maybe you can schedule a drop off class for older children while little ones are napping. It won't be a total break, but it's something!.

Go for a walk. Really, any way you can get outside will serve as a break. Walking is my favorite way to connect outside with my kids. You will be moving forward, pumping blood, catching some Vitamin D. You can even try walking meditation, Nature Bingo, or just noticing the things you see. My kids love to look for treasures on the ground. We all feel better after a nice walk, and I hope you will, too!

How to you find time for self-care? I am always amazed by homeschoolers with lots of children spanning many years in various developmental stages.

Emotionally Connect with your Child through Physical Play

This is a re-post of an earlier post, but I thought it was worth sharing again.

We were fortunate enough to attend a workshop last week led by Larry Cohen (of Playful Parenting). When he released his book The Art of Roughhousing, he did a series of workshops to explore this fun topic. It is definitely worth a read! Some kids need to connect physically in order to connect emotionally. If your child is sensory-seeking, he may respond to some of these ideas. You may find you enjoy the games as much as your child does, and you will be sure to have lots of belly laughs and smiles. Sometimes a child that may seem defiant, just needs to feel like their voice is meaningful and is being heard. When a child is occasionally given a "powerful" role, they may become more cooperative at other times. Why not give it a try?

Some fun roughhousing games we have played in the past:

The wriggle game:

This is also called "You can't get away from me!" but I like the term wriggling. Basically you encircle your child with your arms (but don't hold them tightly) and say something like "I bet you can't wriggle out of here!" If it is their first time, make sure you don't make it too difficult to get out. It will help build up their confidence. As they get better at it, try moving all around with them as they are wriggling to make it more difficult for them to get out from your arms.

The push down game:
This game is fun from the toddler years on. For a toddler, squat down to their level and tell them to try to push you over. If you're squatting, it will probably not take much effort for them to throw you off balance. Fall back and elaborately groan about how they pushed you over, and then ask if they want to do it again. They will most likely get a big kick out of seeing an adult fall over for a change, instead of themselves. For older kids, kneel but keep your body tall so you are close to their height and tell them to push your shoulders, or hold up your hands like you are going to high-ten them and tell them to push your hands.


The bridge game:
This is best played with another adult around, though it can be done solo as well. Lie down on your back with your feet and the other person's feet touching sole to sole. Lift your legs up (while keeping your feet touching) to make an inverted V. Tell the child(ren) to run under the bridge without getting crushed (legs lowered). For older kids, you can open your legs to "catch" them in the bridge and dare them to escape. They will most likely delight in running and crawling under the bridge over and over.

Feats of strength:
It's a far cry from the Festivus feats of strength, but this is a lower-energy way to encourage body awareness and strength. If you've had a long day and need to sit on furniture instead of the floor, or you're nursing your little one and the older one needs attention, this can work for that.  Put your arms up like you are going to clap them, but spread them a little further apart. Ask if they can push your hands together. Resist. Repeat!

These never seem to get old with H&F. A few things to be mindful of:

• Check in with your child periodically to make sure they are still having fun.
• If your child tends to get riled up easily and has a hard time re-centering, take breaks every so often to make sure they don't feel out of control of themselves. One way we do this is by slow deep breathing and counting slowly backwards from 10.
• Try to reserve time for roughhousing as a parent-child activity and you may spare yourself issues that arise from child-child roughhousing. If there is an outlet for this kind of energy, children will be less likely to unleash on their sibling or friend.

We played some other fun physical games at the workshop, including pillow fighting, which I'm sure will be detailed in the book. Do you have favorite roughhousing games you play with your kids?

The Art of Roughhousing

This is a physical extension of playful parenting. It takes conscious action to not immediately react in times of frustration with your child, especially if you are tired yourself. However, being goofy and playful is one of my best parenting tools, even as my children grow older.

On the eve of your 9th birthday.

I am thinking about how it could be possible that my first baby will be 9 tomorrow. Wasn't it just yesterday you were small enough to carry, signing "more," and talking about the "me-at" (cat, combo of meow and cat) out the window? Weren't you just small enough to snuggle on my lap, and I would rest my head on yours feeling that soft baby hair?

These last few years have just flown by, and this birthday is bringing up lots of tears in me. Halfway to 18. Last single-digit year. Nine!

To my LEGO-loving, Mario World loving, book-loving kid who is the best playmate to his little brother I could ever imagine, you are the one who brought me through the big change of woman to mother. You have big emotions and I am in no hurry for you to grow up. Look how far you have come, from the days where you were up at 3:30 am for the day and just wouldn't nap, and the hours-long tantrums because you just didn't have the words to tell me what was going on inside that head of yours.

Here you are in 2007:

in 2008, with your new brother:

in 2009:

here you are just after turning 7:

and here you are just a few weeks ago, being goofy, which you never were as a toddler. You were always so serious! You have learned sarcasm, and started telling jokes you have made up. I see more smiles from you these days than I ever did when you were small. I know your little brother has a lot to do with that, as does reading silly books like Big Nate and Captain Underpants. My heart grows bigger because of you and this goofy grin, kid!

