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Best Robots for Kids for STEM & Technology Lessons

by Naomi Meredith

best-robots-for-kids

When teaching a STEM or technology lesson, what are the best robots for kids? Here is a list of recommendations by a current K-5 STEM teacher that are worth purchasing.

These robots aren’t listed in any particular order. However, all are favorites to use with elementary students. 

 

This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase through the link, no extra cost to you, but I receive a kickback from purchases. 



Best Robots for Kids #1: Bee-Bots

Robot Name: Bee-Bots

Price Range: Prices vary $90/1 Bee-Bot, $600/6 hive of Bee-Bots

Type of Device Based Coding: No device required

Typical Age Range Used with: Kindergarten-2nd grade

Types of batteries: Rechargeable, either on the dock or with a cord

Additional {Optional Attachments}: Command Card Set, Pen Holder Jackets, Clear Card Mat, Math Pre-Printed Mats



Why I recommend them:

Of course, these little guys are ADORABLE! These chunky robots are easy to manipulate and code. They are perfect for any elementary student who is just starting out with coding. 

With Bee-Bots, students can visually see where the robot is headed with the arrow keys. To deepen coding knowledge, students can write the code with the arrow cards that come provided or even write on a whiteboard. 

There are separate mats grids that can be purchased separately. They aren’t cheap, but they are very durable as well and you can place any content cards underneath the plastic top to integrate any subject area with your coding. You could try creating your own!best

 

This robot doesn’t require a device to be coded and there aren’t any updates to manage. As a classroom teacher, this is the best starter robot. 

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I have 5 of these robots on deck in my classroom and they have been used by hundreds of students. In Kindergarten, I disguised them as The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Students rolled a dice with the food on it. They then had to code the “caterpillar” to the square that had the matching food. Even after the amount of use my Bee-Bots get, they still work beautifully. 

 

Bee-Bot Additional App

Another added bonus, if you have access to iPads, there is a FREE iOS app that extends the learning with Bee-Bots. Again, this isn’t necessary for use with Bee-Bots. 

Think of the Bee-Bot robot as the concrete representation of coding & the app is the abstract version. This is great to implement if stations are a part of your teaching; one group can work with the physical robots while another code on the app. You can even have a 3rd station where students use arrow coding cards and code their partner, the human robot. (You can grab this lesson here!)

 

The hardest part I’ve seen with the app is students understanding their left and right directions 

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Best Robots for Kids #2: Blue-Bot

Robot Name: Blue-Bot

Price Range: Prices Vary $100/1 Blue-Bot, $700/6 Blue-Bot hive

Type of Device Based Coding: No device required and can be programmed with a tablet or computer 

Typical Age Range Used with: Kindergarten-3rd grade

Types of batteries: Rechargeable; either on the dock or with a cord

Additional {Optional Attachments}: Command Card Set, Pen Holder Jackets, Clear Card Mat, Math Pre-Printed Mats

 

Why I recommend them:

This is Bee-Bot’s older sibling. If you don’t have either one, Bee-Bot or Blue-Bot, I would recommend spending the extra money and going with Blue-Bot. This robot is the upgraded version and still doesn’t need a device like Bee-Bot. 

 

However, you DO have the option to code with a computer or tablet. Check out their website to see if your classroom devices are compatible. 

What makes them a bit more “extra” is their ability to record sound and interact with other Blue-Bots. They also are clear so students can see the inner workings of the robot and spark their curiosity. 


Best Robots for Kids #3: Dash

Robot Name: Dash

Price Range: 

Type of Device Based Coding: Device required. Can be programmed with a tablet or computer 

Typical Age Range Used with: 2nd -5th grades

Types of batteries: Cord charging

Additional {Optional Attachments}: Sketch Kit, Whiteboard Mat for Sketch Kit,  Launcher, Xylophone, Building Brick Connectors (fits LEGO), Accessory Pack (Bulldozer), Puzzlets, Gripper Building Kit


Why I recommend them:

Again, these robots are super cute and durable as well. The best part is when they get plugged in after sitting uncharged for a while. They start talking your ear off and sound like the little aliens in Toy Story. 

This is a product I definitely believe in. In fact, I am a Wonder League Ambassador (2019-2020, 2020-2021) #wondersquad  Side note: I’m not getting paid to write this post. I just love these little robots so much!

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This robot has many different apps to challenge students in a variety of ways in  their coding journey. 

 

At the time of this post is written, the apps available are: 

 

Lesson Ideas

If you are looking to host a STEM after school club, this robot is the way to go. You can create your own challenges, or use the challenges presented in the Wonder League Robotics Competition. 

 

This competition is 100% free and your team has the option of uploading videos of completed challenges in action. However, that’s not necessary but having access to the challenges is wonderful. 

When getting started, the Dash & Dot coding challenge cards are wonderful. I used these the first year my students ever used these robots. They are self paced and build off one another. 

 

I only had two sets of cards, but a lot more kids than that! The cards are double sided so I took a picture of the front and back of two cards together. I then inserted all the images into a Google Slide and shared with students through Seesaw.  

 

I had students code in partners; one robot and two iPads. One iPad was for coding the robot. The other iPad was logged into Seesaw where partnerships could swipe through the coding cards and also take video of their robot in action. 

 

As a side note, Seesaw is one of my top favorite apps to use in the regular classroom as well as the STEM classroom. Seesaw is forever free, but you can get an extra month of Seesaw Plus by signing up with my link here. 

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Accessories

There is a wide variety of accessories that you can grab to enhance your experience with Dash.

If you are looking at cost and what to start with, the bulldozer is the best attachment to start with. Dash can kind-of push items without it, but it can cause other issues. 

Have a 3D printer? Try these 3D print files of some of the accessories. 

Here is another print file for a different bulldozer design. I haven’t tried them out quite yet, but I’m definitely going to print a set and see how it goes!

 

There is also an older sibling of Dash & Dot; Cue. This is for more advanced types of coding that some of your older students may be ready for. Having a couple of these on hand would be a great investment later down the road. 

coding-robots-for-elementary-students

 

Best Robots for Kids #4: Dot

Robot Name: Dot

Price Range: Prices vary $80

Type of Device Based Coding: Device required. Can be programmed with a tablet or computer 

Typical Age Range Used with: Kinder-2nd grades (but can be fun to interact with Dash in the older grades and extra challenges)

Types of batteries: Cord charging

Additional {Optional Attachments}: Dot Creativity Kit

Why I recommend them:

Most common question I get from my students, “Is Dot the head ripped off of Dash?” 

The answer is “No” (with a side of laughing). You CAN take off the stand Dot sits on which makes him into a little ball. 

 

This robot actually doesn’t move around on it’s own, unlike the robots described above. There are a variety of apps also available for Dot, just like Dash. 

