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STEM Survival Camp Tips and Tricks [ep. 213]

STEM Survival Camp Tips and Tricks [ep. 213]

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Episode Summary

STEM Survival Camp is a great way to get kids outside and look at the world in new ways. Through these lessons, you can authentically teach the Engineering Design Process. After many years of teaching these lessons to students in my classes, here are some tips and tricks I learned along the way that can help you too!

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

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

I’m excited about this episode because we are getting more into STEM Survival Camp and the questions that I have been asked over the years when implementing these challenges because, well, it’s made up from my brain and it’s all the things that I’ve done with students and have a really good time with them and in turn they have a great time too. So, if you want to really dive deep into STEM Survival Camp, you’re really interested in implementing this in your classroom, or maybe you already have and you want more tips and tricks when trying these lessons, you can actually pause this episode, go back and listen to Episode 4. So, all the way back, scroll all the way back to Episode 4. Listen to that first because I actually talk about every single challenge, what it encompasses, and what it’s all about. Then, after you listen to Episode 4, you can then listen to last week’s Episode 212 where I talked to K-5 STEM teacher Bree Smith and how she uses STEM Survival Camp in her classroom and then you can listen to this one.

If you don’t want to do all that, you can listen to this one, go back and do whatever. You do you, boo. One thing that I don’t think I even mentioned in Episode 4 about STEM Survival Camp is, yes, I did mention it talks about the engineering design process, but I really go in heavy on the planning stage because planning goes along with almost every single project that I do in STEM with kids, whether it’s a verbal plan or most likely a plan that they draw.

And so, I really go in heavy on this planning stage, and I actually have a four-star rubric that I use with kids where one is just drawing a picture, two is a picture and labeling, a three-star plan is where kids draw a picture, they label, and then they explain what each part does, and a four is showing multiple views of their invention and explaining what all those parts do. So, I really go in heavy on this planning stage and really push that for kids before they can actually start building. And if you’re like, oh my gosh, that makes so much sense.

It helps so much. Trust me, it’s so helpful. This is a great skill for all your projects.

And I finally put this together as a rubric that you can use in your classroom too. It’s all ready to go. I also have a coloring rubric, so if your kids aren’t ready to draw and label quite yet, but they are ready to color, there are rubrics ready to go for you that you can use in your class.

You can just shine them up on your screen, or you can even go get those printed at a place that does large poster printing, like Walgreens. That’s the one close to me. As a quick little recap, if you don’t even know what I’m talking about, STEM Survival Camp is one unit that I created actually during COVID times where I needed the kids to be outside and not sharing materials.

And I was watching the show alone a lot during this time, really got into it. I’m not a big camper. I can camp, but I’m not a big camper as an adult.

I created these challenges based off of that show where every single thing that they do, K through five, it’s a different challenge, and it teaches them some basic survival skills. Now, granted, they’re only here at school, they’re trying it in your classroom, but it does touch on those things that these people in the show do to survive out in the wild. And what’s really fun about these challenges is that they progress over the years.

So if they do one challenge in first grade, they’ll do a different one in second grade, but maybe they learn some skills that they can carry on throughout the year. So it’s pretty exciting that you can kick the year off with these challenges, and they all encompass the engineering design process. So it’s actually a really easy way to introduce the engineering design process in an authentic way.

Really quick, here’s a recap of what all the challenges are. So kindergarten is across the bridge and talks about sinking and floating. First grade is build a fishing pole.

Second grade is protect the food from wildlife in the area. Third grade is to create a game from the land. And you’re like, that has nothing to do with it.

Yes, it does. Because on the show, especially alone, and even if you’re out camping, you usually don’t have access to internet. And so over time, you need to find ways to entertain yourself and maybe create some games.

Fourth grade is hand sewing a hiking backpack, a little prototype of one. And fifth grade is build a shelter to withstand the weather elements. You can literally mix and match if you wanted, but I like having different challenges for different grades.

So it’s a lot of planning at first, but then over the years, it makes it a whole lot easier and the kids aren’t technically repeating anything. So with those challenges in mind, I am going to go through some questions that you guys have had about survival camp over the years. And if you’re watching the video version, I do have my computer with me.

So if I look over, I do have some notes, and I’ll just tell you my experiences about them. First question for the kindergarten cross the river challenge, do I need bubble wrap? I have a lot of other supplies, but not bubble wrap. So with this challenge, I like using bubble wrap only because there’s that element of sinking and floating.

And most likely that’s something that’s been donated to your classroom or something that you collect with different things being shipped to your house or shipped to your school. So that was a material that I had a lot of and implemented as a choice of what kids can choose when building their way for their little toy character to cross the river, but definitely not required. I think in this challenge, because you are using real water, I use buckets of water.

It is good to have things that are waterproof. So bubble wrap, usually waterproof, unless you have the one with paper on the back. But having some different things that can sink, that can float, things that are waterproof, things that are not, having a good variety is great.

So if you don’t have exactly what I list in this challenge, or even all the other challenges, see what you already have. That’s a huge part of STEM. Like I don’t want you to feel like you have to go out and buy a bunch of stuff, especially if you can’t.