In just a few short years, I will be the one looking up to you (your legs grow longer every night, I'm sure of it!), and your sweet kid voice will be replaced by a deeper one. I am so lucky to be your mom, and to spend these days with you. xoxo

clip art input from a 5 year old

I've been toying with a few kid clip art images and had my 5 yo give me his input on how to color this one. He explained to me he thought it was a boy "because his hair is kind of short like mine" so I asked what color it should be and he wanted it pink. Then I asked about the bow and wondered if he'd seen anyone with a bow. "I think I've seen some kids with a bow. Definitely kids, not grown ups. I think the boy should have a green bow." Done, kid. "I think the picture should have something in it other than just white." Yeah, I can dig that. So here it is:

I think he is pretty fabulous! =) In fact, I liked it so much I added it to my newest product! Here he is on the cover:

homeschooling update

Sometimes I totally abuse my Amazon Prime membership. Friday, I was reminded of this, when SIX boxes arrived at my doorstep. Though most were Subscribe & Save items, I was thrilled that First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind, Levels 1 & 2 arrived as well! The kids were very excited to start right in with them. New books are always met with great excitement here!

I am feeling quite overwhelmed with all I have planned for the coming school year; I really need to carve out some quality time with my planner to figure out the best way to fit it all (or most) in. Now that I will officially be homeschooling both of our children, I am going to try a little more structure to our days and see how well it resonates. I generally like to go with their flow, since they are generally self-directed, but I know there are at least a few things I want to make sure we cover! One of the BEST things about homeschooling is the ability to follow the individual child's passions. When they are excited about something, it doesn't seem like work. In fact, my kids have never groaned about learning anything. When they are ready to learn something, it is fun for them (and me, too). It is exciting for them. It is a hold-everything-else-I-cannot-possibly-wait-a-moment-longer to learn about X. Thursday, X was a couple of chapters of my Physics book from Physics I class back in college. The first few chapters are about distance, time, size comparisons, and the MOST exciting of all: POWER PREFIXES! "Wow, mom, yocto is so small, WAY smaller than FEMTO!" Yeah. I get it, kid. You have absolutely no hope of not being a total nerd like your parents. Sorry about that.

Anyone else remember this book?

I am always in awe of fellow homeschoolers who homeschool several at a time. I'm not entirely sure how they do it (or homeschool one or two with an infant or toddler around), but having two to homeschool will be *plenty* for me! They are close enough in age that we can do science, history, geography, etc. together. Phew!

Nature Bingo Printable Activity - Take a Hike with your Kids

Play Nature Bingo on a Nature Walk! 

At one lovely visit to Dinosaur State Park in Connecticut, they had a game of Nature Bingo available that the kids found really enjoyable. All you need is images and/or words of things in nature that you would find in your neighborhood. I made the following cards based on things we might see in our neighborhood, but feel free to make your own if you have different nature items near you. This is a great activity for Earth Day to really connect with nature.

How to Use these Nature Bingo Cards

• Print out and laminate the cards, then (optional)
• Hole punch two holes to thread yarn so you can wear the card around your neck.
• Use washable markers / dry erase to mark off what you see.

I attached Velcro stickers to the Nature Bingo cards and washable markers so you don't have to hold your marker either. Use these cards over and over again, whether you are camping, exploring a new hiking trail, or going for a walk in your neighborhood.  Feel free to click on the images to enlarge and print them or download the entire set at my Teachers pay Teachers store! I may add a 5x5 true BINGO card in the future, but 4x4 seems to be the right size for preK through lower elementary.

Update: there is also a free downloadable set available at the Mass Audubon site!

*Full image credits are included in the full download, available at Teachers pay Teachers.

Art of Roughhousing Event

There is an Art of Roughhousing event this coming weekend in the greater Boston area, for those who are interested. We attended a workshop in March that was great fun! We have a very busy weekend this weekend so unfortunately I am not able to attend but I wanted to pass it on. Here are the general details:


On Sunday, May 22, the Boston Parents Paper and Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Boston will host Larry Cohen, Ph.D., at a special multi-media presentation about roughhousing. Cohen is the co-author of the new book Roughhousing: Good Old Fashioned Horseplay and Why Every Kid Needs It (Quirk Book, 2011; $14.95). He'll talk about why roughhousing is good for parents and kids and he'll show you some cool roughhousing moves you can try at home.


Sunday, May 22, 7-9pm, Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Boston, 60 Stein Circle, Newton, MA. Refreshments served; books available for sale. Tickets: $12 at the door; reservations suggested but not required. Call 617-522-1515; ext. 278.

practicing loving kindness

In the meditation chapter of Buddhism for Mothers, the author brings up the topic of Loving Kindness Meditation, which is a common buddhist practice. I think this is a wonderful thing to revisit after becoming a parent, regardless of faith. She explains the meditation as focusing on the following people in this order:

1. Yourself
2. Someone close to you that you love
3. A neutral person
4. Someone you find difficult to get along with
5. All beings

Focus on each item, while visualizing happiness, love, freedom from suffering, etc. for each person listed. As a mother, it is sometimes difficult to recognize your own triumphs, needs, and so on, so starting with loving kindness towards yourself helps define the practice. I have been finding this practice so useful with respect to H and F, especially after a tough day.

After loving kindness toward oneself, it seems to go from fairly easy to much more difficult as you come to number 4. Since becoming a parent, I find it so easy to fall into thinking that a particular way of parenting is the right, or better, way, and having judgmental or even bitter thoughts towards other parents whose methods oppose that way of parenting. I know I need to search myself to find more compassion and extend it to those parents, and their children, as well as inwardly. The role of parent is so dynamic and full of new challenges every day, that I think a little compassion goes a long way. I would like to extend that compassion to anyone reading here and ask that you take it within you and be gentle with yourselves as well.