 

Dot and Dash can interact with one another, but you don’t need one without the other. If you are trying to decide between the two, go with Dash. There is more you can do with Dash cross-curricular lesson planning. 

 

Interested in learning more about Wonder Workshop? Check out their online trainings, resources and workshops.

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Lesson Ideas

The coding cards that I mentioned using with Dash when first starting out with Dot is also a good fit. The challenge card sets are for Dot & Dash. They are labeled clearly as to which robot to try the challenge with. 

 

On the Wonder app or in the Creativity Kit there are some fun games that can be played with Dot. These are great for whole group lessons for younger students. This can be a way to introduce different coding elements, a class incentive to earn or an indoor recess game. 

 

Accessories & Apps

There aren’t as many accessories for Dot and most of them are costumes to make it look even cuter. The best accessory is the Building Brick connector which can be used with Dash as well. 

At the time of this post is written, the apps available for Dot are: 

Best Robots for Kids #5: Sphero

Robot Name: Sphero (Sphero Sprk+, Bolt or Mini)

Price Range: Prices Vary, $50-$200/robot

Type of Device Based Coding: Device required. Can be programmed with a tablet or computer 

Typical Age Range Used with: 3rd-5th grades

Types of batteries: Charging Base

Additional {Optional Attachments}: Sphero Mini Activity Kit, Sphero RVR, Turbo Cover, Jump Ramps, Maze Tape, Sphero Mini: Pins & Cones, Chariot

 


Why I recommend them:

Once your students have some coding experience, either with other robots or even coding online with Scratch your students can be successful with Sphero. 

 

There are many different types of Sphero out there. I had the original Sphero first (the white ones) and they stopped charging and connecting to my devices. If you can afford newer ones, go with that option. 

 

There are a few apps to choose from. I found that the Sphero Edu app worked best for a classroom setting and used “real” coding. It can be overwhelming at first for elementary student eyes, but with anything, start slow to go fast! 

coding-robots-for-elementary-students

Lesson Ideas

Inside the Sphero Edu app, there are ideas to try. With my 5th grade students, we went through the Engineering Design Process (EDP) while learning about the Iditarod. Students were posed with the challenge: How can you create a sled that Sphero can pull through the Iditarod race? 

After going through the (EDP) students came up with interesting designs which posed new challenges when coding. This lesson had high engagement and the 5th graders the following year asked if we could be doing “that sled lesson”. 

 

Another lesson I taught in 4th grade with Sphero was snowflakes. Again, another Engineering Design Process challenge where we explored the science and math behind snowflakes. The coding involved a lot of angles and symmetry. 

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Additional Accessories

There are a few accessories to try with Sphero (listed above). However, when getting started with Sphero in the classroom, accessories aren’t necessary. 

One accessories that is worth the investment are pool noodles. These can be used to block off various corners and exits for Sphero. There are moments when there is a bug in the code and Sphero will quickly roll away and hit something. The noodles will keep the robot safe from knicks and impacts.

 

 

Best Robots for Kids #6: Code and Go Mouse

Robot Name: Code and Go Mouse

Price Range: Prices vary, $20/robot

Type of Device Based Coding: No device required

Typical Age Range Used with: Kindergarten-2nd grade

Types of batteries: Consumable batteries. Can use rechargeable kind.

Additional {Optional Attachments}: Activity Set


Why I recommend them:

If you have never tried integrating robotics, have a very limited budget and/or don’t work with a large amount of students during the week, this is a great robot to start with with younger students. 

 

On the flip side, if you are the opposite to the above statements and have a larger budget, Bee-Bots or Blue-Bots are a better investment. They are pretty much the same concept when it comes to its directional coding buttons. 

best-robots-for-kids

I have some Code and Go Mice in my classroom that were purchased prior to my hiring and they don’t get used very often. I have them on hand if there is an odd number of students when using the Bee-Bots. However, the wheels wear out quickly with a higher amount of use. Also, when the battery dies, you’ll need a small screwdriver on hand to take off the panel and replace them. 

 

For my students who want a Bee-Bot at home, I actually recommend to them the Code and Go Mouse. Parents are more willing to spend its inexpensive price (in terms of a robot), and it doesn’t typically get as much use as it would in a classroom. 

Best Robots for Kids #7: LEGO WeDo 2.0

Robot Name: LEGO WeDo 2.0

Price Range: Prices Vary, $200/kit

Type of Device Based Coding: Device required. Can be programmed with a tablet or computer 

Typical Age Range Used with: 2nd-5th grade (If used every year, 4th and 5th might get tired of them)

Types of batteries: Consumable batteries. Can use rechargeable kind.

Additional {Optional Attachments}: Can purchase replacement parts or use other LEGO

 

Why I recommend them:

There is no doubt that most kids love LEGO. This kit is a great combination of building and coding. While the kits are expensive, they are extremely durable and have a familiar feel with kids. Of course, they can be used year after year if the pieces stay organized and separate from your LEGO mixed buckets.

 

If you are a classroom teacher, it would be worthwhile to get 12 sets for your entire grade level to rotate and share. If you are in the STEM or Technology classroom, these kits are HIGHLY recommended and worth the investment 100%.2-3 students working on a kit is the most successful option.

Lesson Ideas

The app comes with a wide variety of lessons and starter builds when working with this kit. With the time I have with students, I’ve done the beginning builds that are offered on the home screen for students. This is a great lesson all about following directions in order, collaboration and fixing mistakes when things don’t work the first time. 

 

The app is designed for students to go through the building directions then adding in the coded elements. As of now, the coding isn’t super complicated and is block coding. 

 

LEGO also has an annual competition that you can register for: First LEGO League Jr. There is the option to sign up to participate in a local competition. Upon registration, there is the option to purchase the WeDo 2.0 kit. These kits don’t need to be returned and are kept by the club leader.

When thinking about classroom supply budgets, this could be a great way to get the kits into your room for future use after hosting the club. 

What I liked about this club is it was all written out for you as a leader and didn’t require extra planning. Make sure you have A LOT of club sessions; the building and collaborating is time consuming. 


Best Robots for Kids #8: Code-a-Pillar

Robot Name: Code-a-Pillar

Price Range: Prices vary, $35-50/robot

Type of Device Based Coding: No device required

Typical Age Range Used with: Pre-school & Kinder

Types of batteries: Consumable batteries. Can use rechargeable kind.

Additional {Optional Attachments}: Expansion Pack, 

 

Why I recommend them:

When I first walked into my K-5 STEM classroom, I was shocked by the limited amount of resources that were in my room for the younger students. There were Bee-Bots on hand, which is amazing, but I knew my brand-new Kinders needed a different jumping off point with robot coding. I also didn’t want them to tire from the Bee-Bots so quickly either. 

The Code-a-Pillar is very durable and another great concrete example to show what coding is and how it works. If you want to dive deeper in showing students how computers work, this hardware & software lesson was a great success with my younger students. 