So bubble wrap was suggested, but not required. Along with this challenge, the person was asking how are they actually testing their design? So their goal is how can you cross the river safely? I had some little counting bears that the kids would use. So that could be their little character that they can play with.

And it’s so cute to hear the kids play with little bears. I’ve also had, for some reason, someone donated a bunch of little wooden pegs. So I had a set that were black, a set that were blue.

And I use those all the time for lots of different STEM challenges, not just this one, but those can represent people as well. So anything that’s reusable, that can definitely work. Or if you even just printed out a tiny little person, taped it onto a block or a Lego brick, that can make it stand up.

That might actually get wet. So anything that’s reusable for the little character, like I said, a counting bear, you could definitely use that. They’re pretty cheap on Amazon, but you could always ask another teacher in your building and someone might have some that you could probably borrow.

Next question is when first grade goes to catch the fish with their fishing pole, do you give them a time limit? This really depends. Usually the time limit is the time I have them in class. And it’s really fun with the catch the fish challenge because there are different recommendations that I have for making the fish to make them different types of fish, just like real fishing.

And this goes into another question. Someone was asking, how do you attach the magnets? I recommend adding magnets to some of the fish, hole punching, small hole, a small hole on a fish where they can hook it. Some fish have a larger hole punch where it’s a lot easier to catch.

That way kids really have to think about with their fishing pole, how should I design this? And maybe I need to change the hook to catch the other fish. And that actually naturally happens when you have the different fish in your pretend pond or you put the fish, these paper fish, in a bucket or something like that. But in terms of an actual time limit, it’s really just the time we have in class.

And the kids naturally go from testing their fishing pole, trying to catch the fish, to fixing their design, changing out their hooks, trying a different way. Some kids might not catch any fish and they get really frustrated. I’m like, that’s like real fishing.

Trust me. So you just kind of, it’s kind of, that challenge is pretty natural with the testing part of it. So you can set a timer.

I do that anyway for challenges and things that we do. But you can, if you want to be more specific, like you only have 10 minutes to catch fish. You might want longer than that.

They’re going to want to test it and play with it. But you can set a specific timer if you need to. Some people like to do all of these STEM survival camp challenges with kids in groups.

For me, this started during COVID and I actually had kids build individually. But I also kept them building individually because this is the very first thing they are doing in my class. Even if they have known me for over the years, they don’t necessarily know each other.

Their teachers are probably having them do a lot of team building stuff in class, a lot of things together. I eventually will have them work in groups on other things, but I actually keep them individual for these challenges. And here and there, some kids want to naturally work in partners and I’m okay with that.

I don’t really force the groups in any of these STEM survival camp challenges. So this question was asking, did each student in a group for the fishing pole challenge get a chance to bar graph all of their results? Depending on how much time you have with the kids, yes. If you plan it out, you can.

You can share that at the end, maybe share the results the next day, create the graph. With all of these challenges and everything that I create, I try to provide more than enough where you have lots of options to extend the challenge based on the amount of time you have. So really it’s a timing thing and what you do with it.

For second grade, it’s the protect the food challenge. So the kids are creating a prototype to keep their food. It’s like a mini eraser, these tiny pictures of food safe.

So it’s a small one. It’s not like with real animals, it’s small, but it does take some time for them to build. And this person asked in some way, are they just explaining their design? How are they testing it? I just naturally had kids explain their invention.

I like to use Seesaw as a way for them to video record them talking about it. I’m pretty sure in Google Slides, you can still have kids record their voice and insert that into a slide. Or maybe your school has like another platform you want kids to use.

But having them talk about and explain their invention or even just to each other where you do like a museum style in your classroom. So half the kids are explaining, half the kids are listening. But that’s just how they’re testing that design.

And maybe you even have them make different types of animals. So they can make a bear, they could make a squirrel, and they could show how their invention works with all types of animals. So that can help really help them think about that testing piece.

Fourth grade is where they’re sewing a small hiking backpack about the size of their hand. And yes, I teach the kids how to sew, how to hand sew. And if you heard the last episode with Bree, she said I was super intimidated by this, but actually ended up loving it.

And I have videos in there that you can just play on a loop that shows the kids different types of hand stitching stitches. So if you don’t have any experience with that, super easy, really easy to just jump in and get started. I definitely on that one have kids sew those individually.

So if you’re really hoping to do group projects, that one does work better when the kids are working by themselves, just because they are a smaller project. And this last question really goes along with kind of what I said before, the last question is asking, how many class periods did your students work on Build-A-Shelter? So on average, with these challenges, I can sometimes fit these in three days. If I really speed through the imagine and planning stages, three to four days is a great time for this.

I have done the fishing pole challenge in one day, but I already had sticks. I’ve even used popsicle sticks. So if you have more materials prepped, and maybe not so much searching in nature for some of these materials, you can extend it over like three to four days.

One to two can happen. But three to four is ideal if you can make it happen. I will link all of this in the show notes for you.

But if you have any other questions about this challenge or any other challenges, please let me know. Feel free to send me an email or you can send me a message on Instagram at Naomi Meredith underscore. 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 through five STEM resources. Any questions you have needs for resources or ideas for episodes, get in touch. I’ll talk to you soon.

