Celebrate National STEM Day on November 8th!  This is a fun challenge to do on this day with cheap and easy to find materials.

All you need is a set of 20 cups and a timer!  I get 20 cups for each group and we always REUSE our cups for various STEM challenges throughout the year.

The challenge with this one is the TIME LIMIT!  I always let students discuss their building strategies BEFORE I begin the timer.

Grab this challenge in my TPT store for just $2!

Have some STEM fun to celebrate National STEM Day!

We are doing monthly STEM challenges in our school building as a way to have some consistency across classrooms.

For this challenge each classroom got a small foil pan, a bag of potting soil, and a small pumpkin.  All the teachers have to do it cut the top off the pumpkin and fill it with dirt.  Then they just have to water it every few days.  

It took our pumpkin about 7 days to begin sprouting.  We have had dirt inside the pumpkin for about 2 weeks now.

So far we have quite a few sprouts!  I am thinking we will have more sprouts soon!  The kids are fascinated with this STEM challenge!

Click here to grab the lab pack for this monthly STEM challenge!  The lab pack includes directions and lab sheets!

Why not grow some pumpkins in your classroom this fall?

Smart Chick

We did our first rubber duck STEM challenge today!  They kids had a blast!  We started by using ALL of the materials that were provided, then students modified their designs to use the LEAST amount of materials!

This one shows a solution using ALL of the materials!  Students received 4 cups, 6 craft sticks, and 2 index cards.  Each group also received 20 mini rubber ducks.  We then modified our designs to use the LEAST amount of materials!

The groups were able to figure out how to balance the ducks in a lot of creative ways!

Being able to adjust our thinking was such a great experience for my students.  Click here to grab this specific STEM challenge - Rubber Duck Rescue!

The five pack of Rubber Duck STEM Challenges can be seen here!  We will be doing more of these challenges over the next few days!

Stay tuned for more pictures!

Time to grab some of those pool noodles you can find at your local dollar stores, grocery stores, or just about anywhere!  

These can be used in a number of different ways for STEM challenges throughout the year!  Some of my favorites include:

1. Pool Noodle Towers

2. Pool Noodle Rocket

3. Pool Noodle Structure

4. Pool Noodle Race Track

Grab this 5 pack of Pool Noodle Challenges HERE!  There are 5 STEM Challenges in this pack for just $7!

There are three additional STEM challenges in this STEM Gym pack!  Get those kids up and moving with these challenges.  Grab this pack here for just $5!

This next one is my favorite STEM challenge to do at the beginning of the year.

Just cut up one pool noodle per group and students have to work together to build the tallest free-standing tower using the cut pieces of the pool noodle.  Grab this challenge here for just $2!

Time to grab your pool noodles NOW before they disappear until next summer!

I am looping with my class this year to the next grade level.  I really enjoy having the same kids for two years.  I have been looking for a classroom theme, and I recently decided on rubber ducks!

I decided first to develop a set of STEM challenges using rubber ducks.  We plan on doing these the first two weeks of school!

Click here to purchase this STEM pack!  These challenges can also be bought separately!

I can't wait to do the first challenge in this pack!  Students have to rescue as many rubber ducks as they can using the materials provided.  Click here to purchase just this challenge!

How many ducks can you get above the table-top using the materials provided?

Rubber Duck Rescue Challenge

Materials Needed: (per team)

- 3 plastic cups

- 6 wide popsicle sticks

- 2 index cards

- rubber ducks

I am working on figuring out a Welcome bulletin board and other items now.

Do you have a theme in your classroom?  What is your theme?  

:) Smart Chick

Everyone thinks underwear is hilarious!  Why not incorporate some underwear into your STEM challenges with some fantastic picture books?

UNDERWEAR! by Jenn Harvey is a really fun book to read in the classroom.  Students have to make a pair of underwear that fit a class teddy bear.  Students start by measuring the class teddy bear!  They then use these measurements to make a pair of underwear that fits the teddy bear.

Just grab ANY teddy bear to use as your class teddy bear.  You can ask students to bring one in and then choose one randomly or get one for your classroom.  The teddy bear can be ANY size!   Grab this STEM pack by clicking here!

Creepy Pair of Underwear by Aaron Reynolds is a hilarious book about a bunny who buys a creepy pair of underwear and what he goes through as he tries to get rid of them!  For this challenge, I get small stuffed bunnies from Oriental Trading Company.  Students have to make a pair of creepy underwear for their bunny.  It is a lot tougher than it sounds!  You need cardstock paper, at least one stuffed bunny, scissors, and tape for this challenge.

You can get this STEM challenge from my tpt store by clicking here.  

Another fun picture book about underwear is Polar Bear's Underwear by Tupera Tupera.  This one is about a polar bear who has lost his underwear.  He finally finds his underwear at the end of the book - it is a white colored pair of underwear that blends in with his fur!  

This is a STEM challenge we do BEFORE we read the book!  It is a fun way to do a prediction activity related to STEM!  Grab this challenge by clicking here!

What kid doesn't think underwear is hilarious?  Add some humor to your STEM instruction by adding some underwear!