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I Bought a Trailer to Be a Mobile STEM Classroom…Now What!?! [ep.184]

I Bought a Trailer to Be a Mobile STEM Classroom…Now What!?! [ep.184]

Check out the full episode about a mobile STEM classroom:

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform. Have a STEM question? Leave a voice message for the podcast

Episode Summary

In this special episode, I’m recording from an exciting new location—my mobile STEM trailer!

This trailer is something I’ve dreamed of since 2020, and I’m thrilled to share how this vision came to life.

Join me as I give you a behind-the-scenes look at my journey, from hunting for the right vehicle to the inspiring reasons behind creating a mobile STEM classroom. I’ll share some fun stories, like my search for this trailer and how I’m setting it up to reach even more students in our community.

Plus, I’ll explain a fun way for you to join this journey—by adding your name to the trailer in a special way. Let’s dive into how we can make STEM accessible to every child, one mile at a time!

Resources Mentioned:

  • Contribute to the trailer HERE or see what resources are still needed 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.

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.

Today is a very fun episode and if you are watching the YouTube version of this, you might have noticed that my background is a little bit different than normal. We are almost 200 episodes in and there's only been a couple times where my background has changed and this is one of them. I am recording this episode inside my brand new to me mobile STEM trailer or that's what I'm converting it into.

 

It isn't very acoustically great for podcasting and my camera might be shaking a little bit because I have it on a stand right now connected to one of the counters, but I really wanted to record it in here because I feel like that this is very monumental in my STEM journey as an educator and also what this business has evolved into and how my passion for STEM has kept growing and growing. So with that, I wanted to give you a behind the scenes look at how I got here, why do I have a STEM mobile trailer, and what's going to go from here. So for some of you it might seem actually very random.

 

It seems very very random, but of course not everything I share on social media. I share quite a bit, but not every single little thing you know that. Ever since January 2020, I was updating my vision board with personal and business goals that I wanted to grow and one of those things was having a mobile STEM classroom and I have a picture of this cute little blue truck I think it's on there.

 

I didn't really care so much the color, but I wanted something where I could bring STEM to more kids in the community because at that time I was still teaching K-5 STEM. I was right in the middle of that part of my career and I knew how big of an impact, positively big of an impact that STEM has had on my students and I knew that after building that program up for a while, I wanted to expand it in lots of different ways and I still had all the things I was doing in elementary STEM. I'm not, I don't think I quite had the elementary STEM coach podcast yet, but I did have another podcast, but that was something with having a mobile STEM classroom was one of those many things that I really dreamed of having.

 

Here we are in the first week of November of 2024 at the time of this recording, over four years from when I created that part of my vision board and it's so surreal sitting inside of my trailer of something that I absolutely dreamed of and at this time I've only owned it for one whole week. Little quick thing that I did today, I'm getting better at connecting the trailer. I've only driven it a handful of times right and so I cleaned out the whole trailer today, wiped everything down and then you can see behind me that there's two different colors of white on the counter where I was filling in the holes and the cracks and then painting and then visualizing and measuring of the things that I'm going to add on this first level.

 

So realistically this trailer for me is moving ready, but of course I love to decorate and add that STEM twist. Okay, so how does a STEM trailer fit into what I am doing? Earlier this year, April 2024, I actually started my own community STEM programs and my side of that business is called STEM Explorers Club. You can check that out at STEMExplorersClub.com. So within that first year of me leaving the classroom, so I left the traditional classroom teaching K-5 STEM at the end of the 2022-2023 school year and I do have a podcast episode about my whole journey in elementary STEM you can go back and listen to, but during that first year out of the classroom I really was exploring a lot of different things within elementary STEM and things that I like and didn't like and still continuing my business and adding on things as well.

 

And one of the things that I really realized is I still love to teach and actually I did know that. That's actually not why I left the traditional classroom. I love to teach, but I also wanted to do it on my own terms and I did for a little bit partner with a local business and taught some Lego clubs after school and it really made me realize, oh I can actually teach my own programs in the community and bring STEM to kids who may or may not have experienced it.

 

Again, back to the vision board, it was really bringing that part out of it. So in April of 2024, I started doing teaching in the community and partnered with a local coffee shop which I still do a lot with them and excited how this trailer can fit in with our partnership. So I started teaching some drop-in STEM sessions for kids in my community.

