STEM Challenge: 'Big Smelly Bear' Back Scratchers

So what's a big smelly bear to do when he has an itch on his back and no one is willing to help him scratch it?! Enlist the help of the 2-F STEM student engineers to make him his very own back scratcher, of course! ; )

After reading the book, Big Smelly Bear by Britta Teckentrup, students were given the challenge to build a back scratcher that could help this lovable, but stinky bear whenever he has an itch. Our 2-F engineers had their choice of materials and worked in pairs to create these functional and helpful tools. They even got to try them out on one another (and their teachers!) to make sure that it was durable enough to stand up to the itchiness level of a bear! 

Another job well done and fabulous STEM afternoon in 2-F! : )

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STEM Challenge: Protecting The Peeps

It was another fabulous STEM Thursday in 2-F! Today's student challenge?! Create a safety raft/device that would protect our beloved Peeps as they cross the pond (and by pond, we mean the huge tub of water set up in our classroom : ) This awesome challenge combined many different learning topics such as floating, sinking, and density, but also highlighted our most recent math topic- MONEY!

The students were given a strict budget of $5.00 per group and had to visit the STEM Store to purchase the materials they would need to construct their project. According to the students, the store owner/operator (ME- Mrs. Frey!) had some pretty high prices and was VERY strict with the no returns or exchanges policy. ; )

One of the very best parts of this challenge was getting to work once again with the incredible Mrs. Baker to create an iMovie trailer that captured all of the fun. The students said it perfectly, "It's not really STEM unless Mrs. Baker is here with us!" and I couldn't agree more! : )

Thank you so much for stopping by to visit our blog and be sure to check out our iMovie trailer below. Stay tuned for our next STEM adventure...


Protecting The Peeps from Emily Frey on Vimeo.

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STEM Challenge: Egg Drop

Our fabulous 2-F STEM students were at it again this afternoon with our latest challenge, The Egg Drop. Just as its name suggests, our students were in fact dropping real eggs onto the classroom floor, from 150 centimeters (1 1/2 meters) high! However, unlike my initial demonstration where I simply picked up an egg and dropped it on the ground (see the photo below : ) our rock-star engineers were able to design their own contraption to get their egg safely to the ground.

Side note: *I LOVE that we were able to incorporate our newest math lesson material on metric measurement into this challenge!*

This challenge was absolutely amazing and the students did an incredible job - I don't think I've ever seen such sheer excitement and engagement. A HUGE thank you to Mrs. Baker for capturing so many special moments from today's challenge on video! Please be sure to check it out below. Thanks so much for visiting our blog! : )

 

2-F Egg Drop Challenge from Emily Frey on Vimeo.

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STEM Challenge: Tallest Cup Tower

Thursday afternoons are quickly becoming a class favorite in 2-F and for good reason! While we love and enjoy all of our learning time together, the past couple of Thursdays have been extra special, as we have gotten to combine our awesome class meeting/wellness lessons with STEM challenges. This past week's challenge: the Tallest Cup Tower, which consisted of working in groups to build the tallest tower we could using 75 plastic cups.

Prior to building, we had a class meeting where we met on the rug to talk about what expectations we had for ourselves and for our classmates/teammates. Our conversation centered around the idea of 'What a GREAT group/team is'- what it LOOKS like, what it SOUNDS like, what it FEELS like and how we can try to achieve this type of positive group environment. I even demonstrated some of the different ways that group members might talk to each other while working on a challenge (the GOOD and BAD ways-- thank you to Alex R. for being such a great sport even as I was modeling the ways NOT to speak to teammates). I think the kids were definitely a little caught off guard when their lovely teacher actually modeled poor listening, arguing and not respecting other's ideas- which albeit unconventional, worked to perfectly model my point! A huge part of group work is how the members interact with one another and that is ultimately a big reason for eventual success or failure. The students also got to share about past group experiences they've had and the reasons why some groups worked and other didn't. At the end of the day, being a successful group member takes a lot of hard work! : )