Students attach different segments to the Code-a-Pillar’s main body. Once the student presses play on its back, the Code-a Pillar will read through the code and light up each section as it is being played out.

best-robots-for-kids

Other blog posts you might enjoy:

 

Which robots do you already have in your classroom? Which ones do you want to try? Feel free to direct message me on Instagram, @naomimeredith_ and I would love to chat with you!

Want more resources to support Technology & STEM all year long? Grab this FREE downloadable guide that I’ve put together for you!

 

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How to Use the Emoji Chrome Extension in the Classroom

by Naomi Meredith

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Emojis are a modern day version of hieroglyphics; they visually convey a lot of meaning and emotion. Learn how to use the emoji chrome extension, and bring this tool into the classroom.

Emoji Chrome Extension: Getting Set Up

First, add the extension in your Google Chrome toolbar. Chrome extensions are like little apps that you can use to enhance your experience only when using this web browser. 

There are many emoji extensions out there. Currently, I’ve been enjoying the Joypixels Google Chrome extension. 

Here’s how to get started. Follow the steps below or watch my quick video tutorial. 

  1. Open Google Chrome and login

2. Go to the Chrome Webstore, chrome.google.com

3. Search ‘Joypixels’

4. Click the ‘Add to Chrome’ button

5. Follow the prompts

{Optional} Close out of Chrome & restart computer to ensure extension was added properly with full functionality

Emoji Chrome Extension: Organizing your Google Drive

Google Drives can get messy fairly quickly. However, there are ways to streamline organization and keep it visually appealing and easy to access. Of course you can color code your folders (which you can watch that video tutorial here) 

Why not make your Google Drive organization EVEN BETTER by adding in an emoji in the title? With color and a picture, it will make searching for your go-to files so much easier (and a little more fun!)

Emoji Chrome Extension: Label assignments & directions

Struggling readers and even strong readers love pictures. No matter what reading level someone is, having a visual to match the words increases reading comprehension. 

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Use emojis when labeling assignments and directions. My favorite places to do this are in Seesaw and Google Classroom. While I love both of these platforms immensely, both streams can get overwhelming quickly. Try and match the emoji to the assignment name and the kids will be even more excited to click on the assignment. 

Curious about Google Classroom but don’t know where to begin? Click here to go through my free 3 part video series and feel more comfortable with this platform. 

Emoji Chrome Extension: Giving student feedback

On the flipside, student feedback can receive some love with some emojis. The emoji Chrome extension is great for this when giving feedback while on the computer. 

Often when I am swiping through student posts on Seesaw while watching The Bachelor, I’ll throw in some emojis to help students pay attention to the comments I am giving them. The emoji keyboard on your phone is also great asset for the classroom! 

 

Emoji Chrome Extension: Student Responses

For most written assignments, I don’t encourage students to use emojis within their work since the goal is to have them write in complete sentences. However, when it comes to quick assignments where I want to know their thoughts on a topic, using an emoji might be more appropriate. 

This is a topic as a classroom teacher you want to be very clear on the boundaries and when emojis are/aren’t ok on certain assignments.

 

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How have you used emojis in the classroom? What questions do you still have? Feel free to direct message me on Instagram, @naomimeredith_ and I would love to chat with you!

Want more resources to support Technology & STEM all year long? Grab this FREE downloadable guide that I’ve put together for you!

spring-stem-activities

5 Spring STEM Activities & Technoloy Lessons You Need Now

by Naomi Meredith

spring-stem-activitiesThe end of the school year is the best time to experiment and try new things with your students. Here is a list of 5 Spring STEM Activities & Technology lessons that your students will love!

This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase through the link, no extra cost to you, but I receive a kickback from purchases. 

 

#1 Spring STEM Activities & Technology Lesson: STEM & Stories

Integrate your favorite Spring stories with a fun STEM challenge. Try these two STEM & Stories lessons for After the Fall by Dan Santat and The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.  

 

After reading the story, integrate a STEM challenge to help build comprehension. Build a wall for Humpty Dumpty to sit on to keep him safe. You can read more about how to teach this lesson by clicking here.

spring-stem-activities

 Reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar? Code the robot version of the caterpillar to collect the food in the order that he eats it. In addition, have students create the food to fit the mouth of the the cardboard version of the caterpillar. You can find the entire lesson plan here.

spring-stem-activities 

#2 Spring STEM Activities & Technology Lesson: Digital Interactive Notebooks

Cutting and pasting paper is wonderful but can definitely get an upgrade. Try these digital interactive notebooks. With this format, students can learn content by building their technology skills at the same time. Read here how these can help with remote learning as well!

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 My 3rd graders loved having access to colorful websites from National Geographic Kids and listening to engaging podcasts from Brains On! which were added to the notebooks. 

 

Diagrams and places to keep track of butterfly or ladybug science observations are also provided. This was especially helpful when we were keeping track of the ladybug life cycle daily! By the way, I had NO CLUE that ladybugs have a similar life cycle to butterflies. The things we learn while teaching! Here is the kit we used to see the ladybug life cycle in action.

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#3 Spring STEM Activities & Technology Lesson: Engineer Inspiration Boards

Create objects that represent the Spring months with these Engineer Inspiration boards. By using any items available in the classroom or at home, create the different objects presented on the board. 

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These boards can be printed in color or black & white. Digital versions are also available and can be shared on any platform of your choice with students.

#4 Spring STEM Activities & Technology Lesson: Digital Reading Comprehension Worksheets

Mix up your reading comprehension routine with digital versions of the worksheets that you might be using in class. Use books, articles and websites that you already have on hand and use. 

 Just pop these comprehension worksheets into Google Classroom or Seesaw. Track students’ comprehension of the text while also embedding important technology skills. 

Need help with Google Classroom? I have a FREE 3 part video series that will help you with:

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#5 Spring STEM Activities & Technology Lesson: Coding & Multiplication Facts

This low-prep STEM station has high engagement and is perfect for multiple grade levels. Use your favorite robot to practice multiplication facts. Don’t have robots in your classroom yet? Check out my top picks that are high-quality that I truly believe in and work well with kids. 

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With this station, there are three ways to play!

  • Code & write the equation
  • Code, write & keep the card
  • Coding Math Fact Memory

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Which Spring activity above have you tried? Which one are you wondering more about? Feel free to direct message me on Instagram, @naomimeredith_ and I would love to chat with you!
Want more resources to support Technology & STEM all year long? Grab this FREE downloadable guide that I’ve put together for you!
getting-started-with-google-classroom

Getting Started with Google Classroom: Video Series

by Naomi Meredith

getting-started-with-google-classroom

Need help getting started with Google Classroom? Look no further and learn with this FREE 3 part mini video series.

This series will cover: 

  • How to Create a Class and Add Students
  • Navigating Google Classroom: Teacher & Student View
  • How to Assign & View Student Work in Google Classroom

Grab a notepad, your comfiest yoga pants, and get ready to learn! 