 

I had a lot of kids from my old school come visit me. Also some kids from my Lego clubs come to my sessions and continue to dabble with that throughout the summer. During the summer I also started reaching out to schools near me that were interested in STEM after school programs and so currently I have three going on four schools that I partner with and each day I go to a different school after school and teach my own curriculum to kids who love to build and create.

 

So really through all of this, having a mobile STEM classroom wasn't 100% necessary. This is something that I've been building up, building those connections, learning how to create projects for kids who may or may not be familiar with certain types of things in STEM and also projects that can be done really really quick in about 45 minutes because when you really think about the teaching time and then the kids are building and creating and then the cleanup time, it really is 40 to 45 minutes where they start and finish this project. So that is something I am still working on.

 

Also through that I've also realized that there is so much potential and opportunity when it comes to different events that I could do for STEM such as field trips or partnering with homeschool groups. I have a homeschool group I'm currently working with. There was a trunk retreat that happened in my neighborhood that would have been really cool to be a part of.

All sorts of things that have been brewing in my head where it's really combining the business side of my brain and also the teaching side of my brain into one and having this mobile space, having this mobile trailer is definitely a dream, like literally a dream come true for me because really building up this space is so much fun for me and also thinking about okay how can I connect with different groups and how can I bring this into a lot of different spaces because that is the thing having this space where to have a program like this can be really really tricky and so I can be more mobile like legit a mobile STEM lab that can provide the opportunity. So it's been really fun to visualize it. Okay you also might be wondering how and did you pick this trailer and how did you find it? My original idea and back to that thing on my vision board, I actually had a little bus and if you were following me on Instagram at Naomi Meredith, I actually took a look at a couple of buses so I was looking on Facebook marketplace.

 

I also remember this is after I created my vision board seeing a teacher create a mobile classroom out of a small bus but it was for preschool and I thought oh I really should get a bus and I was really stuck on the bus like that was what I was really really focused on was to get a small mini bus to be my mobile classroom and that's what I was looking for. So I first was looking at Facebook marketplace and then a couple of local businesses that specialize in small buses and I actually went and saw two in person. The first one was so cute it was hot pink and the inside was all torn out and all flooring it had some shelving much like what I'm sitting in right now and it was used for a mobile boutique so it was super cute in the pictures went inside and all the tires were flat.

 

Now the paint job was fine actually but all the tires were flat and the whole inside of this bus was just filled with all their junk and they even said oh yeah we haven't ran it for like maybe four years so yeah I was just kind of sad about that like this isn't meant to be. So then I kept looking kept looking and then I found another bus also the full everything was torn out had flooring and went checked it out made a little weekend of it with my teacher honey we went and checked it out it was great for the space so I all I had to do was add furniture but we couldn't even get it to start and it had a lot a lot of miles and so we're like oh like it's already having issues probably shouldn't go along with it. 

 

So at the same time I saw that second bus I actually saw this trailer and this trailer was used also as a mobile boutique much like that first bus I saw where it was used for selling clothing at farmers markets and other events and I saw this one I'm like ah I don't know I think I want a bus like that way I can just drive it on my own but then after seeing the second bus I went back to the posting of the trailer and I'm like well if I did get a trailer then I don't necessarily have a full other vehicle that I have to manage so thinking about the gas a type of registration riding it these buses actually they're bigger than I thought like they're small but they're actually bigger than I thought and so finally I'm like you know what we are I'm gonna like go look at this trailer so I contacted the owner went and saw the trailer and like I got chills the whole time and this happens to me a lot like like you know when you get that feeling but I got chills I'm like oh my gosh this is perfect for what I'm looking for um same kind of size 

 

so I'm looking at it right now same kind of size all torn out it has shelving and in the pictures it looked a little bit smaller but when I'm thinking about how kids work and are in here I can do a lot of inside outside work which was what I was planning on doing anyway with the bus but the shelves are actually at kid height so I'm sitting in this video and it's perfect height for kids and definitely is moving ready for me so after some talking and negotiating and trying to figure out all of that finally worked it out and long story short got the trailer which I have never driven one before and luckily my car can tow so that was absolutely perfect that is where we're at so in like I said in those stages of decorating planning we're getting into those winter months which is perfect where I can get this trailer all set up build those connections really think about how I purposely want to use this and also I'm very open to ideas too I'm very much open and willing to try new things and excited to share with you all how it's going in a few months I bought these little gears 

 

so if you're in the video you can see these gears I bought these little gears that I'm going to paint and hang up in the trailer as a way to honor you and for any part that you want to be in part of this journey whether it is donating materials or if you have donating any funds that will help renovate this space and bring this program to life there are so many things that are to be added to this space to make it innovative and welcoming for kids and would love for you to be a part of it so I will add a link in the show notes for you. 

