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Lessons for Starting A STEAM Program with K-4 STEAM Teachers from Ladue School District [ep. 217]

by Naomi Meredith

Lessons for Starting A STEAM Program with K-4 STEAM Teachers from Ladue School District [ep. 217]

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Episode Summary

In this episode, I’m joined by four elementary STEAM teachers who worked together to build a brand-new K–4 STEAM program across their district: Kristina Lodes, Jenny Bradley, Miranda Berry, and Mary Linneman. 

We’re chatting about what that process actually looked like—from defining their roles and creating a curriculum to working with a budget, using materials they already had, and figuring out how to fit robotics, coding, engineering, makerspace, 3D printing, and more into a meaningful learning experience for students.

You’ll also hear about some of the biggest successes they’ve had along the way, including STEM Survival Camp, 3D printing, digital portfolios, and their district-wide STEAM Fest and Recycled Runway. Most importantly, they share how collaboration, having a strong starting point, and being willing to adapt lessons for their own students helped make an overwhelming process feel much more manageable.

Whether you’re brand new to teaching STEM or STEAM, helping build a program from scratch, or looking for ways to strengthen the program you already have, this conversation is packed with real-life ideas and encouragement you can use in your own STEM classroom.

Resources Mentioned:

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Meet Kristina Lodes

Kristina Lodes is an experienced Missouri educator with 22 years dedicated to driving innovation and student success in the classroom. She spent 16 years as a 3rd, 4th, and 5th-grade classroom teacher in the Francis Howell School District, serving 9 of those years as an Instructional Technology Lead. She later joined the Ladue School District as a Technology Specialist and Digital Learning Coach, supporting educators and students with meaningful tech integration.

Kristina holds a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education alongside a STEM Certificate. Now in her second year as a STEAM Specialist in Ladue, she teaches K–4 STEAM, empowering young learners through hands-on inquiry, creative design, and problem-solving.

Connect with Kristina on Instagram: @Spoedesteam

 

Meet Jenny Bradley 

Jenny is an experienced educator with over 15 years in education. She is currently in her second year as an elementary STEAM teacher. Her background includes a decade of foundational experience as a 4th-grade teacher and 3 years as a digital learning coach, supported by a Master’s degree in Educational Technology. Throughout her coaching and teaching roles, Jenny has dedicated herself to supporting teachers and students in using technology in meaningful ways to enhance instruction and boost engagement, while actively guiding students and staff on their digital citizenship journey to use technology safely, ethically, and responsibly.

She is passionate about providing hands-on opportunities for students to build, create, and innovate. Her goal is to foster a nonjudgmental learning atmosphere where students can safely experience failure, build perseverance, problem-solve through challenges, and fearlessly try new things.

Connect with Jenny on Instagram: @reed_steam_lab

 

Meet Miranda Berry 

Miranda Berry is a passionate and energetic educator with 11 years of experience, now serving as a STEAM Specialist in the Ladue School District. She spent 8 years as a Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd-grade classroom teacher in Ladue before transitioning into her current role. Miranda holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education, along with a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Reading. Now in her second year leading a dynamic STEAM program, she thrives on sparking student curiosity, pushing creative boundaries, and guiding young learners down exciting new paths to discover just how capable they really are! When she’s not in the classroom, you can find her enjoying time with her dog and cat, Sadie and Blu, traveling with her husband, Dallas, or on the field coaching high school girls’ lacrosse!

Connect with Miranda on Instagram: @ob_steamlab

 

Meet Mary Linneman

Mary Linneman is a passionate Missouri educator with over a decade of dedication to fostering curiosity and academic growth in the classroom. She spent the first 9 years of her career as a 3rd-grade teacher at Conway Elementary in the Ladue School District, cultivating a vibrant, engaging learning environment for her students.

Mary holds a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction for Elementary Education. Building on her extensive classroom experience, she helped pioneer Ladue’s new STEAM program, working collaboratively to design and launch the district’s K–4 STEAM curriculum from the ground up. Now in her second year as Conway Elementary’s STEAM teacher, Mary is dedicated to inspiring young minds through creative problem-solving, hands-on exploration, and innovative design.

Connect with Mary on Instagram: @conwaysteamlab

 

Episode Transcript: 

Welcome to the Elementary STEM Coach Podcast. I’m your host, Naomi Meredith, a former classroom teacher turned K-5 STEM teacher and coach. With over a decade of experience teaching and a master’s degree in STEM leadership, I’m here to coach you throughout the year to help you gain back more time to create innovative experiences for your students.

 

All right, so thank you everyone for being here today. This is a really, really special episode and when I’m creating lessons, I always know that the lessons work for my students with trial and error. They’ve been taught a lot of times and I post it in my shop.

 

I post about it on social media, but I don’t always hear how it’s going with your own students. And I know you guys are using them to say, thank you, whatever, but I don’t always hear all the details. And so this episode is really special because especially if you’re watching the video version, there’s a lot of us here on this interview.

 

So I’m going to have everybody introduce themselves and we’ll get into about STEM lessons and how things that I’ve created are being used in other classrooms. So I’ll call on each of you and you guys can introduce yourselves really quick. All right, how about Jenny? You want to go first? Hi, my name is Jenny Bradley.

 

This is my 15th year in education, second year as an elementary STEAM teacher. Prior to teaching STEAM, I taught fourth grade for 10 years. And then I was a digital learning coach for three years, supporting staff and students in integrating and using technology and meaningful ways in their classroom to enhance instruction, increase engagement for students.

 

And now I’m in the STEAM position, which was really exciting. Awesome. Thank you.

 

Mary, do you want to go? Sure. Yes. I’m Mary Linneman and I teach STEAM at Conway Elementary in Ladue School District, which is in Missouri.

 

We’re all in the same district. And this is, yeah, also my second year teaching STEAM. The program started last year.

 

And then prior to that, I was teaching third grade at the same school for nine years. So it’s been a great transition. Awesome.

 

Miranda? Yeah, I’m Miranda Berry. And as I mentioned, I’m also a STEAM specialist here at O’Bottom Elementary in Ladue. And I have been in education for 11 years.

 

The last two years, counting this year, was in STEAM. And I really have that primary focus. So I’ve taught kindergarten, I’ve taught first grade, and I’ve taught second grade.

 

And so really that primary focus. And then, yeah, we have just been having so much fun with the STEAM program. But yeah, it’s a little bit about me.

 

All right, Christina? Hi, I’m Christina Lotus. This is my 22nd year in education. I started in Francis Howell at Central Elementary and was a classroom teacher for 16 years, teaching third, fourth, and fifth grade.

 

Then I came over to Ladue and was in kind of a coaching role, digital learning coach, for about four years. And then this is my second year teaching STEAM at Spady Elementary. I love.

 

So if any of you listening, you’re like, oh my gosh, I’m just getting into STEAM or STEM. Everyone has a background in education and teaching. So that plays a really big role in what you’re doing.

 

And these ladies know each other. So they’re not just random teachers that just popped in on this interview. They all know each other.

 

And Jenny reached out about what, we’ll get into it as well. But so what, like, how do you guys know each other? So does someone want to explain that? Sure. Yeah.

 

So we’re all in the same district. So our district has four elementary schools, and they are all K-4. And so we’re all just at the elementary schools.

 

And the STEAM program was started in our district last year. So I mean, before we had the STEAM class, teachers were just encouraged to do it in their classrooms, to integrate it into their lessons. And that was challenging, of course, for all of the things that are already on classroom teachers plates.

 

And so then we started the STEAM program, and we all got hired at our respective buildings. And then we just started working really closely together. And some of us worked closely together before this.

 

I know Jenny and Christina had a similar role before the STEAM position, if you guys wanted to mention that. Yeah. So Christina and I were digital learning coaches here in Lidu School District prior to teaching STEAM.

 

So we collaborated and worked closely together often. For some of those years, Christina was between two buildings. I was between the other two buildings.

 

But we would still plan and work together and talk about different strategies for supporting our staffs, for supporting our students. We also planned STEAM days across all four of our elementary buildings. So planning different makerspace and robotics challenges for our students to participate in, and a really fun, just full day of STEAM.

 

Awesome. This is like not the main focus of this podcast, but having people to collaborate, especially since most STEM or STEAM teachers are the only ones in their buildings, finding people to collaborate is such a blessing if you’re in the same district, because those district initiatives you can chat about together. But there are people who are teaching these programs might be in a smaller school.

 

So even reaching across districts can be really helpful. But having a team can really make it a lot easier, especially if you’re so used to being a classroom teacher back in the day, you have a team, you’re used to that collaboration, it can really definitely make a difference. But that’s a side note, because we’re going to actually get into building up your STEM program, which the collaboration is a part of that.

 

And thinking about this, since it is a newer thing in your district, which I’m so excited, that’s actually great to hear that your district is excited about STEM and STEAM and sees the value in it, because I hear the opposite, but a lot of programs get cut. So it’s great that this is getting started. But thinking of that, what struggles were you finding when building up your STEAM program in your district? Because it was so new, you have all these different backgrounds, but knowing you’re in this role, what were those struggles you’re finding when building them up? Christina? Yeah, when we reflect back, they can kind of fit into like three categories.

 

So we’ll kind of go through those. Role definition was one, content creation, and then budget. I’ll kind of hit on those three.

 

So as Jenny kind of expanded on, we had come from like a digital learning coach position. We also had instructional coaches. And as we evolved as a district, and kind of were going a different direction and wanted to have a STEAM specialist that were more, we focused more on like our time with students, you know, so support directly with students.

 

So we were transitioning from more of a position that supported teachers to more interaction with students. So we wanted to have a smooth transition with that. So we kind of like listed out all the things that we did and thought about what made the most sense to keep as a STEAM specialist role.

 

And so we decided to focus on like our student broadcasts and supporting teachers with technology integration. And then of course our STEAM lessons with our specials rotation. Then we kind of looked at all of the other things that were on there and collaborated with our district administration, our admin assistants, and our content leads, and kind of redistributed everything so that every area was still supported.