 

 

 

 

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More About your host, Naomi Meredith

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

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

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

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

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

Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube here:

Episode Summary

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

Meet Bre:

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

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

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

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

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More About your host, Naomi Meredith

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

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

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

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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. 

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engineering design process

STEM Survival Camp & The Engineering Design Process [ep.103]

STEM Survival Camp & The Engineering Design Process [ep.103]

engineering design process

Check out the full episode on STEM Survival Camp & The Engineering Design Process:  

 

 

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Episode Summary

Today’s episode is the audio from a presentation I did at the Seesaw Connect Summit. In this episode, I share how I merged the Engineering Design Process with my STEM survival camp unit in my K-5 STEM classroom. 

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • The history of how STEM survival camp was created
  • How to integrate the Engineering Design Process in my STEM survival camp lesson
  • How to integrate Seesaw with the STEM survival camp challenges
  • Examples of how I implemented this in my K-5 STEM classroom

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith [00:00:00]:


One of my most favorite units I have ever taught is STEM survival camp. If you are looking for a way to easily double your Makerspace supplies for practically free and have the opportunity to take your students outside, then this unit is perfect for you. While the audio from this episode has never been heard before on this podcast, this was a presentation I did in the past at the Seesaw Connect Summit. In this episode and session, I’ll be sharing with you how I merged together the Engineering Design Process and this fun, hands-on unit into my classroom with this K through 5 STEM unit with examples. If you wanna hear more in detail about STEM survival camp, I just did a re-release, and you can even scroll back all the way to episode 4. And I talk in that episode specifically about every single challenge in the STEM survival camp. If you need more background knowledge when it comes to the Engineering Design Process, I do get into it in this session, but I’m linking the 2 together. So STEM survival camp and the Engineering Design Process.


Naomi Meredith [00:01:05]:


So if you wanna hear more about each of those stages, go all the way back to the episode series all about the Engineering Design Process. So that starts in episode 15, then it skips to episodes 17 through 22. So you can listen to that first Or listen to this episode, and then go back and listen to those episodes that I just listed, and that can give you some more background knowledge to understand what I’m talking about. So let’s jump into this fun episode to talk about one of my most favorite units. 


Hey there, teachers, and welcome to the session that’s going to help kick off your year using the outdoors STEM survival camp. I am your guide, Naomi Meredith, a former classroom teacher turned current K through 5 STEM teacher and coach. My role not only includes teaching over 500 students in my school but also leading professional development and co-teaching with the teachers to help them integrate STEM and Technology. With over a decade of experience, along with a Master’s in STEM Leadership and a STEM certificate, I help teachers worldwide navigate the best practices, strategies, and tools out there.


Naomi Meredith [00:02:53]:


I truly believe that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM and Technology in their classrooms. I can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide during STEM survival camp in our short time together and other adventures. Here is an overview of the session and how we will spend our time together at STEM survival camp. First, you’re going to hear the origin story of how STEM survival camp got started. Next, you’re going to learn how to integrate and understand what the Engineering Design Process is, which is used in these STEM survival camp challenges, then you’re going to see real examples of ways that you can integrate Seesaw with these STEM survival camp challenges, and then you’re going to have some resources that will help you implement this in your own classroom. Let’s gather around the campfire campers, and let’s hear the origin story of STEM survival camp. Everybody likes a good origin story, and where things come from, so I think you’ll like this one. This unit was born during the summer of 2020, and I was in the middle of a pandemic just like you. My school district was still planning on going back to school 100 percent in person for elementary students, along with the possibility of going remote at a moment’s notice.


Naomi Meredith [00:04:18]:


The units I had done in the past, during August, wouldn’t work since students would share classroom materials and most likely didn’t have the same items at home. I needed to create something that could be shifted no matter what, and students could still have the same STEM experience. At the time, I was watching this survival show alone. And if you haven’t seen it before, people are forced to be creative to survive, well, alone, by building their necessities, gathering, and protecting their food, traveling the land, and for those that stay really long staying entertained, thus STEM survival camp was born. This is one of six units I taught in my K through 5 STEM classroom, and we had an absolute blast. So much so that this is a unit that I taught again and will be taught each year coming back to school to help ignite creativity, create engagement, and improve critical thinking skills. I’m excited to have you learn more about this experience so that you can start something similar in your classroom. Before you dive into the actual STEM survival camp lessons, it’s important to understand the basics of what the Engineering Design Process actually is.


Naomi Meredith [00:05:43]:


In my own definition, the Engineering Design Process is the real process engineers use to ask questions, find solutions, iterate ideas, or try something over and over again. So why is this important in the elementary space? Why is this even relevant? Well, the Engineering Design Process is part of the Next Generation Science Standards, even starting in kindergarten. Of course, there is a progression of learning among all the grades, but this is something that needs to be taught to our students. Now depending on which state you’re in, your state might have even different variations of the Engineering Design Process and your standards and what they have adopted. So check that out and see what the science portion is for your state and district. Also, the Engineering Design Process is different than the scientific method. This doesn’t mean getting rid of the scientific method, either. So I would say the scientific method is using science to prove and investigate a problem, and there typically is that scripted outcome or reason why something happens, at least in that elementary setting.