Getting Started with Google Classroom: How to Create a Class and Add Students

 

This video will cover:

  • How to create a class
  • Two ways to add students while using this platform.

 

Getting Started with Google Classroom: Navigating Google Classroom: Teacher & Student View

Let’s go over the teacher tabs at the top: 

  • Stream
  • Classwork
  • People
  • Gear (settings)

Alternatively, it’s important to see the student view of Google Classroom, which will also be covered in this video.  

 

Getting Started with Google Classroom: Navigating Google Classroom: How to Assign and View Student Work in Google Classroom

Google Classroom has a variety of assignment types: 

  • Assignment
  • Quiz Assignment
  • Question
  • Material
  • Reuse Post
  • *Topic

We’ll create an assignment together. We’ll then take a look at the student view of assignments and also where to look back on student work later. 

Hungry for more STEM & technology training? Check out my growing list of course offerings to help you navigate STEM & Tech even further. All courses are self paced, affordable & 100% online. 

I also have Google Tools Scavenger Hunts to help students learn the basics of Google Drive, Docs, Forms and Slides. Assignments that are typically created with these tools are easily integrated into Google Classroom. Help your students feel successful when navigating them.

google-tools-scavenger-hunts

Other blog posts you might enjoy: 

 

What types of courses are you hoping to see? Feel free to direct message me on Instagram, @naomimeredith_ and I would love to chat with you!

Want more resources to support Technology & STEM all year long? Grab this FREE downloadable guide that I’ve put together for you!

kid-made-mother's-day-gifts

3 Kid Made Mother’s Day Gifts for STEM & Technology

by Naomi Meredith

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Help mom feel special with these 3, kid made Mother’s Day gifts with a STEM & Tech twist. All of these activities are low-prep and can be down in-person or virtually. 

 

#1- Kid Made Mother’s Day Gifts: Social Media Themed Card

Mom’s love cards, but make it different this year. Create a card that is social media themed. 

Using a phone template, insert a cute photo and write a caption underneath. This option works well since it can be printed out or left in a digital format on the computer. 

Click to grab this lesson for your class! 

mother's-day-gift-by-kids

 

#2- Kid made Mother’s Day gifts: Cardboard Flowers

Real flowers are beautiful, but make something that will last a bit longer. By using cardboard already in the house, create a 3D flower. While building, learn basic engineering techniques such as: a L-brace, flanges and creating symmetrical designs with a pattern. 

Click here for the link to the YouTube video. 

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#3- Engineer Inspiration Board

Want to create something else but don’t know where else to begin? Use this Mother’s Day themed Engineer Inspiration board. By using any items available in the classroom or at home, create the different objects presented on the board. 

These boards can be printed in color or black & white. Digital versions are also available and can be shared digitally with students. 

Click here to grab this lesson for your class! 

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Resources Mentioned in this post:

  • Mother’s Day Social Media Post Gift
  • Cardboard Flower Tutorial
  • Engineer Inspiration- Mother’s Day Theme

Other Blog Posts You Might Enjoy:

 

kid-made-mother's-day-gifts

Which Mother’s Day activity will you try with your students this year? Feel free to direct message me on Instagram, @naomimeredith_ and I would love to chat with you!

 

Want more resources to support Technology & STEM all year long? Grab this FREE downloadable guide that I’ve put together for you!

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7 Earth Day Activities for STEM & Technology

by Naomi Meredith

earth-day-activitiesSpring is in the air and it’s a great time to remind students of ways that they can continue to take care of the Earth and make a difference. Earth Day is a great celebration of this. In response to that, here are 7 Earth Day activities that integrate STEM and technology to commemorate this day. 

 *Click any of the images or headings of the resource to be redirected to the link. 

Earth Day Activities #1: Caring For Our Earth Interactive Notebook

Ditch your paper notebooks for a few days and have students explore and record their thinking with my colorful slides. There are 21 editable templates that you can edit and share in Google Slides. Students will define important vocabulary, a podcast to listen to, make observations about a graph and more! 

Click here to grab this lesson for your class!

earth-day-activities

 

Earth Day Activities #2: Recycling Plant Makerspace Lesson

Help students understand the benefits of recycling and learn how it works. By using the collection of objects and labeled bins, students will build their own recycling plant. The goal is to have students create a system to help sort the items into the correct categories.

Click here to grab this lesson for your class! 

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Earth Day Activities #3: Our Planet- Netflix Series

Learn more about our Earth and different species from around the world and how their lives are impacted by humans. It is a series, but you can definitely watch out of order to meet your classroom needs. 

 

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Earth Day Activities #4: Taking Care of Earth Reading Comprehension  

With these graphic organizers for Earth Day, it will help students record their thinking and find text that is relevant to Earth Day. There are printable and digital options that will work on any device.

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Use any resource you have on hand to accompany these graphic organizers. Epic! Books is a great place to start! It’s a free-for-teachers online digital library that has books for any occasion and every learner. Have access to eBooks, read-to-me, audio and videos. 

 

Earth Day Activities #5: Earth Day Engineer Inspiration

Use any building materials available to recreate the images from the inspiration sheet. The one page of images look great printed out, in both color and black and white. Or save paper by viewing the images digitally. 

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Earth Day Activities #6: The Brains On! Podcast

Podcasts are a great way for students to build their visualization and comprehension skills. The Brains On! podcast is highly engaging and education. It’s a lot like listening to episodes of Bill Nye the Science Guy. You can listen directly online from your computer, or connect your phone by using any podcast app. Episodes that are perfect for Earth Day are: 

Earth Day Activities #7: Bundle of Activities

Need even more inspiration? Check out this fun bundle of STEM & Technology activities to use with your students. Some of the activities above are included as well as others the help celebrate Earth Day. Everything can be printed or shared digitally to fit your sharing needs.

earth-day-activities

Resources Mentioned in this post:

Other Blog Posts You Might Enjoy: 

 

How do you integrate technology in your Earth Day instruction?  Feel free to direct message me on Instagram, @naomimeredith_ and I would love to chat with you!

 

 

 Want more resources to support Technology & STEM all year long? Grab this FREE downloadable guide that I’ve put together for you! 

 

 

 

 

How to Teach Online for Home Learning

by Naomi Meredith

how-to-teach-online-for-home-learning

How to teach online for home learning

You might be finding yourself in a situation where you have to adjust your teaching practice for home learning. Or, you might be looking for strategies to help flip your classroom. Either way, I am going to give you some tips for how to teach online for home learning. 

The majority of these tools I also used in my general education classroom and my STEM classroom. These practices can definitely be applied to any type of classroom aside from home learning.

how-to-teach-online-for-home-learning

Create a daily agenda

With all of the teaching strategies I will be sharing with you, it’s important to create a daily agenda for your class. This doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but something students can see in one place what they need to complete. 