 

Any little bit helps that will help build this dream into reality and you can be part of this journey and you will actually be inside this trailer where I'll actually write your name on these gears! 

 

I'm so excited to share this all with you just a more personal episode but I love doing these personal episodes here and there because it's like documenting what I am doing and I actually go back and listen to these because sometimes they even talk about things that I might end up might end up wanting to do in the future and I end up doing it which is pretty exciting so I'm super excited for you guys to be here thank you for all your support and love all your kind words over on Instagram were so kind thank you so much and excited to check in with you even in six months to see where this mobile STEM trailers at. 

 

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.com to see all the show notes from today's episode and shop my K-5 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 an online K-5 STEM Coach 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!

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!

What Scared Me the Most When Teaching K-5 STEM [ep.183]

What Scared Me the Most When Teaching K-5 STEM [ep.183]

teaching-k-5-stem

Check out the full episode about teaching K-5 STEM:

Watch the video version of this episode here on YouTube:

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform. Have a STEM question? Leave a voice message for the podcast

Episode Summary

After being a classroom teacher for 6 years and stepping into a K-5 STEM role, there was a lot that I didn't know and also realized I would be concerned about. Over the years as a passionate STEM educator, there are a handful of things that scare me about K-5 STEM education that might scare you, too.

In this episode, you’ll learn what scared me the most when teaching K-5 STEM:

  • Having access to up-to-date resources and tools for students
  • Feasible time to complete projects
  • Creating and teaching a well-balanced curriculum with a variety of experiences

Resources Mentioned:

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.

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.

I wanted to record a spooky episode just in time for Halloween, and if you are watching the video version, I am wearing a spider web shirt to get in the spooky mood. Now, you can actually listen to this at any time. It's actually not specifically Halloween related, but there are some things about elementary STEM that scared me when I was getting into that space.

So let's get into it. One of the first things that was a little bit scary for me getting into K-5 STEM and really continues to be a little bit scary is making sure that my students had up-to-date resources and having the funding to provide those experiences for kids. Sure, you can do a whole lot with recycled materials, and if funding is something that you feel like is stopping you, there is a lot that you can do in Let's Chat.

I have a whole playlist about Makerspace that you can get started. But really, there are some ways to get some funding, and we've also talked about that here on this podcast before. But I always was concerned about, I want to make sure that kids are attacking problems and having experiences with things that are relevant and up-to-date.

When I walked into my K-5 STEM space, when I was a classroom teacher for six years, walked into that K-5 STEM space, I had limited supplies. I didn't have a whole lot of experience. I did with teaching, but not in STEM and no curriculum.

There were some things in there. There were some older STEM kits. There were a lot of things that were meant for middle school students.

There wasn't anything for the little kids. I had an old 3D printer and a broken crayons, and it did scare me a bit. How am I going to create this program really out of nothing? And I really did.

There are a lot of great free resources out there. So even if your school has access to computers for your students, mine did, thankfully. And so I would have students bring in their computers into the classroom so I didn't have to purchase any.

There are some you can do online. Like I said, create with makerspace materials. But there are some ways to write grants as well and creative ways to get some funding.

But that is something that scared me and continues to scare me and is always on the top of my mind to make sure that kids are being able to use resources that are relevant, that are up-to-date, and can really help them make those connections to the real world. So that is something I'm very passionate about, having really good resources. And I really try to bring those up here on this podcast or over on my social media to make sure that we are doing what is really fun and also relevant for kids.

Another big thing that would scare me as a K-5 STEM teacher and also now educator in my community is the amount of time. Time and pacing on projects is really tricky. Even now for me, when I am starting and creating new projects, I feel really bad for my Tuesday afterschool STEM group because they are the first ones to try the project and it always goes better with my Thursday group.