 

And once we got to that point, that was awesome. And then we’re like, okay, let’s focus on our content. What are we going to teach with STEAM? And wow, that really became overwhelming very fast.

 

We started kind of looking over all these programs that were developed, but none of them really matched our vision. And a lot of them had a high price tag. So to kind of like commit to a program that was ready to go with all that money, we were looking for something that had a good mix of like robotics, makerspace challenges, student creativity, just open-ended projects, some coding, some 3D printing.

 

We kind of wanted all of that. We also wanted to tie in some science concepts, but we didn’t want that to be the base of our foundation. We wanted to support what teachers were already doing, not replacing it and give students a chance to dive deeper into some of these areas.

 

So not to jump too far ahead, Naomi, but your resource pack was kind of like, yes, this is what we’re looking for. So that was when we found that, that took a huge weight off and we knew we could use, we have used a lot of your lessons as like, you know, not just a starting point, but we’ve adapted several of those and it just really took the pressure off. So then, you know, we have the budget.

 

We were also navigating first starting out. We didn’t really know where the money would be coming from or how much we would have. So we kind of took a conservative approach.

 

We were very lucky to have a lot of resources already that we wanted to utilize so that we didn’t have to buy all new. And a lot of your lessons kind of tied into a lot stuff we already had to. So looking back, you know, we had those huge hurdles, but we’re kind of at a place now where we’re continuing to develop.

 

We think we’re creating something that’s sustainable and just really excited about what we have. Yeah. I’d like to make sure that’s so exciting.

 

I, because what you’re saying, like, well, it’s overwhelming. There’s all this stuff we have to teach. Like it’s not just building, it’s robotics, it’s coding, it’s 3D printing.

 

It’s all of this stuff that you have to fit in. And you also don’t see the same kids every single day. So how can you have that high level learning and everything that you touched upon, but still make it meaningful? And that was exactly my thoughts when I had my space because I had a brand new classroom and zero curriculum.

 

So I had a background in as a classroom teacher, and I know exactly where you’re coming from. You’re like, I didn’t have a budget to buy curriculums. They’re like, here you go.

 

Good luck. I’m like, well, don’t tempt me with a good time. I will figure it out.

 

So that’s really great that, and I’m so glad that my lessons could help you. And we’ll get more into that, like help you find what you were needing based on the materials that you already have and then grow from there. And maybe, I don’t know if you guys have seen this too, based on having your kids for a couple of years now, adapting those lessons based on their skillset also comes into play.

 

Like, oh, the first year we really had to work on some basics. Next year, highlight those basics. But now we can get deeper into those projects and see that progression of learning, which is definitely what I was envisioning when I’m creating things.

 

Like, okay, this is where they’re starting, but here’s how it will grow throughout the years and they can practice those skills. So that’s so exciting to hear. I was like, oh my gosh, you guys.

 

So you mentioned it a little bit, Christina, but Jenny, how did you find my resources and decide that it would be a great fit for you and what you were looking for? Christina mentioned it a little bit, but I think there’s more onto that side. Yeah. So like Christina said, we were pretty overwhelmed.

 

We found out that our district was developing the STEAM program. I think it was maybe end of March. It was sometime in spring.

 

And so this would have been like two springs ago. And we were like, okay, we have to come up with an entire scope and sequence and curriculum, kindergarten through fourth grade by the time we start next school year. And so, again, we’re very fortunate to work in a district that provides us with a lot of resources, a lot of support.

 

So they gave us full days of curriculum writing and planning at the end of that school year and a few days over the summer to meet just the four of us so we could really dig in and develop our curriculum. So in the midst of feeling overwhelmed that spring, I was like, there has to be some resources out there. We’re not the first ones to create a STEAM program at the elementary level.

 

So I started doing a little bit of research online and I have listened to some educational podcasts before and that were really helpful, especially going into a digital learning coach position. And I found your podcast and I was like, oh, this sounds great. I started scrolling through the names of your episodes.

 

And I think it was the first episode was like, I’m a new STEAM teacher. Oh my gosh, it’s speaking to me. So I started listening to it and I was like, okay, this is already helping me to take a deep breath, calm down a little bit.

 

We can do this. And I shared it with our team and I was like, okay, you guys got to listen to Naomi’s podcast. I think it’ll really help give us a starting point and just to help us feel less overwhelmed.

 

Even getting into like your classroom management episodes, your makerspace episodes of how to utilize tools from your podcast. After listening to a few episodes, I continued researching and looking through some of your resources on Teachers Pay Teachers. And like Christina said, a lot of your material already aligned so well with the resources that we have in our district.

 

I think it was your year at a glance or your scope and sequence that I found. And I was looking through it month by month for each grade level. And I was like, okay, you mentioned Sphero Bolts, you mentioned Lego Robotics, you mentioned all these resources that we have access to.

 

And I was like, I think this can really help give us a good starting place without feeling so overwhelmed. One other thing that we were kind of getting stuck on was at this point in the planning, do we need to make sure that we’re aligning with our NGSS science standards or certain math standards, things like that. And I saw that you already had a lot of that connected on your year at a glance.

 

So we’re so appreciative of your resources for really helping to take some of that pressure off and giving us a starting point for developing this program in our district. I’m so glad. You’re welcome.

 

Yeah. And it’s hard too, because every district has different things they’re looking for, the time you have with kids. And yes, you mentioned the standards.

 

It actually kind of helps keep your program good. You’re like, hey, I actually teach standards, you guys. It’s not just a free for all in here.

 

But yeah, when I’ve created everything, it’s so hard creating it, but at the same time, I know other people are feeling the same way as me. I knew that from the beginning. I knew that, but I don’t want to just keep this to myself.

 

If this is going to help somebody else and their students, because it is a lot and it’s overwhelming, but it’s also really fun. If I can help someone else, I’m going to do the work regardless. I had to, you guys do too.

 

But no, that’s exactly why sharing all this, I’m here, I’m with you, I get it, I’m doing it, I understand. And it’s so exciting that it did take that pressure off and you can connect the things that you guys have a vision for, but also have a good starting point to keep moving forward for sure. Also, side note, Jenny, I love seeing my engineering design process poster in the background.

 

That’s so exciting, seeing that hang up like, oh, I know that poster. I know it. So along with that, Miranda, could you tell us some of the successes of your program? And I’m sure you guys chatted about this before, you might see similar things.

 

And what do you love most about it? So tell us all. Yeah, so I mean, we could probably do one episode just on like the successes truly of like, what has come from this last year, because we’ve had so many wins over the last year when this program started. And just like, as they’ve said, just developing it, we felt like we caught like momentum and like we were feeling good about it.

 

And so some of the units specifically that you created that really stuck out to us and that we enjoyed, and the kids really enjoyed and just really took off was the STEM survival camp, which was elite, you know, like the kids loved it, especially the timing of it, like the fall season right about now, and kids are camping, we have, I feel like a lot of kids that enjoy outdoors and enjoy the camp. And so that was a hit. We also love the 3D printing unit, which I’m speaking for myself, I have zero clue how to 3D print.

 

I think I can speak for a lot of us. And so that was amazing. And I like you said, you’re going through it together, like as newbies.

 

And so and a lot of kids were as well. And then your digital citizenship unit, which we take pride in here at Ladue. We want kids to, you know, be safe digital citizens when they’re online and using technology.

 

And then your Maker Month and our systems unit. And so with that STEAM survival, I still have, I brought them, I brought them down, some projects that kids kept. Oh my gosh, look at that little, it’s a, for those of you listening, it’s a shelter.

 

Oh wait, no, that’s Protect the Food. Protect the Food challenge. Yes.

 

And so the kids that maybe didn’t want to take it home, or I was like, please let me keep some to showcase like all the amazing work. But yeah, so that was really good. And I, like I said, I feel like it really tied into a lot of students’ interest in the camping background.

 

And even just like with the Protect the Food and Cross the Bridge and then the Game from the Land. I mean, we could have probably spent a month or two on Game from the Land, girls. I think we talk about it all the time.

 

Like we plan so far in advance for the kids, just because we want them to go deep with it and not just surface level with a lot of those things. So they loved it. And they were just incredibly proud with things that they created.

 

And then your 3D printing series was a lifesaver because I had no idea. I feel like it was very new in our world. And thankfully a lot of kids were starting to dabble in it too.

 

So they actually taught us, which is amazing. And they know a lot of things that maybe we didn’t. And so it was just so fun.

 

And by the end of the unit, we also explored Tinkercad and that is the app that we use to design and like have, especially the older grades, second, third and fourth, they really got to just explore. And we kind of just said, have fun and figure things out. And so they got to design some things and then they eventually printed those things.

 

And then kindergarten and first, we learned about that Tinkercad process. We actually dabbled in Keynote because I feel like they’re very similar in a sense of creating and just more age appropriate for that piece. And then they also got to take home a key chain that was 3D printed and design.

 

And so they loved it. I mean, they just the idea of something being 3D printed and they get to keep it and it is their own. So that was really cool.

 

Gosh, I could go on, but there’s Seesaw. Oh my gosh, Seesaw. So we still use Seesaw to this day.

 

We just really appreciate the connections in every single lesson and every single unit, every grade had a Seesaw connection where they could use it to reflect or use it to upload their work or whatever, maybe or collaborate with other classmates. I think it was also cool for us as teachers to just go through the journals and see what they were creating if we weren’t able to see them that day. Because we have used Seesaw in our district before during COVID.

 

So there’s some strong feelings there about Seesaw, but we’re really hoping that with us using it with all K through 4 students that teachers will receive the value again. And there’s so many amazing updates since COVID and the dashboard is so easy to access. And so we’re really excited to continue to explore that and just have a way for kids to have a digital portfolio online, kind of like a cloud, iCloud based system where they can always keep their things and parents essentially will be able to see those things across their tenure at Ulbonnum.

 

And then I feel like our main finale, so one of our big successes here at WODU was last spring and really it started like last fall, ladies, I believe. Our Director of Technology, Dr. Patricia Brown, had this vision and she’s very much woven in with the STEAM world as well, like with us. She loves technology, loves integration, loves integrating it.