Naomi Meredith [00:06:58]:


It’s great to integrate the Engineering Design Process along with the scientific method. So different types of experiments, different lessons, but the Engineering Design Process is used to plan, build, and solve a problem with multiple outcomes and solutions and, often, this comes with inventing. So, again, both are very different. Both are relevant. Both are needed. You typically don’t teach both in the same lesson. So that’ll help you understand the difference between the two. And also, when you’re teaching the Engineering Design Process, this is a great opportunity to promote that creative problem-solving and also creativity with constraints.


Naomi Meredith [00:07:43]:


Students are creative beings, and it’s amazing to tap into that. But also giving them those challenges where things aren’t unlimited, they have to be creative with what they have. And you will see in these STEM survival camp examples that I’ll be sharing with you that there is some creativity with constraints, which is really important to have so that students are problem-solving in a different way. In this course, I will be providing you with some free resources to help you get started when planning using the Engineering Design Process that will help you with these STEM survival camp challenges along with other STEM challenges that you want to implement in your classroom. Now that we have a basic understanding of what the Engineering Design Process is let’s see how we can integrate that with Seesaw when we are accomplishing STEM survival camp. I’m going to be showing you these examples from kindergarten and 5th grades to the same challenge for each of those 2 individual grades so that you can flex up or down depending on the age of your students that you and you might even teach all of the students as I do as well.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:57]:


Now you already know that Seesaw has some amazing creative tools that you can use with any type of lesson and any type of subject, and I will use a mixture of both tools depending on the time and experience my students have with Seesaw. So, of course, you have the green add button. And when you click on that button, you get a variety of tools that pop up on your page, just like what I’m showing here. And then you also have those same tools that are embedded with activities. So, again, depending on their experience, you might want to it up. So, for example, my kindergartners don’t have as much experience with Seesaw when coming into the school year. So I will typically start with one-page activities with them that have one goal in mind, or I will do a one-day challenge with the green add button. So maybe that is, let’s just take a picture of our work today.


Naomi Meredith [00:09:52]:


Now for my older students, that I have had more time with, the years and more experience with Seesaw, not only with STEM survival camp but other challenges we do during STEM. I will use more of a mixture of multi-tools. So we might do let’s take a picture and record our voice on top using the arrow tool. or I might even send them multi-page activities that we will edit throughout the week and go through during our time together. So really mix up the creative tools when you are using CSA with your student. The 1st stage in the Engineering Design Process is at. Now you are asking the problem that needs to be solved. This problem can be teacher or student-directed depending on the time that you have and what you’re really trying to accomplish.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:43]:


Since I have limited time with my students, I typically will have the ask the problem already written out for them, and I will keep this question really open-ended. So when you’re thinking about the problem that you’re trying to solve, shift from can you do this, which is typically a yes or no answer, to how can you, which keeps it more open-ended. So just shifting those few little words can really change the outcome of your challenge. So for this STEM survival camp experience, kindergarten has the question, how can you create a solution to help you cross the river safely? And 5th grade’s challenge is how can you create a shelter that will withstand different types of weather. So both are very open-ended for the challenges that they are going to attack. The next stage in the Engineering Design Process is the imagined stage. Now, again, depending on the time you have, you probably want to pre-research a lot of these resources for students to explore. just so that they can attack what they need to. Again, research is a really great tool, and skill for students to have.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:00]:


That isn’t always in my STEM position, what time we have for. I really want to get kids into building and collaborating. So I will pre-research in a lot of ways and provide those resources for students. So you see on the left that there is the shelter inspiration, so I found different images of shelters that are built in real life by people. My students are gonna build little small prototypes of these or whatever they choose to plan. And if you’ve done challenges before, really think about how you can take pictures and videos as students work in action because that’s really helpful for kids to see what real kids have done. Now this isn’t a means to copy each other’s work, but just seeing different examples that will give them a basis of understanding. The cool thing with Seesaw is you can even go through your past classes in Seesaw and save work with those QR codes.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:56]:


So if you click the three dots under a student’s post in a journal, students could scan that QR code, and they can check out work that way, or you can even create a list of links to past student work. Also, in the Imagine stage, you can find videos online, websites that are related, podcast whole podcasts or even podcast clips, or even create a collection in Epic Books that you can share with students. So the more pre-research that you do as a teacher and giving those tools to students, that can really help you save time and help them focus on what they need to know for their challenge. Group students have gathered ideas from all of the imagining resources. It is time for them to plan their design thoughtfully. Planning designs is important for all grade levels and is possible for all grade levels, no matter what their abilities are. The planning stage is also where I will tell them how much of each item they’re going to be able to use. So in this unit for STEM survival camp, there are predetermined amounts of materials they’re allowed to use along with anything that they collect from the outside.


Naomi Meredith [00:14:05]:


So here is an example of a kindergarten plan, and this is from a different related project. So you notice it says Pumpkin Bridge. It’s from something else; however, the challenge is how you can create something to help cross the river safely. So a bridge would definitely work in this situation. So ahead of time, in this one-page activity that I sent my kindergartners, I added in the predetermined materials that they would be able to use for my classroom. So, for example, they will be able to use popsicle sticks, cubes, and cups. You can even limit this even more and have a set amount of popsicle sticks, cubes, and cups; that is entirely up to you. Now for this challenge, they are also able to use anything that we collect from the outdoors.