So I always want to make sure that I'm thinking through those steps with my Tuesday group and then I try my best and it goes way better on Thursday. But the amount of time is so tricky. This goes also to those experience and resources.

What do we have kids learning? What can we feasibly do in the amount of time? And I totally get it. A lot of you actually teach STEM to your whole school by Friday. So you see a different group of kids Monday, on Tuesday, on Wednesday.

I was really lucky. I got to see kids Monday through Friday. Even in my long-term STEM subbing right now, I'm teaching K-5 STEM currently.

Having that luxury of them every single day is awesome. But I know that's not always the case. With my STEM afterschool clubs, I see them for an hour and we're done for the week.

I don't carry on projects. So having that time can be scary and adjusting what works well. And it really is a lot of trial and error and keeping track of what works well and what doesn't.

And bringing this all together, these all really connect. These are always things that I was worried about is having a well-balanced curriculum. It was really interesting when, and I still hear this too, when I talk to kids about what STEM is like in their schools, if they have it.

So I don't even work in this school. Some kids say they only do coding. Coding's awesome.

That's great. But that should just be called a coding class, not a STEM class. And so I really try to ask kids, what do you do in STEM? What kinds of projects? Some kids say they don't even do projects.

I'm like, oh, interesting. We're always on the computer. Interesting.

So my thing when teaching K through 5 STEM and also thinking about your curriculum as well, I have an episode actually about auditing your STEM curriculum and really making sure it has all the pieces that you need because there are really purposeful ways to plan. And then there's some quick ways that I just need to get something out there. But I was always concerned about how can I have a well-balanced curriculum that carries me throughout the year, that has a variety of experiences and also has a progression of learning.

Starting off the first couple of years, kids may or may not have a whole lot of background. However, as you get through the years, you do need to have some more challenges, but you also want to carry through those skills. And so that is scary.

There's a lot of puzzle pieces fitting in. And I do have my K through 5 STEM year-long plan, scope and sequence that you can take a peek at for free. It's at Naomi Meredith.com slash year-long plan.

Super helpful for you. You can grab all the lessons individually or in a bundle, but you can take a peek at the actual year for free and all of the standards that went along with it. Also, if you're needing more support when it comes to setting up your space or a big thing is lesson planning at this time of year, I do have my on-demand STEM workshops that in two hours, I walk you through.

There's a K through two workshop and a three through five that really walks you through the process of how I actually plan lessons using standards and a variety of experiences to bring it all together. Those are linked in the show notes for you, but this is a great time of year to really dive in. Now that you know your kids and kind of what you like and don't like in this space, those workshops are extremely helpful.

There is a certificate that you can turn in if you need professional development hours, but definitely something to not have you be scared anymore and feel a lot of success. What are the types of things that scare you in the K through five STEM space? Let me know in the comments if you're on YouTube or feel free to reach out to me on Instagram at Naomi Meredith underscore. And I would love to hear your thoughts.

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.com to see all the show notes from today's episodes 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 an online K-5 STEM Coach 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!

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!

lessons in the K-5 STEM year

How to Stretch Out the Lessons in the K-5 STEM Year Long Bundle [ep.111]

How to Stretch Out the Lessons in the K-5 STEM Year Long Bundle [ep.111]

lessons in the K-5 STEM year

Check out the full episode on How to Stretch Out the Lessons in the K-5 STEM Year Long Bundle:  

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

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

Episode Summary

If you’ve been wondering how to stretch out the lessons in the K-5 STEM year long bundle, then today’s episode is for you. As we approach the back-to-school season, teachers are busy organizing their lesson plans and daily activities. So, I want to provide you with guidance on year long planning and help you create a plan for your lessons that works best for your STEM classroom. Whether you see the same kids every day or have a rotating schedule, we'll explore different scenarios and strategies to stretch out the lessons.

