December STEM Day

My kids loved our Thanksgiving STEM day so much that they were begging to do another one. Well who am I to say no to a day of education? So it was time to break out the Christmas themed challenges. Just like our last STEM day, I set out the challenge cards on 6 different tables and included enough "baggies" of materials for each child to complete the activities. The students divided into groups and began working on the challenges. After 15 minutes they had to quit building their projects. Each child had the opportunity to show us what he had done and how it worked. Then they cleaned their table up for the next group to use and they moved on to the next challenge.

Now I love the idea of letting kids go crazy building and making things. I love the look of excitement in their eyes when they are successful. I love the way they encourage each other to try again when it doesn't quite work right. But I hate the cost of doing STEM and MakerSpace. Too often teachers and students think there needs to be an endless supply of materials at their disposal. I don't know about you, but I don't have the cash to make that happen. That is why I have created these "STEM in a baggie" units.

Each child or group is given only a small baggie of supplies to use while solving the problem suggested on the scenario card. They are all the more creative when they are challenged to use limited resources. Instead of giving each group a roll of tape (which students would use up completely in the past), I give them name labels and sticky dot sheets. They only have a few of those to use as tape and decoration for their project.

For today's STEM challenges, my students had to figure out a way to deliver coal into a naughty child's stocking. They needed to build a shelf to hold their elf. They had wrap and "mail" a candy cane to a friend at the North Pole (and hope it was wrapped well enough to protect it from the Grinch who works at the post office). As well as three other projects.

The kids had a lot of fun with this particular STEM activity: Town Square Christmas Tree. Each student had a small baggie with a few green pipe cleaners, a couple of green straws and a handful of beads. They read the scenario on the card to figure out that they needed to build a free standing Christmas tree that would be measured for height and would be judged on how well they decorated it. I really thought most of them would make a triangle base and build a pyramid shaped tree. But some of the students surprised me.

I love my new "STEM in a Baggie" resources. They are so versatile for different teaching situations. I chose to have a half day set aside for doing STEM. I invited several homeschool families to join us and had the children rotate through the stations. In a regular school classroom, you might choose to do STEM Fridays and only do one challenge per week. You can add some public speaking to this by having each child present their solution to the class. Or you could set the challenges out in a STEM learning center for students to use independently.

This kit comes with 6 STEM challenges. Each challenge comes with a full sheet scenario

poster or a half sheet poster. I have included a list of suggested items to place in your baggies. I have also included teacher set up suggestions for each one. These are designed to be low prep and low cost. I was able to gather my supplies and fill all the baggies for all 6 challenges while watching a Halmark Christmas movie.

I have a sample of my "Christmas STEM in a baggie" in my store. It is absolutely free. It includes the full color scenario card and instructions to go along with the "Town Square Christmas Tree" activity above. Try it out and leave some feedback. I am sure you and your kids will love it. If you enjoy it, come back and buy the full set.

Merry Christmas,