 

She was a Technology Director here, or Technology Coordinator at Ulbonnum. So I kind of worked alongside of her years and years ago, but she wanted to put on this STEAM Fest night. And so we started collaborating very early on.

 

She gathered a lot of students and staff members that really also saw the value in this work. And so we created a STEAM Fest night. It was back in April.

 

And so some of the things that happened was it was just for one night, which I feel like, again, it could be across a week in reality, just because of how much content was in there. But we had it for one evening and our entire community, WODU community, and really outside of WODU, it wasn’t really like if you didn’t go to WODU, you couldn’t go. Like everyone was invited to come, friends, family.

 

If you’re at your friend’s house that night, you could come with them. And so it was jam-packed with just STEAM. I mean, it just like oozed STEAM everywhere you went.

 

And so we had different zones, and there were six zones. And some of those zones entailed AI and digital intelligence, the maker zone, which me and Christina led, that was really fun, like the building and designing. We had the computational thinking zone, which is more like logic and game power, the exploration zone, scientific discovery, creative arts zone, and then a future pathway zone.

 

And what was still very unique is that we also had outside vendors that correlated to this field or any of those fields that could come in and just share the knowledge and share their career fields of like, this is possible. This is what you are very interested in. Like, this is what it can look like in the real world.

 

And so it was a huge hit. And I feel like the timing wasn’t just a coincidence. I feel like this was like a buildup of we want to create this program.

 

And then we have done it for the past year. And then almost like an exclamation mark with STEAM Fest. And it was our first year doing it.

 

And it was just so fun. And yeah, it was a huge hit. And we still talk about it to this day.

 

And we are currently in the planning for STEAM Fest 2 in April of this spring. And so we’re very excited to continue that work and just spread the wealth of all things STEAM. And so those are some successes.

 

I feel like we could talk about it way more. But those are just some of the fun like successes and wins of this year. Like we had way more wins than we had, you know, necessarily failures.

 

But even in those failures, there come wins. And so yeah, it’s been it’s been fun. A lot of wins.

 

Yeah, you guys are done a lot in two years. Sorry to interrupt, but I feel like Christina and Miranda have to share their STEAM Fashion Runway show that appeared at STEAM Fest. Because yeah, this was Christina’s baby.

 

This was her idea. Yeah. I’ve always loved the idea of just making things with recycled materials.

 

And like even as kids, my sister and I were bored one day. And we’re like, let’s make some outfits out of, you know, this cardboard and stuff. And we did a whole little fashion show thing.

 

And then we brought it to our cousins. We had a yearly tradition where we met at a cabin. And my aunt was always like, no screens, no TVs.

 

So at least one of the days we’d have this. We called it a trash fashion show at the time. But I rebranded it to the Recycled Runway to bring to Ladue.

 

And so we had any students, some students could sign up ahead of time saying that they’d make their outfits at home. We had a stage set up. We had music.

 

We announced them. They got to strut across the stage wearing their creation. We also had a room, a makerspace area at STEAM Fest where students could come in and make their outfits there on the fly.

 

And they got to be a part of the show too. Of course, every year one of something you come away with ideas of how you want to do it differently the next year. So we’re looking forward to bringing it back.

 

And that was so fun to see that come big picture there. So you are going to do the runway again? Yeah. Okay, good.

 

Recycled Runway. I mean, we were on a high, literally. And there was just so many kids that, like Christina mentioned, they could come and do it there.

 

Or they could plan a month or so in advance. And there were so many kids that developed and created their costume there. And we thought, oh my gosh, is it going to be enough time? Plenty of time.

 

And so it was just, yeah, it was a hit. Thanks to Christina’s wonderful idea. They’re going to start making their costumes now.

 

You guys are planning the event. They’re at home making their costumes. So you’re going to have like over the years, like all these, like you’ll see the progression of the costume that they’ll look forward to.

 

That’s so cute. I’m going to come. It’s in on April at the STEAM Showcase.

 

It’s amazing. And it sounds like your guys’ district, like because they are starting this program, it just sounds like they’re very supportive. And I can feel your energy off of the screen.

 

And you all are excited about it. Also, you wanting to do this podcast is like a big deal. It’s scary to do a podcast.

 

I don’t know. Maybe I’m not. I’m not too scary.

 

But I just love how your guys’ leadership, and that can be a huge impact in what you’re doing, is they know, okay, we’re starting from scratch. And we trust you as teachers to make those decisions and build this program. And you guys are working together.

 

You’re trusting each other. And the kids can feel it too. And it just, it’s a really cool trickle effect.

 

And I can just tell that you guys are like in a dream environment. And you are all in different schools. But you’re really trying to have like these really meaningful experiences for kids and using your skills in meaningful ways.

 

And in turn, these amazing outcomes. And kids are excited about what you’re doing. Like kids love STEM anyway.

 

But it’s scary for them too to be in a creative space and trying those hard things they’ve never tried before. For sure, they haven’t done STEM Survival Camp because I made that up. So like all these different experiences, and you’re providing these spaces that they’re excited about it.

 

And they want to try new things. And they can’t wait for the next year. So I really like, it’s so awesome to hear that.

 

And like having that STEAM showcase is such a great way to celebrate all the work that you guys are doing. Because I mean, you’re doing it for the kids. We know we’re as teachers, we’re doing it for the kids, but also a space that they can celebrate the creativity and the hard work and they can look forward to it.

 

So I love that’s like a tradition, becoming a tradition in your district. To finish this off, Mary, if there are teachers on the fence about investing in my resources, what would you say to them? Well, it’s clearly worked out so well for us. I mean, like I think Christina and Jenny said at the beginning, when we were in those beginning stages of creating our own curriculum, it was so overwhelming, so stressful.

 

I’m just like, where do we start? You know, we had different outlines that we were kind of drafting and we didn’t know which one would be best if one was better than the other. And we were looking at all these options online. And so finding your bundle on Teachers Pay Teachers, and then when we got that, we just felt like it was a huge weight off our shoulders.

 

I mean, it was just, we were ready to just dive into it. There was, it’s like just hundreds of things in there that we could look through and kind of pick out. And I mean, the lessons that you create, they are just like ready to go.

 

You can pretty much teach them how it is if you have the materials. But we spent a lot of time kind of adapting them, making them our own, kind of creating our own slides and our own seesaws to go with them, just like using what you had started. And so we, yeah, we’ve gotten into a really great groove with planning those.

 

And we just liked how there was choices for the different grade levels for every unit. I think it was the, yeah, the digital STEM planner that you created that was, that kind of had, every month had a different theme, and then each theme had lessons for each grade. And so we just kind of looked through to think, you know, which one will be best for year one last year.

 

And now, now that we’re in year two, we’re kind of picking different ones to cycle in there. So it’s, you know, different things that they’re getting. And the kids just love it.

 

I mean, they just eat it up. Like every day, they’re so excited to see what we’re doing. You know, they get, they get most excited about the flashy things like the robotics and they, they always come into STEAM class.

 

You know, I always have kids that come in, are we doing robotics today or 3D printing? It’s like, no, we’re going to do something. And then they just get so excited about whatever it is that we’re doing. And so, yeah, I just think that we have the best job.

 

lessons-for-starting-a-steam-program

 

 

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More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a K-5 STEM educator and business owner in Colorado supporting elementary teachers world-wide navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there. She has over a decade of experience teaching, 5 years teaching elementary STEM, along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM Certificate.

She offers a variety of resources to help teachers feel successful teaching STEM to their elementary students through lesson plans, online courses, coaching and speaking events.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM, innovation and hands-on learning in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!

Teacher Outfit Ideas: August 2026

by Naomi Meredith

Teacher Outfit Ideas: August 2026

What am I wearing this month? Here is a collection of teacher outfits and everyday outfits I put together for August 2026. It’s been hot in Colorado! Still wearing shorts and summer dresses!

 

Some items are linked to my LikeToKnowIt or Amazon Affiliate account. When you purchase through my link, there is no added cost to you, but I receive a small commission in return.

I sized WAY up on this Diet Dr. Pepper shirt. Pretty sure the largest size it could go since it’s semi-crop top fit and i wanted it loose like this. These shoes are so comfy and I don’t even care that they are Dr. Scholl’s. They have tons of support for all day wear! I’m wearing my typical size 8.

Click here for outfit links 

I still love a good romper if I’m feeling lazy and still want to look put together. If they aren’t your thing, I found some other options that I think you like. Again, pairing with my Dr. Scholl’s shoes!

Click here for outfit links

 

 

When I’m not drinking coffee, especially when I need a break from caffine in the afternoon, I’ve been LOVING my Beam GLOW Blue Raspberry for Women. 

Beam GLOW Supports healthy hormone balance, thyroid function, and metabolism
● Eases PMS, menopause, and postpartum symptoms
● Promotes clearer, brighter skin and stronger healthier hair and nails
● Boosts energy, mood, stress resilience, and overall wellness

For the month of August 2026, you can get up to 42% of with my link! https://shopbeam.com/NAOMI 

This shirt is soooo soft and comfy! I sized up one to a XL to have this baggy look.

These pants I’m wearing my typical size large. I took out the hem on these, since they came cuffed at the bottom. I’m 5’6” and I like the length on these since I did that.

Click here for outfit links.

 

If you can’t see it on my wrist, I’m wearing the cutest little pencil bracelet that’s fit for a teacher 😍✨✏️

Click here for bracelet link.

 

I get so many compliments when I wear this dress to pickleball and running errands! I’ve even traveled in this dress when coming back from warm places.

It has built in shorts and tighter in the top so it holds things in. Not a built in shelf, but I feel fine wearing this while playing pickleball. I’m wearing my typical size large.

These shoes are so supportive! I’m wearing my typical size 8. I don’t play pickleball in them. I wear different court shoes that I’ll link below.

Click here for outfit links

 

I’ve been painting my own gel nails for over a year now since the salon is so expensive. Once you get the hang of it, it’s so fun and I can make my press-ons last just as long! I typically paint the gel on the press-ons before adding to my hand first.

Grab everything I used for this set here. 