Do you have a different schedule for your K-5 STEM classroom? I would love to hear about it. Send me a DM on Instagram @naomimeredith_ and let me know what teaching schedule you have.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • How to structure and pace your lesson plans
  • How to stretch out the lessons in the K-5 STEM year long bundle
  • Tips and strategies for the most common schedules when teaching K-5 STEM

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith [00:00:00]:


During back to school, this is the time of year when you are trying to figure out what your elementary STEM is going to look like and what exactly you’re going to do each day. And many of you are wondering what should the pacing of your year look like. In fact, this can look different for the different types of lessons you teach and how often you see your students. In this episode, I'm going to break down a whole bunch for you that is going to help with your year long planning. We're going to be talking about the pacing of your lessons and what that can look like, how to stretch out your lessons for the year long plan bundle, and how this works out with different scenarios of STEM schedules that are pretty common in this elementary space. So let's get started and see how we can implement this lesson planning.


Naomi Meredith [00:01:05]:


I've mentioned this before, but if you are new here I used to teach elementary STEM for five years and a total of eleven years teaching in elementary. And when I got my K through five STEM teaching position, I got a brand new to me school and a brand new classroom with limited supplies and zero curriculum. And in fact, this is a very common narrative in the elementary STEM space. I actually put a poll over on my Instagram not too long ago and I asked if you are in charge of your STEM curriculum planning. And 81% of you who answered this question said, yes, I am in charge of my STEM curriculum. That is a lot to think about, even if it's just one grade level.


Naomi Meredith [00:02:20]:


But more than likely it's multiple grade levels. There are a whole lot of moving pieces and how are you going to make it all work? So maybe you have your plans already. You kind of have an idea of what you want to teach. Maybe you even bought my K-5 STEM year long plan bundle that is constantly growing with lots of cool updates and lessons. But you're wondering, okay, so how can this even work for my STEM schedule? I'm going to be referring a lot to the engineering design process throughout this episode. So if you are a bit unfamiliar with the engineering design process, this is a next generation science standard for K through two and three through five. If you are a little bit unsure about the engineering design process or want to learn more, I created a whole series about each step in that.


Naomi Meredith [00:03:13]:


So if you go back to episode 15, I go through every stage of the engineering design process. Also, I have created free podcast playlists where I have categorized all of the episodes here on this podcast in categories of topics that you probably want to learn about. So any episode that is related to the engineering design process, including those in that series, are all in its own playlist. You can check that out at naomimeredith.com/podcastplaylist, and that will be linked in the show notes. I put together four common scenarios when it comes to teaching in your elementary STEM space. So hopefully I gathered a scenario that is very common to yours or maybe exactly like yours. And if not, I know that you can learn a lot about these structures and how it can help you of structuring your year long plan of lessons. The first scenario is probably the luckiest one and that is where you see the same classes every day in a row, or pretty close to it.


Naomi Meredith [00:04:24]:


You see them five ish days, five to six days in a row. This was my schedule for about half the time when I taught STEM. So I had the same six classes starting on Monday and I had them all the way leading up to Friday. I had 45 minutes for each class. In the middle of my day was my lunchtime and about five to ten minutes when it comes to passing time. So lots of time with the same kids for the week. Then the following Monday I would get a new set of kids. So I will say this is again a very lucky schedule because you can continue on with the same lesson throughout the week.


Naomi Meredith [00:05:04]:


So if I was doing an engineering design process project, here is the basic structure that we went through. Day one was ask and imagine. So I proposed the question to the kids and we used different resources that I pre researched to help them gain knowledge about the topic that would inform their decisions when they went into the planning. Now every day, if students weren't finished with every part of the engineering design process, and this goes for any day, they had the opportunity to keep working on that process. So if not everyone is on that stage in that day, that's okay. Think about it like the writing process. I always told the kids, I'm always going to teach you the next step, but if you need to continue the next one, keep going at it, that's fine. If they didn't get to the project, they didn't get to the project.


Naomi Meredith [00:05:50]:


That's where they're at in the process. That's real. That's real life. So day two was planning. So students would thoughtfully plan their designs and maybe a few would start building if they were ready. Day three was all about that create. So really diving into their project and making changes along the way. Day four, more creation.


Naomi Meredith [00:06:10]:


And really, for those big changes to be thoughtful, students had a modification checklist that was specific to their project that could help them improve their design. And finally, on the last day is where students would share their designs, oftentimes by taking videos and pictures of their work and reflecting on the things that we did together that week. Later on in the year, maybe a couple of months in, I would actually do some STEM stations with my kindergarteners and first graders. I'm going to briefly highlight how this structure worked. But if you're wanting to hear more how I do this in a complete unit, go and check out this on demand workshop. I have an on demand workshop for K through two, STEM planning, and then an on demand workshop for three through five. So this can help you with your whole year, but you can check that out at Naomi Meredith.com workshops, and you'll see all of those laid out for you. But if I was mixing in STEM stations, the first one to three days would be the project.