I would suggest creating a Google Slide with the share settings as ‘Anyone with the Link can View’ and share that link with students. Add a new slide on the top for each day. That way, students can see the changes you make in real time, but have no need to edit this slide. 

If you can make it printable, this might be helpful as well for families to check off the tasks as they go.

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How to teach online for home learning Tip #1: Screencasting

This is the number one tool that I would suggest for teaching online. Pre-record your lessons and students can re-watch as often as needed. Screencastify is my favorite Google Chrome extension to install. 

Here are the main features you should know about this extension:

  • Record just your computer screen, computer screen & face, just face
  • Record up to 5 minutes/video with the free version. (Unlimited video time with paid version)
  • Videos recorded save automatically to your Google Drive. You can download videos if you need
  • Once recorded, there are multiple sharing options: Shareable link from your drive, Google Classroom and YouTube

How to teach online for home learning Tip #2: Consistent platform for posting

Find an online platform or two to streamline and post your students’ work. Too many platforms are hard to keep track of; for both teachers and students. 

Some of my ultimate go-to’s for elementary students are Google Classroom and Seesaw. These tools allow teachers to post different types of digital files that students can access in one place.

Likewise, many districts purchase learning management systems that they prefer teachers and students to use. (Schoology, Microsoft OneNote, Canvas, Blackboard…)

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How to teach online for home learning Tip #3: Digital Interactive Notebooks

Interactive notebooks don’t always have to be printed. I typically make my digital interactive notebooks in Google Slides for easy sharing in Google Classroom. 

Skills that can be embedded in Digital Interactive Notebooks are: 

  • Using an online dictionary
  • Copy & Paste
  • Typing
  • Resizing an Image
  • Resizing Text
  • Dragging & Dropping
  • Using Shape & Line Tools
  • Labeling a Digital Image
  • Clicking Hyperlinks
  • Toggling between Browser Tabs
  • Online Videos
  • Digital Note Taking
  • Reading and Responding to Digital Text

Need help getting started? Click here to go straight to my YouTube video playlist for tips & tricks when creating with Google Apps.  

Want something already pre-created for you? Here is a Digital Interactive Notebook you can edit and add your own content.

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How to teach online for home learning Tip #4: Digital Choice Menus

Choice menus are a great way to give students voice and choice with their learning about a given topic. When creating a digital choice menu, try keeping it concise on one page so the choices aren’t too overwhelming. 

The great thing about having a digital choice menu is you can link websites, examples, and resources within the menu that help guide students to complete the activities.

How to teach online for home learning Tip #5: Digital Journals

If you’re expected to be out of school for a long time, those classroom relationships are more important now than ever. In fact, you can still connect with your students virtually. 

Create a digital back and forth journal that you can learn about your students’ days and keep tabs on them. 

I even created a digital break journal that you can use for free! Just click here to get the link and share on the platform of your choice. 

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How to teach online for home learning Tip #6: Online Morning Meetings

Did your class typically start with the morning meeting? You can still do this! Continuing those positive routines for kids is so important.

Here are a few things you can easily do at home during this time: 

  • Calendar (so many printable options online)
  • Weather
  • Show & Tell (schedule a day where students can share one item from their house)
  • Quote of the day (something positive to keep them going)
  • Question of the day (students share their response)
  • Kindness Chore of the day (students report back the next day if they completed the task)

You can pre-record your morning meeting with Screencastify (mentioned above), or you can go live using Zoom. Students can see you and each other in real time. 

Other similar platforms are: Microsoft Teams & Google Meet/Hangouts  

How to teach online for home learning Tip #7: Create with technology

There are a lot of websites out there for students to “sit and get” information. However, when students are learning at home, think about what they might be doing before they are coming to learn. 

Oftentimes, they might be playing video games and watching TV. Give students opportunities to interact and create their learning experiences. 

This could be a good time for project based learning, research projects and collaborating with other students in their class. 

Seesaw, Flipgrid, Pic Collage Edu (app) and Shapegrams are just a few platforms where students have the opportunity to create and demonstrate their learning. 

How to teach online for home learning Tip #8: Digital Breakouts

The beauty of digital break out boxes is there are no locks to set or materials to print beforehand. 

Definitely creating your own using multiple online tools, like Google Forms, is possible. Or you can grab some that are ready to go on Breakout Edu.  

If you want to make it more competition based for your class, set a timer and send the breakout link. Students will have that amount of time to work on the challenges. This can be a great opportunity to get siblings involved as well! 

How to teach online for home learning Tip #9: Virtual Field Trips

Currently at the time of this blogpost, there are a lot of zoos and museums offering opportunities for students to go on a virtual field trip. 

Depending on the site, students can see what’s happening live. Some of the virtual field trips are in virtual reality form. This means it feels like they are in that digital space and pan around the room to get a closer view. 

Some Virtual Field Trips to try out are: 

This is a great opportunity to add in reflection questions about their experience. 

How to teach online for home learning Tip #10: Video Creation

Kids LOVE making videos. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard students say they want to be a YouTube Star when they grow up. (and they aren’t joking). 

Give students an opportunity to create a video with purpose. It can be a topic that you are teaching them about. Or, since they will be home for awhile, they can create a video to teach someone about a talent they have and others can learn how to do it by watching their video. 

A few great video editing platforms are: iMovie, WeVideo, Flipgrid & Seesaw.

Stop motion animation has been a popular filming technique in my classroom. Often, students will go home and create these on their own! The app Stop Motion Studio is free and works on most devices. You can find out how to get started with Stop Motion animation with your students by clicking here. 

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How to teach online for home learning Tip #11: Reading Challenges

We all know that reading is important. Right now, the kids have A TON of time to do it! However, we know kids and we know their stamina. 

Mix up their reading experience. There are wonderful platforms like Epic! Books, ReadWorks & National Geographic Kids that are my go-to’s. 

You can also create fun reading challenges or tic-tac-toe boards for students to complete. 

Some fun things to add could be: 

  • create a fort to read your book in
  • read outside
  • read to your favorite stuffed animal

How to teach online for home learning Tip #12: Show math work

Again, there are plenty of websites that allow students to practice quick facts and keep up with important basic skills. 

Continue to help students show their math work virtually. GoFormative is a great way to assign questions to your class and students can show their work in a variety of ways, including drawing. 

Students can still even solve problems on paper! Have them share their work by taking a photo in Seesaw. 

How to teach online for home learning Tip #13: Video Conferencing

Continue to conference with students one-on-one virtually. Pre-record your videos and send them the link (Screencastify) or connect with them live (Zoom). 

Make a schedule of conferencing times so students know when to check in. Connect with your students personally and also how they are doing with their work. This will help continue to build those relationships you’ve worked so hard on all school year. 