 

I have this brown skort in 3 different colors. The shorts underneath are so comfy! Perfect length for teaching. I’m wearing my typical size large.

Click here for outfit links. 

 

Related Podcast Episodes/Blog Posts:

 

 

 

More About The Author, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a K-5 STEM educator and business owner in Colorado. She over a decade of experience teaching, 5 years teaching elementary STEM, along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM Certificate.

She offers a variety of tools to help teachers feel successful teaching STEM to their elementary students through lesson plans, online courses, coaching and speaking events.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM, innovation and hands-on learning in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

Kicking off the School Year with STEM Survival Camp with Bre Smith [ep. 212]

by Naomi Meredith

Kicking off the School Year with STEM Survival Camp with Bre Smith [ep. 212]

Check out the full episode on kicking off the school year with STEM Survival Camp:  

 

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Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube here:

Episode Summary

How do you authentically teach students how to use the Engineering Design Process in K-5? I’m chatting with K-5 STEAM teacher, Bre Smith and how she uses STEM Survival Camp to kick off the school year with her classes, and has even made it a tradition to start the Back to School Season.

Meet Bre:

Hi, I’m Bre Smith, the STEAM teacher in Colorado. I work with all of our K–5 students to spark curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving through hands-on, minds-on learning. A few years ago, I designed and launched our STEAM program, aligning it with NGSS standards and making sure every student has opportunities to explore science, technology, engineering, art, and math in meaningful ways.

I believe kids learn best when they’re building, experimenting, and reflecting, so I focus on creating challenges that inspire them to think critically, collaborate, and bring their imaginations to life. My favorite moments are when students surprise themselves by realizing they can do something they didn’t think was possible.

Outside of school, I’m a mom of three, and you’ll often find me cheering on the sidelines at their games, spending time outdoors, and traveling.

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Welcome to the Elementary STEM Coach Podcast. I’m your host Naomi Meredith, a former classroom teacher turned K-5 STEM teacher and coach. With over a decade of experience teaching and a master’s degree in STEM leadership, I’m here to coach you throughout the year to help you gain back more time to create innovative experiences for your students.

 