Naomi Meredith [00:07:11]:


So we would condense the engineering design process, and then the last two days would be STEM stations. So they would do two the first day, two the next day. And there was a really specific way on how I planned those STEM stations, so they were getting a variety of things. I realized that with projects, it didn't really work well doing five days a row in a project. For little kids, their Stamina is just at a different place. That's where they're at developmentally for typical kindergarten and first graders. There's nothing wrong with that. So that was definitely how my weeks would go.


Naomi Meredith [00:07:45]:


Sometimes I would even flip flop it, depending on the week and what was going on. Sometimes I even started with STEM stations and ended with a project. It really just went based on what was happening at school and all of those fun things. On to scenario two. Maybe you only teach kids two to three days out of the week, and then you see the same kids next week, two to three days. I did this schedule, but it was just the three days in a row. I didn't see them again for the rest of the month. So this one is interesting.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:17]:


There's a few options of how you can structure this. If you have your K through five STEM year long plan, you have those lessons. You can still do projects just like you would for the younger students. You can actually condense the engineering design process in three days. So if you see them three days out of the week, maybe just condense the project, kind of speed up some steps a little bit more, maybe do a bit of the imagining together. The plan could be verbal. It doesn't always have to be through drawing, which there are benefits to that. But maybe it's a verbal plan.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:51]:


They're going to talk about it with their partner and what they're planning. Maybe they're going to take a video and explain what pieces they're going to use. And then you can spend more time with the building. I wouldn't just jump into building. There is value through the process, but you can speed it up so you can get through the project in three days. It is very fast. So I do recommend having projects that are smaller because it uses less supplies and it is less to store. I talk a lot about this in my Makerspace episodes, namely episode five and six.


Naomi Meredith [00:09:24]:


Maybe you don't want to speed up a project. You know you're going to see the kids again. So instead you could do the same project for two weeks, so lasting five days and have one flex day. So I would actually follow the same schedule that I talked about before, like having kids five days a week, I would do that same exact schedule. And then you have one day that could be like a makeup day. Maybe you had a sub and you needed to not have kids be in all of your building supplies that day. Maybe there is a day off of school when it comes to like a snow day or something like that. So you could still do the five days on a project.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:07]:


So do half the first week, half the next. If you get kids to create, they're going to be really excited to jump into the create the following week. So that way they're not like, oh wait, I planned this, but I want to do it again. And they're starting all from scratch. Make sure they create a little bit or even just have them collect supplies and then they can get into those steps again. So having that six if you're doing three days, three days, that six flex day is really helpful. Or maybe it's two and two. You could do a project in four days.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:40]:


I have definitely done that. Especially when students are getting used to you and you are using that same process over and over again, they're going to get a lot quicker at building as well. What if you want to mix in some of those STEM stations when you have kids? Three days the first week, three days the next week? Well, you could do STEM stations the whole time, and you could have two different kinds. Here's how I might do it with STEM stations that would repeat. So let's say I start seeing kids Wednesday. So I would do two stations on Wednesday, they would do the next two. On Thursday they would start it all over. So Friday they would do two.


Naomi Meredith [00:11:20]:


Monday they would do two. And then you can do like fun one day lessons for the last two days you see kids. Maybe you want to mix it up a little bit. You do STEM stations for half of the week. So you do STEM stations Wednesday, Thursday, and then Friday, you have, like, a fun STEM and stories, a one day lesson. And then the next week, you do it again. So you do okay, you're going to do the stations again. So two today, two tomorrow.