How to teach online for home learning Tip #14: Virtual Class Party

When I was a classroom teacher, we would always have an incentive that our class was working hard towards with great behavior and work ethic. Typically, the incentive was in the form of a class party. 

Continue to encourage that collaboration virtually. Create a slide that graphs the progress on turning in assignments on time (or another goal you can think of). If your class reaches that goal, host a virtual party! Host your class party using Zoom. 

Here are some virtual party ideas:

  • Pajama & stuffed animal
  • Snack party (everyone brings their favorite snack)
  • Fort party (everyone build a fort and attends the party inside)
  • Costume party

How to teach online for home learning Tip #15: Live Science Experiments

Kids LOVE science. I do too, hence, I became a STEM teacher. Mystery Science right now is opening up access to their content and you can share with students. 

Do you have science materials at home? Host a live science experiment in front of your class! Before, during and after, have them go through the Scientific Process or Engineering Design Process.  Then, demonstrate the experiment on camera for them and keep checking in on the progress the following days. 

Test student predictions as well! Write down what they think might happen. You can create a makeshift anchor chart by taping a few pieces of paper together and hanging it up on the wall behind you. 

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How to teach online for home learning Tip #16: Educational Shows

The kids are probably watching a lot of TV and movies right now. Why not suggest some educational ones that go along with what you are learning about in your virtual class? 

Netflix has some great selections: 

  • Storybots (for K+1)
  • Magic School Bus, new & old episodes (2-5)
  • Disney’s Oceans (2-5)
  • If I were an Animal (K+1)

I have a longer list of suggestions by grabbing my 50+ Free STEM Resource Guide here. 

How to teach online for home learning Tip #17: Pen Pals

Make writing time fun and personal by creating pen pals. They can be virtual pen pals or real paper ones. If you make the pen pals virtual, make sure you can see what the kid’s write first, before sending. 

As the teacher, try and send at least one real piece of mail to each student. This can be an exciting thing for them to look forward to. 

How to teach online for home learning Tip #18: Podcasts

Podcasts are a great way for students to build their listening comprehension and visualization. 

When I introduce podcasts to students, I have them draw the pictures they are seeing in their brain. Again, this drawing can be done virtually on a platform like Seesaw or real paper. 

Some of my favorite podcasts for kids are:

I have a longer list of suggestions by grabbing my 50+ Free STEM Resource Guide here. 

How to teach online for home learning Tip #19: Inside Recess

For the days that don’t have great weather to play outside, encourage active inside recess. 

My go-to favorite is GoNoodle, which they always have home-access for students. 

You can have students log into GoNoodle on their own. Or, you can do a class inside recess. Have kids take turns each day to choose the video. From the teacher side, share the video on your screen on Zoom. That way everyone is participating at the same time. 

How to teach online for home learning Tip #20: Digital Worksheets

This is an easy way to assign work digitally for students. This is something you would share in a platform like Google Classroom since it can automatically make a copy for each student. 

However, how do you assign a worksheet that’s a PDF and it doesn’t give students spaces to type? 

In my quick video tutorial I show you how to make a PDF editable to share with students. 

Kami is also a Google Chrome extension that can be installed and help annotating over PDFs. 

How to teach online for home learning Tip #21: Hands-On Tasks

Virtual learning really doesn’t mean students have to complete every task on an actual document. Hands-on learning is still just as important!

Encourage play, building, inventing and creating. In our Innovative Teacher Facebook Community, we shared 10 STEM challenges that students can complete at home. Come join us to get freebies and connect with other teachers around the world. 

How to teach online for home learning Tip #22: Read Aloud

There are a lot of great websites that have online read alouds for you to share with students: Vooks, Epic! Books, Storyline Online and even YouTube offer a variety of books. 

You can even be the one reading your book! I would suggest recording ahead of time (with Screencastify) and schedule the link to be pushed out at the same time each day on Seesaw or Google Classroom (or the platform of your choice). You can get all your read alouds done in one day and planned out for a couple weeks! 

 

What will you try?

Overall, I know that it can be a hard transition from face-to-face to online teaching. However, you are still using your great teaching skills, just in a different way. A silver lining to this is you are most likely strengthening your technology skills which in turn, can be used in your regular classroom. 

 

What else would you add to this list? What would you continue to do and take back to the regular classroom? Feel free to direct message me on Instagram, @naomimeredith_ and I would love to chat with you!

Other blogs about how to teach online for home learning to check out: 

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8 Quotes for Growth Mindset in STEM

by Naomi Meredith

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8 Quotes for Growth Mindset in STEM

By now, you’ve all heard of growth mindset but how does this relate to the STEM and technology setting? One million percent A LOT! In fact, here are 8 quotes for growth mindset to promote during your next STEM challenge. 

There are Amazon affiliate links in this post. When you purchase through my link, it’s no extra cost to you but I get a kick back in return.

 

Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset 

Before we dive into how this connects to STEM, let’s get some definitions. What is a fixed mindset? What is a growth mindset? 

This video Mindset from Carol Dweck | Animated Core Message breaks this topic down. Could possibly even work for older students! 

 

A fixed mindset is the belief that you have a certain amount of intelligence and can’t surpass that knowledge.  

 

A growth mindset is thinking that you aren’t given a certain amount of intelligence, it’s something you have to work towards. With more effort and time, you can get better at something. 

In turn, how does this all connect to the STEM classroom? 

 

Quotes for Growth Mindset

With my time being a K-5 STEM teacher, I developed quotes for growth mindset that worked well in our space. These were growth mindset quotes that I would refer to on a daily basis when working on projects. 

Likewise, these sayings can be applied to any regular classroom as well! STEM challenges have a place in any classroom setting. So does growth mindset! 

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Quotes for Growth Mindset #1: We Do Hard Things

Have you heard any of these phrases in your classroom? 

  • ”This is hard!”
  • ”I can’t do it because it’s TOO hard!”
  • ”The challenge is impossible. It can’t be done.”

I sure have. A LOT! STEM is supposed to be challenging. If it wasn’t, everyone would have a STEM job! Giving opportunities for students to express their creativity and critical thinking skills is life changing. 

Many answers can be Googled. Nothing wrong with that! However, students need to learn how to think for themselves. In addition, finding solutions to difficult problems aids mindset growth. 

Whenever I hear “This is hard!”, I give the kid a high-five and say, “Good! Then I’m doing my job!” Life is HARD. Not everything goes our way! Students need to build those soft skills when faced with a difficult situation. 

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Quotes for Growth Mindset #2: We are creators with technology, not consumers 

Academic technology and using technology for play and two entirely different things. 

I’ve heard many teachers say to me, “Well they were born using technology, so they have to be good at it!”. In turn, they see their students struggle with academic technology tasks. 

Likewise, I’ve used technology most of my life, but I wasn’t born knowing how to do it. In fact, I am learning new skills daily when creating with technology. Creating with technology is something that you learn, not something you are born with. 