All right, well thank you Bree so much for being here today. I’m so excited to have you as a guest because we’ve connected in lots of different ways and we met at a conference I think in Colorado at an ENCO in Breckenridge and you were in one of my sessions and then a few years later I still currently teach right now a STEM club at your school and I like walked in your class like a few weeks ago. I’m like oh my gosh like you’re teaching my whole STEM survival camp unit and the kids are telling me about it and you kind of had it decorated with tents and you have the fire and I had to tell kids in my club to get out of the tent like that’s Miss Smith tent like get out of there so I was like oh my gosh I would love to hear how it goes in your class because it’s one of those things that as you know being a STEM teacher you’re the only one in your building teaching it and so you don’t always know how things are going or like what other people are doing so I’m like cannot wait to talk to you about this because I wanted to ask you more before we start recording we’re like no we need to get this on audio but yes before we do that yeah if you wouldn’t mind telling us more about you and what you teach and also a little snapshot about your schedule um how often you see kids all right well my name is Brie Smith and I teach kindergarten through fifth grade and I teach STEAM so we have the A for Art at Redstone Elementary in Highlands Ranch Colorado this is my fourth year currently that we’re in in this role prior to that I was an intermediate teacher mostly in fifth grade I did that for six years and then I stayed home with my kids for eight years and so I came back to teaching right before COVID it was the worst time to come back so I was teaching part-time computer science and the school shut down and they were the kids were spending their entire day on the screens and I it didn’t feel right with me to give them more digital assignments and so I started giving them STEAM challenges at home with materials that they had around the house and they loved it and so that’s kind of when it clicked for me how important those skills are the creativity the problem solving the resilience it was things that they were naturally during using during those STEAM challenges so after that crazy year I set out to build a full STEAM program at my school so I proposed the idea to my principal and vice principal and they were so supportive and on board so then I presented to staff and then PTO and everyone was on board and so I wrote a couple grants to get it funded and now here we are so it’s grown into something so much bigger than I have ever imagined and it’s so fun to see how it’s impacting the students so I see kids on a weekly rotation every third week so we have PE music and then STEAM and then my classes are 45 minutes long and I see six classes a day so kindergarten through fifth each day so that’s about me and my schedule okay I had no idea you kind of like created your position I did I had no idea that’s like a whole other podcast because that’s a whole other thing we could talk about that another time because like that’s pretty cool because you were already hired as computer science like that was your title and then yeah let’s switch it up right and the timing worked out well because our art teacher who was the third rotation she was retiring and so and that’s when I saw you at in EDCO that was like I just got in that position I was like trying to get prepared for that first year so yeah and it’s it’s a lot it’s like I have a brand new position you’re creating this whole program right and it’s like all new to you because you have teaching experience which is so helpful but it is a whole other world in STEM and I don’t remember what I presented about I was it STEM survival camp no it wasn’t I think it was just kind of like the logistics and stuff which is so important and like your favorite my favorite quote of yours is like how we’re like the fun aunt planning a birthday party six times a day because that’s literally how it feels like the energy level is like you have to just be excited every class but I will say after my second year teaching STEAM I gave all my general like classroom supplies away and I don’t I don’t think I’m ever going back to the gen ed class so that’s yeah you’re committed you are committed yeah and her room is so cute you’re gonna have to send me some pictures I love it’s just so warm and cozy and like you can tell there’s just so much creativity in there it’s so she’s like this cute rainbow she painted on a pegboard and then like all like she I really like you have um like all the reusable blocks and stuff but then you have them color-coded for what types of projects they can be used for like you have like really cool things going on in your classroom and um you can tell like the kids love it in there and create and have such a fun time um so it’s so fun like going in there everyone’s like oh I like walk around like oh look at all this fun stuff but that’s what I saw I’m like oh my gosh it’s STEM survival camp so what made you decide um to do some survival camp because I did mine like the same time like back to school-ish time um so what made you decide to teach it and when do you teach it so like how do you um set that up because you do see kids for the whole week every the same kids every single day for a week which I did so yeah how did you decide to do that and then like how do you how did you set it up for your kids okay well I mean we live in Colorado so I feel like it’s a natural fit um but I love camping and like honestly my favorite shows are alone and naked and afraid and all that stuff so it just like totally fit my personality um and I’ve been teaching it every year since I started the program and I just love it um and so when I teach it so I usually have the first round of kids we go over the rules and expectations and the routines um but then after that our first unit is survival STEAM um and I do it first through fifth grade um and I tried my kindergarten but when it’s so early in the year I realized they’re just learning how to be students um and I take the outside to collect materials and yeah learn from experience so um so now I just do first through fifth grade um and I chose to teach STEAM survival at that time for a couple reasons the first is they are so engaged um and so you mentioned I set up my classroom so I have this big like I got off Amazon it’s this big like kind of fabric that has the mountains in the background and then I have a clay collapsible tent and then I have a little campfire that I illuminate with a flashlight and I turn the lights off and then I invite the kids in for their first day and they’re like oh it’s STEAM survival so all the kids that have been here in the past get so excited and all the new kids are like wait what why is there a campfire why is there a tent um and the first graders they get so excited because this is their first they’ve heard about it but this is their first round doing it so for me it’s engagement from the beginning um but then also it sets up skills that are really important for the rest of the year um so I really hit planning hard um during this unit and I use your rubric for the four star plan um and so we really dive in and go slow as we’re planning for STEAM survival um and I just have a quick story so I was explaining to the kids like you need to have these were fifth graders you need to have two different views of your shelter um and maybe a bird’s eye view so I just like threw that out there and then a girl came up to me she had finished her plan and she had drawn her shelter but had a bird flying over it because she didn’t understand what a bird’s eye view was and I was like see this is why it’s so good that we’re going slow so we can go fast and so we stopped and explained like oh a bird’s eye view is when you’re like you know flying like a bird and you like look down you know so that whole thing but it was just really good to like know that yeah we got to slow down and do this at the beginning so we have success later in the year um and then the teamwork skills that come with STEAM survival are huge and that’s a great way to start off and so we talk about how to work in a team we talk about what to do if someone isn’t helping on your team um I have like three steps that they go through we talk about the difference between being a leader and being bossy and so we go through that so it just really sets up the collaboration skills um and then overall the general just engineering skills like how do you manage supplies I only give out like 12 inches of tape so how are you gonna use it um managing your time like the kids that are making the game from the land they get so into it and they just want to build these elaborate things I’m like you guys only have a day like we do one build day um I’m like so you gotta like manage your time wisely um and then also like how to test and improve and all that so all those things come with the same survival and they just really set up my class for a year of success when we do it at the very beginning I love hearing that so much because I saw the same thing when I started doing it I started teaching it well probably not too long before you because um I created it in 2020 so we were going back in the fall because um I was also watching a lot alone I’ve camped a lot I have a lot of experience camping I just don’t do it a lot as a grown-up um but I can um I can do it I have a I have a stun trailer so I can do it um I was the same way but I the I created it because we actually couldn’t share supplies and um we I was like well let’s bring the kids out as much as possible and so that’s why I create I’m like I’m gonna do it for one year and I have the same reaction as your kids like we have to do it every year and so they are like so excited and um I keep doing it and I taught a few of them in my STEM camps now just for one day so I really just hit hard on the creation but I love how you focused in on the planning but all the skills that come with it um I love that so much like hearing the progression and since you’ve done it every year like you said the kids are excited have you seen like their skills kind of just keep building off of each other a little bit oh yeah like um especially specifically with the planning like my fifth graders um they’re so good at it now and then also the biggest thing I’ve seen is the improvement in the resiliency um like when I first started they cried all the time and being an intermediate teacher I’m like we don’t cry like why are we crying you know and so I’ve really worked to build those skills and the STEAM survival is awesome because you know they’re building with sticks and tape and it doesn’t work they don’t stick you know and so they have to be resilient have to keep trying we’re gonna dump water on it we’re gonna blow it over that’s okay you know and so we talk it’s more about the process not your final product but you can really see the skills are finally building after like in my fourth year I’m like yes all that hard work I’ve done for three years is really paying off so I’m so glad you mentioned that I had the same same experience like kids like why why don’t we get all the tape we want like they would cry all the time like I’m all because you I mean when you think about it and how important STEM is and STEAM um and you’re in your fourth year but what the kids are typically doing most kids from what I’ve seen they’re not doing this kind of stuff as often as they should be at home and so when you’re building with and all the technology skills are important too that’s a whole other thing but um like the tangible like things you’ve never dealt with before like I don’t know how to do I’m like well everything new is hard at first how would you know I tell kids like you wouldn’t know I made this up like I made this whole thing out of my brain so you probably haven’t done it before because it’s made up so yeah it makes sense you don’t know what to do yeah but I love hearing like where you’re at with STEAM that you’re like seeing like oh my gosh like you’re building upon that and um all the skills are growing have you seen any other successes with it you’ve said so many amazing things like any other cool successes yeah so many so many but um one of them was that um there’s a lot of students even living in Colorado that don’t like to go outside and um so and they’re not comfortable they love to be on their screens you know and so um the way I set it up is like Monday is building background knowledge Tuesday is planning Wednesday is going outside to get the materials Thursday’s building and Friday is um test and share so on Wednesday we go outside and collect materials and so um the way our school is set up is like our we have a big property but then just behind our property is like a walking trail and there’s a big field so that’s where we go to get um our materials and I I’m close enough I have a walkie you know so I can still get a hold of people but um so in the years past I would have kids that just stayed on the sidewalk with me they would not venture into the field they were afraid about they were afraid of snakes they were afraid of bugs they were afraid of grasshoppers um afraid of ticks I mean I’m allergic you know and so but every year less and less kids have been staying back with me on the sidewalk they have been yeah being brave and going out there and it’s like it’s feeling more comfortable to them um and so I just think that’s a huge success because I mean we live in such a beautiful state like get out and enjoy it so um and I do have to say and I had texted you but we every year we see a snake and we did see one this year and um it’s kind of like the highlight the class was like it was third graders like we saw the snake because it’s like a big deal to see a snake but we also talk about snake safety I mean living in Colorado I had a snake living in my front yard so it’s like it’s part of um our world and it’s their habitat and so we talk about snake safety um and so they will tell me oh I was hiking over summer and I saw a snake and I did exactly what you told me to so yeah so that was yeah so that’s a little fun thing um and then with that just over the summer when they go camping um they tell me how they built the real life thing so they’re like oh I built a real life shelter that I could fit in me and my brother would hang out in there or um you know one kid was like I did a bear hang um um when we were up in in the woods and so it just it’s just so cool to see it like bark something like translate um and then probably my most favorite one is um comes from the sewing of backpack and I have to say I was like that was my least popular like and I think teachers are scared about sewing and I’m so excited to hear what your experience I was terrified so I think I did it for two years and I didn’t do that one and then I was like okay I gotta do it and so I chose a class size that at the time one was small I think there was like maybe 20 kids in that in that um grade level for each class and then um I all and they were they’re pretty competent you know so like I knew that they could handle it um because you know every year or every grade they’re like yeah these guys are really with it and or these guys need more support you know so I knew that this class was the one to try it on and so we did it and I learned a lot but I loved it so much I was actually really surprised how much I loved it and they turned out so great and I have to tell you the kids loved it and I had one I had one um fifth grader yeah I think it was last year um she was kind of like it was hard for her to make friends and she was kind of introverted um and she loved the sewing unit so much she went and had her mom take her to like Hobby Lobby and she was sewing all these things and bringing it back and all the other girls were like oh my gosh that’s so cool and so it was like a bridge for her to have friends through the sewing unit so yeah and then um I have like a like I’m obsessed with sloths I have a bunch of stuff yeah you are I did notice that actually like I think she likes sloths oh yeah I do I love them but um so the the girls would go home and sew my sloth stuffies like different items and stuff because they love the sewing so much so that is probably my most favorite when and it came from the unit that I was most terrified to teach yeah and I I was shocked too by the sewing because like I it’s based off of the show alone so everything that you do and I alone is maybe not so much for kids I always like what are your parents discretion um but everything in there and I’m like the sewing um a lot of them use sewing in different ways like they might not necessarily be sewing their backpack however so many of them are sewing up a hole in their shirt like they’re out in the wilderness they can’t fix it some of them are sewing their shelter it’s actually a good skill it’s a great skill for life simple simple basic mending hand stitches I had a lot of kids I don’t know if you had kids say this but um with their boy scout or girl scout patches they’re like I can sew my patches now oh no one’s ever told me that that’s yeah I had quite a few kids like I can sew my patches now I’m like that’s awesome and I have videos in there too like uh so anyone who’s like I don’t know how to sew it’s literally like two three basic stitches the videos were like essential because I am not a sewer and that’s kind of what intimidated me but we like I learned with the kids and so we would play it and we would just like practice it and then once they got it they got it you know and now now I’m like almost a pro yeah like I know all these stitches I’m also not a sewer I did work at Build-A-Bear in college and the bears already have the string on there and you have to pull the strings and then you tie a knot but when you pull them sometimes the string would come out so I actually learned a different stitch that’s not in those videos but um yeah it is an interesting one and I think some teachers avoid it but it’s actually not that bad that one takes the longest but it’s also really fun and like you said a life skill yeah and they’re just so proud of it like they like would carry it around with them and just and they were just so proud so yeah and you don’t need sewing machines that’s what I like too because I always wanted them in my class but I never had them and so hand stitching it is it’s perfect I love it yeah um so anything else about the lessons or any tips or tricks or if a teacher was on the fence um with this because I know there are six lessons and I like how you even said I tried it with kinder just wasn’t the right time for them so even if someone started it in mid-year they might be ready I saw that too with some kinders too I would maybe do one day with kinder and then we’re doing some other stuff but right right um but any like a teacher’s like I’m not a camper I don’t know like what what would you say to them well first to start with some tips and tricks um if you can I just really encourage you to go outside it is such a fun engaging thing for the kids and it’s really a good behavior incentive because it’s the beginning of the year right we’re doing the plans and everything and I’m like you must have your plan done and it must be a four-star plan and you must follow all my other rules if you want to go outside and so being it that it’s midweek on Wednesday I mean I’ve never had to you know stick anyone in the office while we go outside so just going outside and just being you know with nature and um we’ve seen so many besides the snakes we’ve seen some really cool um like praying mantises you know it’s just it’s just fun you know kids love to be outside so that is one I would highly recommend obviously it’s all dependent on the weather but that’s why I do it at the beginning of the year because it’s nice um and then bringing all that nature back in gets very very messy yes I’m sure you noticed that when you came you’re like oh my god I stopped giving them bags I’m like because they’re just putting scoops of dirt I’m like no you got to carry it with your hands well that’s and I said don’t put in your pocket you don’t make baskets out of your shirt it’s like the only your two hands and so I got um tidy tubs so they’re like little trash cans that I put on each of the different table groups and so I and I had to explicitly teach them sweep your nature crumbs into the tidy tub and then they would leave it so I’m like carry your tidy tub to the trash can but that’s really helped um with the mess because I tell them I’m like you guys it looks like nature threw up in our room like we got to clean it up um I’m sure the cleaning crew like hates my classroom but um so it is very messy but it is worth it um and then just a couple of the actual units um the fishing pole one that one I really had to learn um by trial and error so my first year I did it with first graders I we went and got our sticks and I gave them the tape and I said okay just make your fishing pole and they did not have the skills and so um one thing could not tie the string to the paper clip and then like they were trying to tape it but their spatial skills weren’t quite there so instead of going into like taping a long pole they were doing it like doubled and so it wasn’t very long so I have learned that we have to go step by step with that so we get our supplies and then on Thursday under the document camera um I explain and model everything and so I start by their tape I give them about eight inches and I just hang it from their tables um and so each kid has their own tape and then they each have their own scissors and so I always start with okay first you need to measure the tape the tape should be about as long as your finger and then you cut it from the bottom because they would try to cut it from the top cut it from the and then you lay it sticky side up and then I create the image like oh we’re going to put two siblings we’re going to tuck them into bed so one head goes here the other head goes there their feet are sticking out and then we tuck them in tuck them in with the tape and so but you have like I had to be so explicit step by step and then there are some kids who just catch on and I’m like okay go you know but most of the kids stay with me and we connect three sticks so it’s um so it’s doing that twice and then um I say if you can tie tie your hook on but otherwise we tape it we tape everything sometimes I have to go around and just like reinforce the tape but the fact that they were able to do it by themselves they were so they’re so proud I mean it might be like droopy but they did it you know so I’ll go around and just kind of reinforce with duct tape or stronger tape but so that is like a tip for the first grade yeah yeah yeah and and then now they know how to measure tape that they had to use tape like it’s a huge skill um but again it sets us up for the rest of the year so and we’re doing bioluminescent animals now which is when they ever like they got the tape down like you don’t go slow to go fast so so um for crossing the river I originally say you don’t get any new supplies like you just get what you get in your basket that’s all the tape you get use it wisely um but then when they’re testing I bring in a bucket of water and when they test everything gets wet and so at the end of our first build day so that’s Thursday um I say okay I’ll give you new tape tomorrow because everything’s wet yeah um and so then on Friday they get like I don’t know 15 minutes to finish building and get ready to show and then they can have new tape um because it was just a soggy mess but they have to test like yes I know I did the same thing but it’s like good how you say it later so they’re not like counting on it I know you’re like okay now I’ll give you some now you can’t and then the other one was just the the sewing like just don’t be afraid of it and then um I tried like getting the um kids safe did not work so I I agree I had the same experience yeah yeah yeah and it’s like you know if they can handle a hot glue gun and they know how to be safe it’s just another tool so I just go over how to be safe with it and um that we haven’t had any issues um and then I the thicker thread is important because it just kids will just like pull it through yes um so that is helpful and then um I also got fabric squares that are already cut because I was just getting huge sheets and then having to cut it for all three classes and it took me forever so I just get the fabric squares off Amazon but then also like the kids love to bring in their own fabric which I was really surprised about but they want they want a certain pattern so they will take their parents to like Hobby Lobby Walmart and get their own fabric so um I’ve only had to buy out of the years one um one like group of fabric squares off Amazon everything else has been through donation so oh cool that’s cool yeah I love that wow and then um if a teacher is on the fence I just it’s just one of those units where the kids just light up and they’re just so excited and engaged because it feels real and it feels a little adventurous I mean think of the adventure they get in their life at school every day it’s pretty boring but this is exciting and adventurous um and it’s just so fun to get to see them problem solve and think critically and collaborate with each other um and then it really brings out strengths in kids that you might not normally see um in a church like doing traditional STEAM challenges or just the traditional classroom um that I had a quiet kid he was a fifth grader and he just kind of was in the back of everything just went along but then for STEAM survival he had so much background knowledge and he stepped up and I was just blown away and I I told him I’m like it is so cool to see this side of you he’s like I love it I just love it and like oh that’s cool I know but it like I wouldn’t have seen it if I didn’t do some survival um so it’s hands-on it’s messy it’s super creative but it’s the kind of learning that they’re going to be talking about um for years to come you know and like I’ve had parents come and say oh I was showing like a bear got into you know my grandma’s house and so I was showing my kid a video of the ring you know but it’s because it’s real life in Colorado but yeah but they’re just they’re talking about it at home with their parents they remember it um and it’s just as fun for me as it is for them so I just encourage everyone to give it a shot.