Naomi Meredith [00:14:51]:


There are some rules that will go over in the create stage for that. So students use Seesaw, the drawing tool, to draw their design, and I really encourage them to use colors to really think about how their plan could look like in real life. They can also label their drawing as well. I’ve seen students draw lines from the materials list to their actual drawings, or they like to use that text tool to label on top. So depending on their experience with Seesaw and how you want to go with this. Those are a couple of options for planning for those younger students. You can also leave that material section blank if you don’t have time. Or, if you want to use Seesaw tools even more, students can take pictures of the materials that they’re going to use in the classroom, and then they can put that in that empty space.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:43]:


For the older students, I do still have them thoughtfully plan their designs. And what I have found is that drawing their plans on a separate piece of paper can really bring out those details just based on the types of devices that I have that they use Seesaw on. Older students will often get frustrated drawing their plans just using their fingers because there’s so much that they want to add. So I still have them plan on a piece of paper. I’ll send them that planning sheet, but then they will take a picture of their plan. and then also they can talk about their design using the microphone tools. So, again, they can use the c sub tools in a different way. When the older students are planning, I will try to encourage them to draw more than one view of their plan based on our planning rubric, label the parts, and also explain what each of those parts will do.


Naomi Meredith [00:16:34]:


So in this example, they’re going to use 6, a bag, a wrapper, and string, and you notice that they describe what each of those parts is going to do. During this planning stage, if you are thinking about using the money for students to purchase supplies, this is the stage that you would do that. I do use money in other units. For STEM survival camp, I just have the set amount of materials. But if you are thinking about adding money and a budget, the planning stage is where you want to do that. Now that the plans are underway, it is time to take, which is the students’ favorite part, especially since they get to find some materials from the outdoors. So like, I mentioned during the planning stage, I will tell them the amount of the predetermined things for my classroom that they are able to use within their design.


Naomi Meredith [00:17:25]:


So, of course, it goes back to that creativity with constraints. It’s always good to let students be creative and design whatever is in their heart’s desire that is school appropriate, but also have those constraints when it comes to the material because when you think about things that we build in real life, there usually isn’t an unlimited amount of materials and students need to realize that. and be creative with what they got. So we’ll go over those things that they can use from the classroom, and then they can go outside to collect the materials that they want to add to their design. So this is really fun, especially when the weather is nice, so keep that in mind as well. So when we go and collect things from outside, I do have some ground rules that I go over with all of the classes. So these are the same rules for k through 5. So these are my biggest things that we are collecting, is only take what you need.


Naomi Meredith [00:18:20]:


So we don’t wanna be excessive with what we’re taking from nature. But based on the plans, we only take what we need. I will have one initial day that we will go outside to collect materials. And then depending on the class, some classes do want to go back out a few days later, and some of them will actually take things back outside and then collect something new. So I also don’t have students bring bags with them because I did that the first time, and then they came back with bags of dirt and all sorts of things. We had a spider and a slug. So happen to be able to carry what they take from the outside indoors. Next is that living things stay living.


Naomi Meredith [00:19:03]:


So we’re not picking up all the grass out of the ground, taking leaves off of trees, taking small little creatures on purpose; those living things need to stay living. And then, along the same lines, sticky, slimy, and wet things stay in nature. So that might even include, like, a bag wrapper that they find that is all wet and soggy. Let’s leave that outside. probably even put it in the trash. So that way, things that are coming indoors aren’t as filthy. Your room will be a little bit of a mess, but this will help with that collection piece. Once students have gathered their materials from the doors and also used the things in your room, they are going to create.


Naomi Meredith [00:19:48]:


So here are some of my 5th grader’s examples with the build the shelter challenge. From me, they were able to use one foot of string, one grocery bag, one foot of tape, and 2 brown paper bag pieces. You notice there are other things in their designs. They did actually find a lot of things outdoors, and then they decided to combine designs after we tested them. For kindergarten, they had other materials for me as well, along with things that they collected from the outdoors. So for them to cross the river, however, they chose. They had one foot of tape, one piece of bubble wrap, 3 small pieces of cardboard, 4 popsicle sticks, and one plastic top. I did give them more material since it’s their first-ever challenge with me, and I wanted them to experiment with things that sync and flow, which we’ll talk about in the experiment section of this little course.


Naomi Meredith [00:20:38]:


You also can see in the picture of one of those kids. There is a little Lego person. They happened to have that in their pocket. They wanted to add it to their design. I said sure. And then I added water on the last day, so they built their designs for a couple of days. And then the last day is when we tested with the water, which again will go over in the experiment and improve. The improve stage really goes along with the create stage as well. Now with this done survival camp, they are fairly separate because students really do need to be pretty much done with their design before they experiment.