Granted, students might have less fear when it comes to using technology. However, students still need to have opportunities that allow them to create and problem solve with technology. With those opportunities, repetition to practice those tasks will build their creating capacity even more. 

Some great ways to get started in STEM are:

 

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Quotes for Growth Mindset #3: We are problem solvers, not problem makers

Being a STEM teacher, one of my goals was to NOT be the gatekeeper of information. I would of course teach new skills and processes when learning new technology. However, I also set up processes in place to help students advocate for themselves. 

 

How can you help your students be a problem solver in STEM? 

  • Create anchor charts of repetitive steps for them to refer back to
  • Create screencast/video lessons for students to rewatch. Also works great for students who were absent!
  • Use the management technique “Ask 3 Before Me!” Unless it’s a crazy issue I actually do need to solve, there is usually someone in the class who remembers the steps
  • Promote helping each other. Tell them that it’s OK to help each other, but they need to be the YouTube tutorial. Don’t touch the other student’s device but talk them through the steps they need to take to solve the problem. I do this with other teachers as well.
  • Provide a list of common solutions to their problems. Add to this list as lessons progress

Quotes for Growth Mindset #4: We Make Mistakes to Help Us Grow 

First of all, did you know that Wilbur and Orville Wright owned a print shop and bicycle shop before they ever got into tackling flight? Once they started inventing flying machines, it definitely took more than once to get something off the ground. 

They made TONS of mistakes! Constantly! If they gave up, our airplane history would be a lot different today. 

Making mistakes are OK! Not moving past that, is not ok. 

In fact, a lof the pencils in my classroom lost erasers quickly and I hardly replaced them. I wanted students to leave their mistakes in their plans and designs. This helped show their growth and process. 

This growth mindset quote definitely leads in nicely with our next one. 

 

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Quotes for Growth Mindset #5: We practice to make us better

Practice makes BETTER not perfect. I’m sorry to tell you this, but perfect isn’t real. It doesn’t exist. If every kid out there was perfect, I would be out of a job fast. 

I’ve often seen students who want to get things exactly right the first time. That’s fine, but what’s not fine is when they get upset when they don’t. 

When introducing new challenges, I don’t expect students to be a master at the skill right away, but I do expect practice. This goes back to our problem solving strategies discussed above. 

Just like any professional in anything (sports, technology, cooking…) they PRACTICE. ALL.THE.TIME. Students should know that this should be the norm for anything they want to be successful at in life. Practice is a good thing. 

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Quotes for Growth Mindset #6: We create work that we are proud of

Have you ever made something and you can’t wait to show everyone what you did? This doesn’t have to be school related either; a new room you decorated, a cake you baked, the hair you washed and blow dried (that’s my personal fav.)…

On the flip side, have you ever created something that you didn’t really try at and don’t really care if anyone sees? I’m guilty. 

If you are creating something, why not start of being proud of what you are doing? I would often ask my students who would rush through their projects, “Is this something that you are proud of making? Is this showing the world the best that you can do?”

Often responses were a sad little, “No” and they would go back and make changes that showed what they were truly capable of. 

STEM challenges are not a race. They take time and effort. And with that, create something that you are proud to share with others. 

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Quotes for Growth Mindset #7: We Dream Big and Take Risks

One of my biggest dreams growing up was to become a teacher. In my reality, knew that my parents wouldn’t be able to support me financially, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me. I applied for college without knowing how I would pay for it. 

Going to school full-time and working multiple jobs, I graduated college in 4 years. Debt free and teaching license in hand. 

Encourage dreams in STEM. Listen to those dreams. The challenges you do in class might inspire students to try projects at home.

Host clubs that spark a passion students never knew they had. Clubs are a great way to meet the needs of students in a different way. 

Let students know that your class is a safe space to take a risk and try something new in a project. Often, the coolest ideas come out of this. 

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Quotes for Growth Mindset #8: We Look at the World in New Ways 

Being creative and innovative is looking at the world in new ways. You are trying things that might not be obvious to others. 

Think about the STEM challenges you put forth in your class. Are they giving students opportunities for multiple outcomes? Or, do your challenges only have one answer? 

It’s ok to teach students the same skills to help them be successful on a project. For example, I teach all of my students how to log into Seesaw and take a photo of their work. (You can get a free month of Premium by using my link here!)  However, the photos of their work should all look different. 

Make sure there are projects and challenges that allow students to be creative and explore possible solutions. 

 

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Posters of Growth Mindset Quotes

I have all of these growth mindset sayings posted in my STEM classroom year round. They are located in a place where it’s easy to see and refer to. 

Since they are low-ink friendly, I printed mine on bright Astro Bright paper and cut them out by hand. Easy! 

You can print and cut them for your class as well. Find these Growth Mindset Quotes for STEM here. 

 

In conclusion, which growth mindset quotes do you already use? What else would you add to this list? Feel free to direct message me on Instagram, @naomimeredith_ and I would love to chat with you!

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For People Wondering “What Does a STEM Teacher Do?”

by Naomi Meredith

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So what does a STEM teacher do all week?

One of the biggest questions I get is what does a STEM teacher do all week? I know that the role of being a K-5 STEM teacher looks different in every school. Let me share my typical week with you and I’m sure you’ll find some things that we have in common. 

After 6 years teaching in the general education classroom, I took my experiences and applied them to K-5 STEM teacher.

Since this would be my third school, third district. I would teach over 600 students a month! This was a learning curve, but the right amount of challenge that I was looking for.

Monday:

First, comes Monday. My first year in this position, I taught extension Gifted and Talented groups for 3rd-5th grades. I extended the learning of GT students identified in Science. 

With my Gifted and Talented groups, we worked on Project Based Learning experiences. We accomplished two projects. Each project connected to what they were learning in class.

The following year, Mondays looked different. I would teach 2 grade levels all day, 7-8 classes, and students would come into my room for a Bonus STEM class. Classroom teachers would get extra plan time while I taught their kids in STEM. This extra time was amazing since this allowed me to have them finish up projects from previous weeks, build background knowledge on upcoming projects or even introduce fun, one day lessons like Doodle For Google. 

What is co-teaching like?

Tuesday:

Next, is Tuesday. This day was reserved for me to co-teach with other teachers in their classroom and also work on school-wide technology management. With my prior classroom experience, I was able to help teachers integrate technology and STEM naturally into their lessons. 

Importantly, lessons would look different, depending on the teacher’s needs. Some needed more guidance where I would teach the lesson and they would observe and help with classroom management throughout the lesson. This would allow teachers to see how a lesson with technology integration could be taught, and be carried on during the days I am not there. 

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Try this co-teaching lesson

A popular lesson that I taught with grade 3rd-5th grade was the basics of Google tools, like Google Docs, Drive and Slides. These lessons were in the form of a scavenger hunt where students have to find the tool and try it before moving on to the next task. You can find these scavenger hunts for your classes here. 