Naomi Meredith [00:11:46]:


And then you have a STEM and stories or half and half. First week, you do a STEM project that lasts three days. Next week, you do two days of STEM stations. The last day, maybe they pick their favorite station. Or you do a STEM and story. So there's a lot of options. We know with the little kids, you got to plan more, but those are some creative options that you can mix it up with your lessons. Scenario three, one of the most common scenarios I have found when talking to all of you in the digital space, you only see kids one time a week.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:22]:


You see by the end of the week, every student in the school. And you're wondering, I have all these lessons. I have the K through five STEM year long plan bundle. Can I still do the projects? Will I have enough time? I think yes. And I have had this schedule, too, where I saw kids one day a week. So here's how I would structure it. Week one, you would do that, ask and imagine. So what is the question, what is the problem they're trying to solve? And what is some inspiration behind it? The next week, you might want to add in another video to trigger their memory.


Naomi Meredith [00:13:02]:


And then they would do some planning and maybe gathering some materials so they have it on hand, put them in a bag. The third week, they really get into that creation. So for the first two weeks, you're not doing a lot of storage of projects already. Then the fourth week, you can really talk about those modifications and how they can share their work. So I still think that you can get a project done. You will definitely have to find your rhythm with this one and what would work best and a natural stopping place. But I still think that you can do a thoughtful lesson if you only see kids one time out of the week. And the last scenario, which isn't as common now, but I feel like it's becoming this way based on funding needs.


Naomi Meredith [00:13:49]:


And this is actually a question that was asked in my signature course, STEM Teacher 101. And there is a teacher who actually splits their time between two buildings. And when it comes to materials, super overwhelming. Should I be carrying materials back and forth? What should I be doing? How can I make sure robots are charged? All of that. So I haven't done this position. I have co taught with teachers in my building. But when it comes to the supplies, here is a creative way of looking at this. You can still teach those lessons.


Naomi Meredith [00:14:22]:


You want to teach. This will take some careful preparation. Now, if you have the bundle, you already are prepared. You just need to make sure you have all this stuff ready to go, but you can do a flip flop. So let's say I'm looking at my year long plan, and I have STEM Survival Camp as my first unit, and my second unit is Digital Citizenship. You could start off with both. Now. You could do STEM Survival Camp.


Naomi Meredith [00:14:46]:


At both schools. There's not very many supplies, but for the sake of this conversation, at school number one, they're doing STEM Survival Camp. Month one, school number two they're doing digital citizenship. All right? So that's month one. They're doing different things.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:04]:


Moving on to month number two. School number one, you're flip flopping. School number one is doing Digital Citizenship, and school number two is doing STEM Survival Camp. So that way you don't have to be worried about, oh, my gosh, I have to switch these materials back and forth, especially robots, blah, blah, blah, blah. No, in fact, this is a cool way that'll mix it up. So let's say you have four classes of a grade. Then that way you're not teaching it eight times, which eventually you're going to have to teach it eight times, but you're going to get super bored really fast. So at least you're breaking it up.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:41]:


You get to test it at both schools. And then month two, it can work out a lot better. So again, it'll take some careful planning. But that way you're not flip flopping materials every single week and your car is in a mess. You just have to keep track at which school is teaching what. So that would be a fun solution to that. The teacher in this group really liked this suggestion, so I can't wait to hear how it goes this school year for that teacher. So let me know if you're listening.


Naomi Meredith [00:16:06]:


Let me know in the Facebook group, or I'll check in on you to see what you ended up doing. As a recap, here are the different scenarios that we talked about when it comes to stretching out your year of lessons using the K-5 STEM year long bundle or any lessons that you have on hand. We talked about the first scenario where you see the same kids five days in a row. Next, we talked about the scenario if you see kids three days out of the week, and then you see them again for another three days the following week. The third scenario is when you see kids only one day out of a week for four weeks. So you see all the kids in the school by Friday, and then it starts all over again on Monday. And then the fourth scenario that we talked about is if you are splitting your time between two schools, what are your options for you? I'm curious. Do you have a different kind of schedule when it comes to your K through Five STEM space, I would love to hear about it.


Naomi Meredith [00:17:09]:


Send me a DM over on Instagram at Naomi Meredith underscore. Or if you are watching the video version of this episode, feel free to leave a comment below, and I would love to check in with you. Thank you so much for listening, and I will see you in the next episode.

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More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a former classroom teacher turned current K-5 STEM teacher and coach. Her role not only includes teaching over 500 students in her school, but also leading professional development and co-teaching with teachers to help them integrate STEM & Technology.

With over a decade of experience along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM certificate, she helps teachers navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM & Technology 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!