 

I love it that’s like so crazy like like I said like I I knew I had fun teaching it and I’ve taught it even again recently outside with my trailer for two hours and we were in nature we actually tested the fishing poles oh in a pond oh my gosh so cool yes I’ve never done that like we have paper ones um that I do but we did it in a pond and a kid caught a fish job oh my gosh and a real fishing pole in the pond with his use his created one. That’s so funny she caught a fish a fishing pole a fishing pole but it is so crazy like I know how fun it is but like hearing I love how it’s like like a tradition in your program which is so cool like it’s like making me tear up because it’s like so like cool hearing that like how excited you are teaching you like have fun with it and things you probably add every year or kids are like oh my sibling did this one and I can’t wait to do it so that it’s like so cool to hear your whole experience and like yeah like when we have twins in the opposite classes they’re like I know what we’re you know they’re just so they’re like I know what we’re doing you know yeah they just come in and they’re ready to go it’s just so fun oh I love this it’s a fun it’s like one of my favorites to teach slash I’m like the most proud of but I’m so glad it’s like successful for you like I love it so much but it’s so fun um I’m sure other teachers love hearing about it and they probably have other questions like there’s other like good like nuggets that you said um but if teachers wanted to reach out to you what would be the best place for them to find you and we’ll put in the show notes yeah so I well I have a classroom Instagram and so you can actually I just posted a bunch of pictures because we just wrapped up that unit so um I have a bunch of pictures of um the fishing the kids fishing and all that stuff so um they can check it out on Instagram it’s it’s kind of a long one but it’s rse mile high steam um is my Instagram and you can just message me on there it’s probably the easiest way but I’m happy to answer any questions because like you I’m just so passionate about it and um it just it gives me so much joy to talk about and to teach it so yeah I teach a bunch of units and I always I line up the kids

 

 

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a K-5 STEM educator and business owner in Colorado supporting elementary teachers world-wide navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there. She has over a decade of experience teaching, 5 years teaching elementary STEM, along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM Certificate.

She offers a variety of resources to help teachers feel successful teaching STEM to their elementary students through lesson plans, online courses, coaching and speaking events.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM, innovation and hands-on learning in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!

How to Implement What You Learned after a STEM Teacher Conference [ep.211]

by Naomi Meredith

How to Implement What You Learned after a STEM Teacher Conference [ep.211]

Check out the full episode on how to implement what you learned after a STEM teacher conference:  

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

Have a STEM question? Leave a voice message for the podcast!

Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube here:

Episode Summary

Attending STEM teacher conferences can be such a blast, but also exhausting! You are gathering so much information within a few days, so how do you even implement it all? (Spoiler: you don’t!) I’ll be sharing my strategy on how I organize information I learn from these conferences in a meaningful way and actually use what I learned in the classroom.

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Welcome to the Elementary STEM Coach Podcast. I’m your host, Naomi Meredith, a former classroom teacher turned K-5 STEM teacher and coach. With over a decade of experience teaching and a master’s degree in STEM leadership, I’m here to coach you throughout the year to help you gain back more time to create innovative experiences for your students.

 

Hello and happy to be back here for the Elementary STEM Coach Podcast. We are here for a fresh and new season, getting ready to get ready for that new school year. Whether you listen to me in real time over the summer, or you save these episodes for when you’re ready to think about back to school time, no worries at all.

 

We are in this together. And if you are watching the video version of this, I am sitting on the bed of my hotel room. I just got done this morning with the ISTE Conference 2026 in Orlando.

 

My shirt says vacation vibes. Those are the vibes I am bringing before I head on home tomorrow. I am definitely sleeping in because conferences, especially like ISTE or any of those teacher conferences can definitely be overwhelming.

 

During the whole experience, it’s amazing. It’s fantastic. You’re gathering all this information.

 

You’re running into people that you wanted to see or making new friends. But then you get back to the hotel room or even just at the end of the whole trip and don’t even know where to begin. Where do you even start with the information and the pictures that you took and the swag that you got and all of the flyers? What do you do for this information? And I know for me, because I have a backpack full of stuff that I want to start all of it.

 

I want to do it all. I want to do all the cool things that I saw. And realistically, it’s not going to be that way.

 

But I do have a strategy that I have done after almost every conference I have been to, big or small. And I’ve been involved with teacher conferences in so many different ways, whether I presented, whether I’m just an attendee for IFSTEA. I was running social media for the EdTech company that I’ve been doing their social media since the end of 2023.

 

And if you want to know who, check out my Instagram at Naomi Meredith underscore. There are some hints and things on there for you. But I was doing that.

 

So I didn’t get the chance to attend sessions, but walk around, talk a lot to teachers, whether it’s wandering around the expo hall area, poster sessions, and all of that, or a lot of it was at the booth. And I guess I was filming things from time to time. But I was able to talk to teachers a lot more about the products, but really more so about teachers’ experiences.

 

And that was super, super amazing. Shout out to all the teachers who came and saw and found me or ran into me. That just absolutely blew my mind and made me tear up and made me cry in this hotel room, because I never know.

 

It was just really cool. It was really, really cool. Don’t make me tear up now.

 

Stop. Allergies. Anyway, but it was just like everybody has their unique stories, but there’s just a lot of common themes between things.

 

So again, ideas for podcast episodes. But thinking about, again, that information that you gathered, what do you do with it? So here’s what I have done. I’ve also been in charge of taking information back to my staff, and you might be one of those people too, or back to your admin.

 

What are you going to do with that information? So first of all, you have everything organized. And I have my stickiness here being organized, is thinking about, based on the conference and what you’ve learned, what are the things that you want to keep? So take out your year-long plan. Maybe you have it typed up.

 

Maybe it’s in your plan book. But take a peek at all of those things. Maybe highlight all the things you want to keep.

 

And honestly, you’re going to probably want to keep a lot more than you think. And that must make you feel good. There’s probably things you’ve seen at the conference, like, oh my gosh, this teacher does this as well.

 

Or, oh, this teacher and I use the same lesson. Like, that’s great. Like, we’re on the same page.

 

That probably makes you feel good. That happens, I feel, like, at a conference. You’re like, oh, okay.

 

Like, we’re doing the same thing. We’re in this together. I’m going to keep that lesson and move on from there.

 

And a lot of you who are listening teach more than one grade. So having a complete overhaul when you get back really is not sustainable. It’s not realistic.

 

And we’re going to get into what you can do. But really think about, oh, there’s a lot more things that I can keep. So that’s super great.

 

From there, there’s probably some things that you want to update. And so thinking about, okay, this lesson’s good. Standards are there.

 

The core concepts are there. But I can actually do this lesson a bit better based on some tools that I saw. So probably just having an update.

 

And the cool thing about all of my resources that are up in my TeachersPay Teacher Shop is anything that you purchase, you get forever updates as long as that product’s live and stuff up there. You also get access if it’s taken down. Anyway, it’s digital.

 

But the really cool thing is if I update it and put it in there, you get that. And I always post things that I have used with students, I’m currently using with students, or maybe I’ve re-taught it, and then I update it based on what I saw. So recently, I’ve had a lesson, Beagle the Unimaginary Friend, and super great story, cute STEM and Stories connection where I had it.

 

They’re learning about magnetism and creating their unimaginary friend, which goes along with the story, and how magnets, what things are magnetic and not. Still in that lesson, but I also added on a 3D printing component because since making that lesson, I have more skills and training and experience about 3D printing and how to do this with kids. And so I didn’t even get rid of all of that.

 

Even just updating the look is great. But I’ve added in that 3D printing component. And funny enough, I actually had a teacher come up and tell me at this conference, she did that part.

 

She has done that lesson with 3D printing. So just take a peek because you might have some of those lessons, maybe you haven’t taught in a little while, or maybe you’re like, eh, it was okay. Based on your conference experience, are there things that you can update? And you probably have a bunch.

 

So don’t do a whole overhaul. Start with one and then go from there. And finally, and I’m saying finally, for a reason, is thinking about the things you want to try new, do two or three things to start.

 

And the new could be just how you’re teaching it. I’m sure there’s so many ways, like a strategy that you have learned, something you want to try, that could be the new thing. But also, maybe it’s a new tool.

 

So again, kind of back to that update. I’m thinking more of something brand new you’ve never used before. Maybe your school’s purchasing it, maybe you’re borrowing it from another teacher.

 

But that could be that new thing that you focus on. Because I feel like if you’re doing 5 million things at once, and I’m going to a different conference for learning about things for myself. And I’m guilty of this, that I want to do all the new things.

 

But if I really am focusing on like two to three, get really good at it, and feel comfortable about it. If I can teach somebody else about it, then I’m like, all right, I feel good. It’s not even new anymore.