Other teachers who were more comfortable with their technology, my role was more of me teaching the lesson with them side by side. We would both take active roles when teaching the lesson as well as sharing equal parts when working with students. 

Often on this Tuesday, planning for future lessons would take place. This allowed the opportunity for me to share resources with grade level teams and plan ahead for the next time I would be in their classrooms. 

I also would reserve time to work on basic technology management in our building. Some of those tasks included setting up new device carts, communicating with the Help Desk to troubleshoot device issues and entering classrooms to assist with technology adjustments. 

 

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STEM teacher job description

Wednesday-Friday: 

Meanwhile, the last part of my week might be what you would see in your typical STEM teacher job description. These three days were when I saw students for their STEM specials rotation. I taught Kindergarten-5th grade specials, with 4 week rotations. 

In the beginning, many lessons were basic. They focused on building basic technology skills. They also focused on STEM practices that we would continue to use throughout the year.

 

Some of those skills included: 

  • logging in and using district student platform for web based applications
  • navigating Seesaw
  • using the Engineering Design Process
  • basic coding processes
  • collaborating and working with others
  • creating projects with constraints.
  • learning how to work through failure and make changes to projects without giving up

After School Roles

Along with class time, I run after-school clubs. I will switch up the clubs throughout the year. One of my most successful clubs was using Stop Motion Animation. The after-school clubs are free for students. I think running clubs are important. Students can find new passions. As a teacher, you can try new content and tools. It’s a win for everyone!

Once a month, I also run a Tech & Innovation Committee. A representative from each grade will join our group. We will discuss various topics in our meetings such as:

  • successes
  • struggles
  • upcoming events
  • resources to try
  • trainings

Likewise, I participate in district wide planning committees. This helps me connect with other STEM teachers near me. I also can add value to events that are being planned for our district. It’s a cool way to get the inside-scoop on what’s to come next!

 

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Don’t feel overwhelmed!

For those of you just starting out in STEM, my best advice to you is to go slow to go fast. Create a vision of what you want students to be able to do after they leave your school forever and work up to that. 

As the weeks and years would pass, the students’ capacity with the above skills grew immensely. The projects kept getting better and better. Never assume that the students know how to do everything. They love using technology and working on projects, however, you really do need to be explicit and have repetition with your processes to make things flow with your short time together. 

From there, my lessons for classes became more robust and connected with content they were currently learning in class or were going to learn that school year. I wanted to ensure that my class was meaningful, but also had purpose behind it. I felt like my STEM classroom was a way to bring their general education content to life and they can make connections to their learning in hands-on ways. 

STEM teacher resources

Moreover, three days isn’t a lot of time for a project! Over the years, I learned ways to make our short time together fun and meaningful; for both the students and I. While the amount of STEM teacher resources out there are growing, I know how it can be tricky to know where to get started. I lived it! I was constantly creating my own curriculum and content to meet the needs of my students and make their class time impactful. In fact, you can even see what I typically taught my first week of STEM each school year. 

In addition, I put together for you all of my go-to resources that I created for my STEM classroom. This is the starter kit that I wish someone created for me!

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These are simple things to get started:

In conclusion, what does your role as a STEM teacher look like? Feel free to direct message me on Instagram, @naomimeredith_ and I would love to chat with you!

 

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Thanksgiving Elementary STEM Activity to Support ‘The Great Turkey Race’

by Naomi Meredith

When the holiday season comes upon us, that can be tough in a lot of ways, especially as a teacher. I have found through my teaching experience, having hands-on and engaging tasks for my students during this time can help reign in all the extra energy, but still be meaningful. 

STEM activities are a great way to lift student engagement. In fact, my growing STEM & Stories collection integrates books and a corresponding STEM activity that works for multiple grade levels. 

Let’s dive into how STEM is integrated after reading the story The Great Turkey Race by Steve Metzger.


**All links are clickable to purchase through my affiliate link. No extra cost to you, but I get a little bonus if you purchase through it!**


Before you do this activity with your kids, there is a tiny bit of prep work you’ll need to do to make sure this activity goes smoothly. The goal of this STEM challenge is for students to build a fence for the turkeys to hop over. *Spoiler Alert* This is how the turkeys get away at the end of the book!*

Since this activity is all about the fence design, having the catapults built ahead of time is super helpful. One thing that I like to do for my STEM classes for their supplies is to create Building Kits. It’s just a Ziploc bag with their pre-portioned supplies, but it definitely sounds more official! This gives the kids more time to build if everything is already organized. 

Gluing a pom pom to the back of each turkey gives it more weight to help it launch over the fence and help them stand up. 


Also, decide how you want to share the student response sheets. Of course you can print, but having the option to share digitally is a great bonus. I used the digital version of the student sheets in Seesaw since I did this activity with over 75 Kindergarteners in one day. That’s a lot of paper I saved and parents got to see their work right away! 

Here are all the extras you will need for this Thanksgiving STEM activity along with the Engineering Design Process Student sheets that I’ve already created for you.


-Dry Spaghetti



After reading the story The Great Turkey Race by Steve Metzger {or listening to it online on YouTube}, students will do a little bit of research on engineers and how they solve problems effectively. Afterwards, they’ll plan how they will design a fence for their turkeys to hop over. Their planning can be done either on paper or digitally. 



They can also utilize the Engineering Design Process checklist to help them keep track of their progress along the way through this challenge. This is also helpful if you need to extend this activity into multiple days or even during different time blocks in one day. 


Once students’ designs are built, they can launch their turkeys over the fence. Some preferred to launch all 3 at once, like the book, or do one turkey at a time. While launching, you will notice students making adjustments to their bridges to make them taller, shorter or even wider.

Teaching the students to build their fences already standing up instead of having them flat on the table THEN standing them up is a lot easier and they won’t break apart as quickly. 


Of course, reflection is essential for continuing a growth mindset, and students can write, draw or even record using a tool like Seesaw, how the Engineering Design Process through this STEM activity worked for them. 


My STEM students always get so proud of their creations and want to take their work home. Since I teach K-5, I often need to reuse materials and students physically keeping their work isn’t always an option. However, using Seesaw, I often have students take a video or photo of their work so they can continue that conversation at home with their families. 

Seesaw is always free. However, you can get bonus features with Seesaw Plus through my link. 



This was such a great Thanksgiving activity. If I were a regular classroom teacher again, this would be something that I would definitely implement or even do during a fall party.  You can grab a visual teacher lesson plan all of the printable and digital student sheets, here. There is also a bonus anchor chart for taking clear photos of your work as a student guide. 





How do you integrate STEM and literacy in engaging ways?  Let me know and send me a message on Instagram @marvelousmsm


Stay marvelous!

Naomi from Marvelous Ms. Meredith