Naomi Meredith [00:21:15]:


However, when you’re thinking about other challenges that you do in the future using the same process, there’s a lot of experimenting and improving that go back and forth. So with the 5th-grade challenge, how can you create a shelter that can withstand the elements? After students have built their shelters, we will have an experimenting day. So they have a slide, a modification, and a testing checklist, and this actually got improved with my student suggestions. but they have different tests that they will put their shelter through. So they will actually guess before they test which rhymes. But they wanna guess, do they have an entrance for people to get in? Yes or no? Will it keep the inside dry? Does wind not get in, does it protect against snow, and can it be moved without breaking? So this isn’t for a grade, and I remind students that this is just a way to test how you designed your shelter. So they will go through and guess using Seesaw, and they will either use the shape tool to add a little star or even just the drawing tool. And then, they will go through and test their design, which I will have set up around the room.


Naomi Meredith [00:22:26]:


So we have the wind station. The snow is glitter. And then there’s a water station. You can kind of see in the picture that there is a little basket, and then there’s another bucket with water. They put this sponge in the water, and then they squeeze it on top of their shelter with their shelter in that basket. So then they’re not flooding. They’re designed completely. It might be based on how they designed it.


Naomi Meredith [00:22:50]:


And then, from there, they will go back to their checklist and then check off what actually happened. I do have another agency saw where I have students take a picture of their design before and after testing, which is really helpful. and I will have some towels on hand because a lot of students if they have time, will actually go back and improve their design and test again. So it’s really great having Seesaw. Make sure to keep it away from the water. But having Seesaw available because they can really showcase what is happening during those experiments. Similarly, with kindergarten with the crossing the river challenge, I have them if they take a picture of each other’s work and add it to their modifications. So they’re thinking about if certain things would sink or flow, and you could do this part after their building piece or even beforehand, depending on the flow of your lessons.


Naomi Meredith [00:23:46]:


So, again, Seesaw makes it really easy to record the results and things that paper might not be able to do. From there, students can share their work either by taking a picture, or a video adding to those pictures that we’re taking for testing the experiments, sometimes I will take the picture for them and put it in their Seesaw account depending on our time. Other kids will help each other take pictures of as well of their work, which is really helpful. And then, I always make sure to have some questions at the end to reflect on. And I use these questions throughout all of my different types of units because the responses will definitely change over time. and based on the types of projects that we are working on. So students can either use the text box tool to type in their thinking can record a video answering the responses. Some students prefer not being on video yet, so they might use the microphone to record their voices as well.


Naomi Meredith [00:24:47]:


For younger students, I will maybe ask them one of these question prompts, and then they will respond back, and you can hear my voice on the recording as well. We might do all three, or maybe I will type in their answer for them. So there are a lot of opportunities for students to reflect on their work throughout this process. Thank you so much for joining in on this little journey, campers. Now that you have seen the examples used in kindergarten for a STEM survival camp, along with how it can be taken to higher levels in the 5th grade, you can now explore and create your own STEM survival camp challenges that you can use during back-to-school time. I have included some free resources to help you plan using the Engineering Design Process, so make sure to check those out, And these planning pages can help you when you’re designing STEM survival camp challenges along with other Engineering Design Process lessons that you may be teaching in the future. If you have any questions and make sure to reach out, I can be found in a lot of different places. You can find me on my website, naomimeredith.com, send an email, contactnaomimeredith@gmail.com, and @naomimeredith_, where I share a lot of STEM and technology content all the time.


Naomi Meredith [00:26:08]:


And then also on YouTube where I have more video tutorials and also things for students as well. Thank you so much again, and I hope you have a wonderful school year. This presentation had a ton of visuals, and I bet you are dying to see all of the examples and handouts. You can grab the video recording of this episode, the video slides I referenced throughout, student examples, and bonuses for only $5. That’s less than a fancy coffee drink. This will all be linked in the show notes, and you can check it all out here at naomimeredith.com/PDreplay.

engineering design process

 

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

 

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

More About your host, Naomi Meredith

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

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

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

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

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

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

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

stem-survival-camp

Welcome to STEM Survival Camp! [ep. 4]

Welcome to STEM Survival Camp! [ep. 4]

stem-survival-camp

Check out the full episode on STEM Survival Camp:  

 

Watch the video version here on YouTube: 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

Episode Summary

Are you looking for a fun way to start off your STEM school year that will build community, promote creativity and utilize resources from the outdoors? 

Welcome to STEM Survival Camp!

This unique experience will hook your students immediately to start off your school year. You’ll learn about STEM Survival’s camp origin story, behind the scenes set up and the unique challenges that each grade level can participate in, K-5. 

Grab your favorite camp shirt and let’s get started!

In this episode you’ll learn:

  • STEM Survival’s camp origin story
  • Behind the scenes set up
  • Unique challenges that each grade level can participate in, K-5

Resources Mentioned:


Episode Transcript: 

Are you looking for a fun way to start off your STEM school year that will promote creativity, build community and utilize resources from the outdoors? Welcome teachers to STEM Survival Camp! This unique experience will hook your students immediately to start off your school year. Grab your favorite camp shirt, and let’s get started.

Now I definitely think that STEM Survival Camp is a cute name. You’re probably wondering, where in the world did this come from? I am definitely not one to be known as a survivalist (and I have no desire to be a survivalist!) But I know that this was an exciting unit for my students.

I had typically started off my STEM school year with digital citizenship lessons, which are still important and I still teach in my STEM space. However, it was the Fall of 2020 (which we know what that means), and I needed a unit that could in a moment’s notice be taken online, and all my students I was teaching for the week had access to supplies.