Now onto the challenge itself...the tallest cup tower seemed like a pretty simple task, until you actually tried to do it. It was incredible to watch the students work together, come up with a game plan, build the tower, see it fall, regroup and then start again. They were able to witness and experience why it is so important to hear and value the ideas of others, while understanding that very few things are ever accomplished perfectly on the first try. After about twenty minutes of group work, we came back together and I worked to build a tower (using their input) while we all sat in a large circle. The kids shared their observations and while I was the only one actually building, their thoughts, encouragement and positive energy made it feel like we were all working as one. At the very end, they were all just as nervous as I was about how we were going to be able to make our tower stay standing- the last few cups were a huge challenge (HELLO! SUPER NERVOUS TEACHER and SHAKY HANDS!) But as you can see from the photo below we accomplished the task and it even stayed standing until the next morning- how about that for solid construction?!

Thanks so much for reading- stay tuned for our next STEM challenge! : )

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STEM Challenge: Paper Chains

I am SO excited to report that today was our first official 2-F STEM Challenge. The challenge was presented to the students using the poster found in the collage below. In anticipation of our first challenge, we spent time last week talking all about what STEM is, what it stands for (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and the different types of activities/lessons that we might be experimenting with. We also talked about what expectations we had for ourselves and our peers, how we could work together in a group (if it were a group challenge) and the best ways to make the most out of every STEM minute we have!

Needless to say, after last week's awesome introductory conversation, the students were SO thrilled to be given their first challenge. The Paper Chains challenge was one that I found while researching STEM ideas online and I loved it for several reasons, but primarily because, 1. it wasn't extremely labor intensive, rigorous or intimidating and 2. it lent itself perfectly to natural conversations about how we think and problem solve, as well as how we perceive others and how they may think about the same thing a completely different way. During the challenge we paused to talk about our own problem solving abilities and comfort level with creativity, as well as how to recognize and appreciate the fact that each of us brings our own special set of ideas, feelings and thoughts to a particular group/challenge situation. I overhead one of my students say "I love STEM, we get to think and make stuff, but we also get to see how other kids think too!" *Talk about a teacher's heart being COMPLETELY melted! (Insert once again, 'I LOVE MY JOB!')

When we initially started, there were definitely a couple of students who were a bit hesitant and I could tell they were searching for more guidance and direction- but the best thing I could do (and what I did do : ) was remind them to just have fun, use their creative brain power, envision what they wanted it to look like and to remember that there were tons of different ways to succeed in this challenge. And let me just say, when the initial worries wore off (about 4 minutes in!) they did an absolutely amazing job! Perhaps one of the most impressive parts of the challenge was seeing at the end of the lesson that no two future-engineers had the same chain. Each chain was unique and it highlighted their ability to explore and utilize their creative and critical thinking skills. Seeing them all 'think outside the box' made for one super proud teacher. In the words of my students "I can't wait for our next STEM Challenge!"

*A very special THANK YOU to all of the families who have sent in items from the STEM Supply List! It makes these types of projects/lessons possible- thank you again! : )

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WIN Time: Creative Problem Solving : )

I am always on the lookout for how I can incorporate activities during our WIN block (What I Need) that are challenging, engaging, and based on the idea of students working to solve a particular problem.

The best part of all is that most of the time (nearly ALL of the time! : ) the students don't even really SEE it as a problem, but rather as an opportunity to work with cool hands-on learning manipulatives and to think creatively about solving the task at hand. I love to observe them tapping into their different skill sets and getting to see them have their 'a-ha/light bulb moment' is just the icing on the creative cake. 

Over the past couple of weeks, I have noticed that (at times) our desks look as though they've played host to a super-fun party attended by a group of mischievous elves. These elves were no amateur party-goers either, we're talking pencil shavings, crumpled papers, unwrapped/broken crayons, papers not in their proper subject folders (oh my! ; )

So therein lies this week's problem or rather 'creative challenge': use the magnetic building shapes to create something that could hypothetically help to keep your desk organized throughout the week. I have to say, I was blown away with the creativity and innovation shown by these future engineers. I have a sneaking suspicion that we'll see these kids doing big things in the future! : )

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