 

Then you can move on, look at your list of things you learned, and then try that. So I know you’re going to want to do all the things, everything you saw in the vendor hall, everything you saw, that is up and coming that you should be on top of it, focus on one to two things, it will be okay, you are doing your best. Even adding one thing is a big deal.

 

That’s what other jobs do that? Yes, they do. But I feel like teachers are trying new things all the time. You’re trying way more.

 

So give yourself some grace. Don’t feel like you have to do it all. And I would love to hear about your experience and what you’re actually trying.

 

So feel free to send any questions my way by way of email or on Instagram at Naomi Meredith underscore. And I am so excited to be back and more episodes to come. Thank you so much for listening to today’s episode of the elementary STEM coach podcast.

 

I would love to connect with you over on Instagram at Naomi Meredith underscore, or send me an email to elementary STEM coach podcast at gmail.com. Also, make sure to check out my website, Naomi Meredith calm to see all the show notes from today’s episode and shop my K through five STEM resources. Any questions you have needs for resources or ideas for episodes, get in touch. I’ll talk to you soon.

 

 

 

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a K-5 STEM educator and business owner in Colorado supporting elementary teachers world-wide navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there. She has over a decade of experience teaching, 5 years teaching elementary STEM, along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM Certificate.

She offers a variety of resources to help teachers feel successful teaching STEM to their elementary students through lesson plans, online courses, coaching and speaking events.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM, innovation and hands-on learning in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!

Make a Bug Hotel from Recycled Materials

by Naomi Meredith

Make a Bug Hotel from Recycled Materials

Help the important pollinators in your area by building a bug hotel. This hands-on lesson will help kids learn more about insects, pollinators and decomposers and how helping these bugs are important by using these templates and worksheets to guide the activity. 

Materials Needed for this Bug Hotel STEM Project:

Materials links included inside my full resource here 

Some items are linked to my Amazon Affiliate account. When you purchase through my link, there is no added cost to you, but I receive a small commission in return.

 

Watch the video on how to make this Bug Hotel from Recycled Materials:

 

Let’s slow it down with step-by-step directions on how to make this bug hotel from recycled materials. For more detailed teaching instructions using the Engineering Design Process, you can get that here. 

Step 1:

Trace and cut two rectangle pieces of cardboard that fit inside your container.

Step 2:

Cut halfway down the middle of each piece of cardboard. Stack each piece by criss-crossing them in the slot to form a letter ‘X’

Step 3:

Place the cardboard ‘X’ inside the container.

 

Fill each side of the ‘X’ shape with recycled materials. Make sure to leave room for natural materials. Fold the cardboard tube to create sections.

Step 5:

Cut the straws in half and wrap them together in a bundle using a pipe cleaner.

Step 6:

Cut small rectangles out of thin cardboard and roll into cinnamon roll shapes.

Step 7:

Fill the rest of the bug hotel with natural items from outside. If you’re not adding things from nature right away, print this label on sticker paper and attach to the side of the container. 

 

Need a full lesson for this activity? You can grab that here in my TpT shop!

If you are looking for…

  • A Low-prep STEM lesson & easy-to-find materials
  • An engaging, hands-on activity that has guided directions
  • Opportunities for students to add their creativity
  • A quick, one-day STEM lesson for after-school clubs, homework extensions, homeschool projects (and more!)

Then this resource is PERFECT FOR YOU!

 

 

This product includes:

  • Easy project with simple materials
  • Digital & Printable
  • Written & video directions
  • Content-specific vocabulary
  • Science behind the project
  • Resources to explore the topic more
  • Experiment to test the design

 

Grab the full lesson HERE!

 

 

Related Podcast Episodes/Blog Posts:

More About The Author, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a K-5 STEM educator and business owner in Colorado supporting elementary teachers world-wide navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there. She has over a decade of experience teaching, 5 years teaching elementary STEM, along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM Certificate.

She offers a variety of resources to help teachers feel successful teaching STEM to their elementary students through lesson plans, online courses, coaching and speaking events.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM, innovation and hands-on learning in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

How to Make a Paper Circuit with Copper Tape

by Naomi Meredith

How to Make a Paper Circuit with Copper Tape

 

Learn how to make a paper circuit with copper tape that is powered by a coin cell battery and turn on a small LED diode.

Materials Needed for this Paper Circuit Project:

Some items are linked to my Amazon Affiliate account. When you purchase through my link, there is no added cost to you, but I receive a small commission in return.

Watch the video on how to make this paper circuit with copper tape

 

Let’s slow it down with step-by-step directions on how to make this paper circuit with copper tape.

 

Related Podcast Episodes/Blog Posts:

 

More About The Author, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a K-5 STEM educator and business owner in Colorado. She over a decade of experience teaching, 5 years teaching elementary STEM, along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM Certificate.

She offers a variety of tools to help teachers feel successful teaching STEM to their elementary students through lesson plans, online courses, coaching and speaking events.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM, innovation and hands-on learning in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

Teaching Students How to Use Doodle 3D Transform

by Naomi Meredith

Teaching Students How to Use Doodle 3D Transform

Even if you don’t have a background in CAD (computer aided design), Doodle 3D Transform is a great platform for younger students to get started with designing 3D prints. What I like most about this platform is that kids design on the left-hand side with their drawing, and simultaneously, the 3D version appears on the right. There is a paid app that works best on tablets (highly recommended getting this version if you can), but you can also use the web version on a laptop/desktop as well. There is no need to create an account; just start designing as soon as you. open up the app!

Below are tutorial videos that you can use with kids to help them get started with the basics when creating their designs.

 

Teaching Students How to Use Doodle 3D Transform: Basic Tutorial

Learn more about how to use the CAD software, Doodle 3D Transform. All the creating happens on the left side of the screen (the green side) and simultaneously, your creation will appear on the right side (the pink side) in a 3D view.

 

Teaching Students How to Use Doodle 3D Transform: Saving & Sharing Files

Learn more about how to save files and share files from the CAD software, Doodle 3D Transform.

 

 

Want to learn more about 3D printing?

Join me inside my 2-hour on-demand 3D Printing 101 Workshop for teachers. There is even a great starter lesson you can use right away with your students!

 

Related Podcast Episodes/Blog Posts:

More About The Author, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a K-5 STEM educator and business owner in Colorado supporting elementary teachers world-wide navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there. With over a decade of experience teaching, 5 years teaching elementary STEM, along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM Certificate, Naomi helps teachers world-wide to navigate best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She offers a variety of tools to help teachers feel successful teaching STEM to their elementary students through lesson plans, online courses, coaching and speaking events.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM, innovation and hands-on learning in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

 

Teaching Students How to Use Tinkercad

by Naomi Meredith

Teaching Students How to Use Tinkercad

how-to-use-tinkercad

Even if you don’t have a background in CAD (computer aided design), Tinkercad is a great platform to get started with designing 3D prints. With my years of experience teaching elementary STEM and 3D printing to kids, Tinkercad has been my number one platform from the start. Below are tutorial videos that you can use with kids to help them get started with the basics when creating their designs.

 

How to use Tinkercad: Tinkercad Basics for Kids

After creating an account, learn how to navigate the basic tools in Tinkercad. Understand how to view the work plane from multiple angles and where to choose different shapes.

 

How to use Tinkercad: Creating and Changing Shapes

Understand how to: add a shape, changing the size, moving shapes, duplicating, stacking shapes and deleting.

How to use Tinkercad: Solids, Shapes and Holes

Learn how to use solid shapes and create holes within shapes.

 

How to use Tinkercad: Adding Words to Designs

Learn how to easily add 3D printed words to your design in Tinkercad.

How to use Tinkercad: How to Download and Prep Student Prints from Tinkercad

This video is created for teachers to watch on how to download the students’ files from Tinkercad and prep them for print in your slicing software. I also share a little tip on what I like to do to share students’ files with their families before their design is even printed!

 

Want to learn more about 3D printing?

Join me inside my 2-hour on-demand 3D Printing 101 Workshop for teachers. There is even a great starter lesson you can use right away with your students!

 

Related Podcast Episodes/Blog Posts:

More About The Author, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a K-5 STEM educator and business owner in Colorado supporting elementary teachers world-wide navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there. With over a decade of experience teaching, 5 years teaching elementary STEM, along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM Certificate, Naomi helps teachers world-wide to navigate best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She offers a variety of tools to help teachers feel successful teaching STEM to their elementary students through lesson plans, online courses, coaching and speaking events.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM, innovation and hands-on learning in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

Free Coding Resources for Kids at Home

by Naomi Meredith

Free Coding Resources for Kids at Home

What Is Coding (and Why Does It Matter for Kids)?

Coding is the process of giving instructions to a computer so it knows what to do. For kids, coding usually looks less like typing complex text and more like dragging blocks, solving puzzles, and creating games or stories.

Learning to code helps kids:

  • Build problem-solving and critical thinking skills

  • Practice logic, sequencing, and cause-and-effect

  • Develop perseverance and confidence when things don’t work the first time

  • Create instead of just consuming technology

The best part? Kids can start learning coding concepts before they can even read, and many high-quality platforms are completely free and designed for home use.

You don’t have to be an expert at computer-programming to get started or teach your kids! Especially at the elementary age, this is a perfect time for parents to learn the basics with their kids.

How to Choose the Right Coding Resource for Your Child

When choosing a coding platform at home, consider:

  • Can your child read yet?

  • Do they prefer games, stories, or building?

  • Are they using an iPad or a computer?

  • Do they enjoy short challenges or longer creative projects?

There’s no “best” coding program—just the best fit for your child right now.

From my perspective and experience working for nearly a decade in Elementary STEM, below are my recommendations with some of the best free coding resources for kids at home, broken down by age, skill level, coding type, and device.

Scratch: Free Coding Resources for Kids at Home

What it is:
Scratch is one of the most popular free coding websites for kids, created by MIT. Kids can design games, animations, and interactive stories using drag-and-drop code blocks. This is one of the first coding websites I ever used with kids!