During the summer, my Teacher-Honey and I were obsessed about watching the show ‘Alone’. If you haven’t watched the show ‘Alone’, here’s basically what it is. There are 10 nature survivalists who are experts in their field. They are taken off to these extreme conditions to survive alone. And they literally are alone! They are taught how to use the cameras. So there isn’t a camera crew on the side telling them what to do. They’re all alone, they’re sent to these remote conditions, and they have to survive off the land as long as possible. They’re hunting, they’re building their shelters, they’re staying entertained if they’re there for a long time.

Now they get 10 items to bring with them of their choice and obviously, a certain amount of clothing. But it is so extreme and so entertaining. And it was the inspiration for STEM Survival Camp!

Now if you don’t know me by now, I am one who loves a good theme, and I think it can be actually very beneficial for students to plan themematic units, that are tied to standards; this can really pump up the engagement.

Not only were students entering STEM Survival Camp, we had to do a little bit of a room transformation. So luckily, my Teacher-Honey had some camping gear because I definitely don’t own any of this stuff. Now let me paint the picture of this room transformation. (I will link all of this on the show notes so if you want to check out all the pictures of what STEM Survival Camp looks like in my classroom, definitely check that out. It’ll be at naomimeredith.com/episode4.

In the corner, my classroom I set up a little small tent that kids actually weren’t allowed to go in. (I told them that the zipper was broken and they believed me!) The tent was just decoration. I set up the little small tent, there was a little camping chair, and I made a little campfire out of paper towel tubes and paper. I actually keep the campfire every year and I tell the kids that I’ve been keeping the fire warm for them. Nobody thinks that joke is funny except me. So I set up a little corner with this tent.

There are also signs around the classroom. There’s a big sign made on that fake wooden paper that says ‘Welcome to STEM Survival Camp!’. Then my classroom has one whole wall that is glass. On the glass wall, I built these paper mountains that were cute and cartoony. My wall also has sliding glass doors. So on the side that’s connected to the library, I built a whole little RV camper out of paper. When the door slid open, it was like you were stepping into the RV.

Not only did I decorate my room, I decorated myself! I went on Amazon and bought a few camp shirts, which was super fun. Then I also told the kids to get excited! If they had any camp shirts from the summer, I had them wear them throughout the week. I would take their picture over by the little tent and then it will go in our digital picture frame that I have ever since I first started teaching STEM.

This picture frame shows our ‘STEM Style’ so when kids wear anything that connects to science, technology, engineering and math, I will put their picture on the digital picture frame. The kids love seeing themselves from over the years and also making the connections as to what their shirts demonstrate.

Another fun thing we did during the STEM Survival Camp is I said wear camo on Fridays. A lot of kids would come in, and we would take the class picture with those wearing their camo. So getting the kids excited, and building that community community with that short time I had with them was so much fun.

Now, you’re probably wondering what each of the challenges were for each of the grade levels. When I got started with STEM Survival Camp, I had known the kids already for a couple of years, and I was ready working up to having different challenges for each grade grade level. If this is something that you want to do in your classroom, you can definitely combine challenges. So K & 1 can do the same, 2&3 and 4&5. I’m going to go through what I did for each grade level.

All of these challenges had limited supplies, and they had to be created within constraints of those supplies. This wasn’t an open ended Makerspace challenge either. They were able to use all the materials that I supplied for them, some, or none, (with the exception for the fourth grade one, which will make sense in a second.)

Each of these [challenges] also gives them the opportunity to collect items from the outdoors. Once we got to that create phase, we had some rules about how to gather supplies when we are outside.

5th grade’s challenge was the ‘Build the Shelter. They had to create a shelter that would withstand the elements. (These were tiny shelters as well not big enough for a kid!) They were given a few supplies for me, just like the show ‘Alone’, they were given their certain supplies, and then anything that they found outdoors. This was a great chance for them to find creative sticks or rocks that could make their shelter even stronger.

The elements that they had to test or shelter against was snow, which was glitter. Now I’m the rare teacher who likes glitter;I don’t mind a little bit of sparkle in my classroom! You might want to use something else but I I controlled the glitter and I was cool with it being on the floor because my room got got a little bit of sass!

There was a water station and students put their shelter in an empty bucket. The bucket next to it was filled with water and had a sponge and they squeeze the sponge on top. We had the wind station where there was a box fan and they could test it with different levels of the fan.

4th grade’s challenge was the one that didn’t necessarily use items from the outdoors, but it did teach them a survival skill. There’s was to create a hiking backpack. After designing a thoughtful plan, they actually sewed their little tiny backpack that was small enough that can be used for their toys. We did use real needles and thread to make that experience come to life. It was so cute how excited they were to have a little tiny working prototype of their backpack.

3rd grade was to create a ‘Game from the Land’. If you watch the show ‘Alone’, the people who are there for a long time are bored out of their minds, and they start creating games to play with themselves to stay entertained. Luckily, the kids had people to play their games with them. But using the few materials I gave them and anything they collected outdoors, they created a game that they could play.

Some thought of some yard games that they had played during the summer and created a variation of that. Some were finding interesting rocks that could be a dice, they were looking for very cool shapes that had flat sides, and they could write on the rock to create their dice. It was pretty cool to see their creativity come to life in that way.

2nd grade’s challenge was ‘Protect the Food’. They created a small prototype to keep the food safe from different kinds of animals in the environment. We talked about that there are animals that climb, crawl, fly, and even thinking about whether how their food could be safe from those elements, but also easy enough for a human to get.

Some kids created obstacle courses for the animals so that they couldn’t get the food some created contraptions that kept the food safe. This was a fun way to have them think about different animals that would be in the environment.

1st grade’s challenge was ‘Build a Fishing Pole’. This is a very common one when you’re watching ‘Alone’, almost all of the contestants create some sort of fishing rod. Once we got to the part of collecting items from outside we talked about safety carrying sticks; We always carry our sticks to our side, we are always walking with our sticks. We use body measurements so the sticks weren’t too long, (from a student’s wrist to their elbow, that was the maximum length that a stick could be) and then they could collect five or less sticks.

I did give some items where they could connect the sticks together. Then there were little fish that I made ahead of time with paper that they could fish for and test their design.

Kindergarten’s challenge was ‘Cross the River’. Again, on this show ‘Alone’, a lot of the contestants need to figure out a way to get across the river, sometimes they want to build their shelter over there, a lot of times get other food, maybe the weather is coming in. This was a cool way to experiment with the Kindergarteners about sinking and floating, and things that actually stay in the water. They had little buckets that I filled with water on the last day, but they’re able to experiment with different things they collected from outside.

We talked about maybe stepping stones could be a way to get across the water across the water, maybe creating a little raft and maybe making a swinging rope. They experimented with ways to cross the tiny river.

Now this one, at first was a little bit confusing for kindergarten, some of them thought that they were actually crossing a river, and I had to make sure like to make it clear, you’re not crossing the riverl it’s a small version of crossing the river. They’re so cute! They honestly love playing with the water. You can do the water part outside depending on where your classroom is set up and if it’s easy to get access to water.

All of these challenges are a great way to chat with your kids get to know them get excited about STEM. Of course, these are things that they could do at home as well.

Luckily, I didn’t actually have to go remote when this got started. This was so popular after that Fall 2020, it came back and it’s coming back again! Kids get very excited about STEM Survival Camp and they’re starting to collect their camp shirts to wear and bring in and show me all the things that they did over the summer.

Even as a STEM teacher, you still can build community and excitement in your classroom and build relationships with your students. This STEM Survival Camp unit is a great way to get started.

If you want to hear more in detail about how I use the Engineering Design Process throughout this STEM Survival Camp experience, I will be presenting at the free Seesaw Connect 2022 conference, and that is running from July 25 through August 14, 2022.

I also have that same presentation posted in my monthly STEM Teacher Ultimate Resource membership. You can definitely check it out there at any time without any time constraints.

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

STEM Favorites that You’ll Enjoy: 

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

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!

Ignite Creativity with this Build a Shelter STEM Project

Ignite Creativity with this Build a Shelter STEM Project

build-a-shelter-stem-project

Imagine being sent off into the wild with limited supplies. You have to stay quite a few days, but need a safe place to sleep. How can you build a shelter that will withstand different types of weather?

In this challenge, students go through the Engineering Design Process. They explore different weather patterns, shelter building tips. Finally, students build a design and test it under various conditions.

Let’s take an inside look into this STEM Survival Camp Experience.

Ask & Imagine

After spending a long summer in the sun and adventuring, it can be hard to get back into an academic mindset. To help play off of that energy, this lesson was created for 5th grade students during the Back to School season.

Students were tasked with the challenge, How can you build a shelter that can withstand different elements? While many kids had been camping before, building a shelter from items found in nature wasn’t their expertise.

After watching video clips and researching different shelter types, students had a brainstorm list of ideas that might want to try, and those that they didn’t.

stem-build-a-shelterstem-build-a-shelterBuild a Shelter STEM Project: Plan

For this shelter challenge, not all items would be used from the Makerspace. While some items were provided, the majority of the structure was created from items found outside. With thoughtful drawing and labeling, students visualized what their shelter might look like.

Once the rules of gathering items from the land were reviewed, students were ready to find the necessary items to build a strong structure.

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Build a Shelter STEM Project: Create and Experiment & Improve

As dirt scattered the floor, students collaborated and built their shelter designs. Ideas began to change once materials were in place. Building with sticks, string and other materials proved to be a challenge!

After a few days of building, stations were set up around the classroom where students could test their shelter under different elements. From there, modifications and improvements to shelter designs were made.

Build a Shelter STEM Project: Share

Finally, as the week came to a close, students shared their final designs by taking photos and adding them to their digital Engineering Design Process notebook. They also took videos of their shelter withstanding the elements within Flipgrid. While some designs were taken home, many were too soggy after the rain challenge!

Grab this Challenge for Your Class!

Students can easily build a shelter. However, key details and learning opportunities can be missed. Go through the entire Engineering Design Process easily. In addition, save time on planning and have easy share options.

Click here to grab this Build a Shelter Challenge for your class!

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What questions do you have about STEM Survival Camp? Feel free to direct message me on Instagram, @naomimeredith_ and I would love to chat with you!