Coding language:

  • Block-based coding (Scratch language)

Best for:

  • Beginner → Advanced

  • Ideal for kids who can read and want more creative control

Device needed:

  • Laptop or desktop computer

  • Works in a web browser

Why parents love it:
Kids can create, remix projects from others and grow with the platform over time. It’s open-ended, so it sparks creativity and building rather than going through a game or levels.

Make sure to check out the ‘Ideas’ tab on their website and it gives some step-by-step directions for starter projects. You may find some books online to support Scratch but take note of when it was published. I’ve found that anything older than 2020 are out dated since the platform has received updates since then. I just use the projects listed on the ‘Ideas’ page since those are the most current.

ScratchJr: Free Coding Resources for Kids at Home

What it is:
ScratchJr is a simplified version of Scratch made specifically for younger children who are still learning to read.

Coding language:

  • Block-based coding with symbols (no reading required)

Best for:

  • Pre-reader → Beginner

  • Ages ~5–7

Device needed:

  • iPad or tablet

Why parents love it:
Kids learn sequencing and logic through storytelling and characters—no screens full of text. It’s only accessible through the app, which can be a downside if you don’t have access to this technology. This is a great way to get started with coding! Make sure to check out their actual website because there are tips for navigating the app and also guides for projects to get started. If you purchase any supplemental books or the coding cards to go along with ScratchJr, that should be fine! This app hasn’t really been updated, so things have moved around much.

Make Wonder (by Wonder Workshop): Free Coding Resources for Kids at Home

What it is:
Make Wonder is a creative coding platform designed to work with Wonder Workshop robots (like Dash), but it also includes screen-based coding activities that kids can explore at home.

It’s free to sign up for a Make Wonder account to play around with the block-based coding that connects to the Dash robot. However, if you want more capabilities and access to virtual Dash, where the programming interacts with the on-screen robot and a physical robot isn’t requred, I recommend upgrading. Especially if you are in a home-school setting, there are more lessons and resources that are standards-based that can level up your coding experience.

You can receive 10% off your Make Wonder Home subscription by using THIS LINK or using my code at checkout: 10NAOMI

Coding languages:

  • Block-based coding (visual programming)

  • JavaScript (paid tier, inside Blockly Pro)

  • Python (paid tier, inside Blockly Pro)

Best for:

  • Beginner → Advanced

  • Great for kids who already enjoy building, robotics, or STEM challenges

Device needed:

  • iPad or tablet

  • Some features work best with a Dash robot, but many coding concepts can be explored digitally

Why parents love it:
It feels like play, but kids are learning real sequencing, loops, and problem-solving skills. It’s also an ad-free, safe platform, so once your child is inside the app, they aren’t being linked out to other resources or an open-forum of other kids’ projects. You can receive 10% off your Make Wonder Home subscription by using THIS LINK or using my code at checkout: 10NAOMI

Hopster Coding Safari: Free Coding Resources for Kids at Home

What it is:
Hopster Coding Safari introduces coding concepts through guided puzzles and animal adventures, making it perfect for young learners.

Coding language:

  • Visual, directional coding (arrows and sequences)

Best for:

  • Pre-reader

  • Preschool and early elementary

Device needed:

  • iPad or tablet

Why parents love it:
It feels like a game, but kids are learning early coding logic without realizing it. A login isn’t needed, making it easy to get started. It’s also really cute with the animal parents trying to get to their babies in each challenge.

Hour of AI: Free Coding Resources for Kids at Home

What it is:
Hour of AI introduces kids to artificial intelligence concepts in a kid-friendly way, building on the popular Hour of Code activities. The name has switched in 2025 from ‘Hour of Code’ to ‘Hour of AI’. There are a variety of games and activities to choose from to explore different coding languages and AI.

Coding language:

  • Block-based coding

  • AI logic and decision-making concepts

Best for:

  • Beginner → Advanced

  • Upper elementary and middle school

Device needed:

  • Laptop or desktop computer

Why parents love it:
Kids learn how AI works—not just how to use it—which is a huge digital literacy skill. It may take some time to sift through all of the resources on the site, but once you find a few favorites, it’s a great resource to have in your back pocket. I recommend looking through them first, as the parent, and save the links to the ones that seem interesting. This website can be overwhelming and confusing to navigate on their own. This Mix & Move with AI is a great one to start with and the kids love it!

Kodable: Free Coding Resources for Kids at Home

What it is:
Kodable is a game-based coding platform that grows with kids, starting with simple logic and moving into more complex programming ideas.

Coding language:

  • Visual block coding

  • Transitions toward text-based concepts later on

Best for:

  • Pre-reader → Beginner

  • Early elementary students

Device needed:

  • iPad or tablet

  • Laptop for some features

Why parents love it:
Short, engaging lessons that build skills step-by-step without overwhelming kids. If your kids loved Hopster Coding Safari, described above, then they’ll love Kodable. There are free and paid options, so start HERE for the ‘Play without Saving’ to check it out.

Tinkercad (Coding with Codeblocks): Free Coding Resources for Kids at Home

What it is:
Tinkercad is a free, web-based design platform that includes a coding feature called Codeblocks. Instead of coding games or animations, kids use block-based code to create 3D objects. Each block represents an instruction—such as creating a shape, changing its size, or repeating a pattern—helping kids see how code directly controls design. This CAD software is used for 3D printing design, so definitely worth checking out overall!

Coding language:

  • Block-based coding (Codeblocks)

  • Introduces core concepts like sequencing, loops, variables, and parameters

Best for:

  • Beginner → Advanced

  • Upper elementary and middle school students

  • Great for kids who enjoy building, engineering, or design challenges

Device needed:

  • Laptop or desktop computer (runs in a web browser)

  • There is an app version, but the coding feature works best on a laptop/desktop

Why parents love it:
Tinkercad shows kids that coding isn’t just for games; it’s a powerful tool for creating real-world objects. It’s especially motivating for kids who like hands-on projects and want to see their code turn into something tangible, like a 3D model that could be printed.

Free Coding Resources for Kids at Home — Comparison Table

Coding Resource What It’s Best For Coding Language Type Skill Level Device Needed
Make Wonder (Wonder Workshop) Creative coding, problem-solving, and robotics-style challenges Block-based (visual coding)

Java Script & Python in paid versions

 Beginner → Advanced iPad, tablet, or laptop
Scratch Open-ended workspace. Creating games, animations, and interactive stories Block-based (Scratch language) Beginner → Advanced Laptop or desktop
ScratchJr Introduction to coding through storytelling Symbol-based block coding (no reading required) Pre-reader → Beginner iPad or tablet
Hopster Coding Safari Learning sequencing through guided puzzles Visual directional coding (arrows & sequences) Pre-reader iPad or tablet
Hour of AI Understanding how artificial intelligence works. Variety of websites. Block-based coding + AI concepts Beginner → Advanced Laptop or desktop
Kodable Building foundational coding skills step-by-step Visual block coding (intro to text concepts later) Pre-reader → Beginner iPad, tablet, or laptop
Tinkercad Coding connected to 3D design and real-world problem solving Block-based (Codeblocks) and basic text-based options Beginner → Advanced Laptop or desktop

 

Coding doesn’t have to be intimidating, expensive, or screen-heavy. With the right tools, kids can learn to code at home through play, creativity, and problem-solving—often without even realizing they’re learning a future-ready skill.

 

Related Podcast Episodes/Blog Posts:

More About The Author, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a K-5 STEM educator and business owner in Colorado supporting elementary teachers world-wide navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there. With over a decade of experience teaching, 5 years teaching elementary STEM, along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM Certificate, Naomi helps teachers world-wide to navigate best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She offers a variety of tools to help teachers feel successful teaching STEM to their elementary students through lesson plans, online courses, coaching and speaking events.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM, innovation and hands-on learning in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

First Day Back from Winter Break Activities for K-5 STEM

by Naomi Meredith

First Day Back from Winter Break Activities for K-5 STEM

The first day back from winter break can be a lot—excited kids, big feelings, nonstop stories, and very little stamina for long instructions. If you teach STEM (or any special area), you may also see every class in the building that day, which makes planning even trickier.

That’s why I rely on this no-prep, whole-group winter STEM activity every single year with my K–5 STEM classes.

It’s hands-on, quick to explain, and gets every student involved—without worksheets, devices, or complicated setup.

The No-Prep First Day Back from Winter Break Activities

On the first day back, I project a set of winter-themed questions on the board.

Here’s how it works:

  • I read each question out loud

  • If the statement is true for the student, they grab the matching LEGO® brick

  • If it’s not true, they simply sit and wait for the next question

  • We repeat this for each question

That’s it. No directions overload. No worksheets. Just instant engagement.

How I Differentiate for K–5

One thing I love about this activity is how easy it is to differentiate without extra planning:

  • First set of questions: Perfect for all grade levels (K–5)

  • Second set of questions: Designed for grades 3–5

I run the activity whole-group with younger grades, then extend it with the older students. Everyone feels successful, and I don’t have to prep multiple lessons for the same day.

Why This Works So Well on the First Day Back

This activity checks so many boxes for January:

  • ✅ Low pressure – Students can participate without speaking

  • ✅ Hands-on – LEGO bricks keep hands busy and focused

  • ✅ Community-building – Kids naturally start talking about their break

  • ✅ All voices are included – Even quiet students can participate

  • ✅ No prep – Just project and go

It’s the perfect balance between easing students back into routines while still keeping things fun and meaningful.

Grab the Winter All About Me Brick Build

If you want to use this exact activity with your students, you can grab it from my TpT Shop, Naomi Meredith, HERE

Related Podcast Episodes/Blog Posts:

More About The Author, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a K-5 STEM educator and business owner in Colorado supporting elementary teachers world-wide navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there. With over a decade of experience teaching, 5 years teaching elementary STEM, along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM Certificate, Naomi helps teachers world-wide to navigate best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She offers a variety of tools to help teachers feel successful teaching STEM to their elementary students through lesson plans, online courses, coaching and speaking events.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM, innovation and hands-on learning in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

Connect with Naomi Meredith: