February Fun!

Happy February!

This week's blog focuses on February events with STEM challenges that you can do with your students that require little or NO technology!!

Many challenges begin with research.  Don't forget resources such as PebbleGo (K-2) and EPIC! to help your students research an idea before beginning their plan and sketching their ideas out before building!

1. STEM Challenge #1 -Candy Heart Challenges

We like the challenges listed here, but we particularly love this simple engineering challenge.  Give each student or group an index card, and see who can build the strongest bridge that will span the gap between 2 plastic cups.  See how many hearts (or other small items) the bridge can hold!  There are many bridge designs and the shape of the hearts makes balancing tricky, so the students will have to problem solve to get them to balance!

2.  STEM Challenge #2- 100th Day 2D and 3D Designs

Have your students create designs and buildings using materials you have in your classroom. Students receive 100 of a certain building material to plan, create, and perhaps work together to build. Suggestions:

Pattern blocks or LEGOS (Add some math components with these simple activities)

Base 10 blocks  

K'Nex

PomPoms or Cotton Balls
Buttons
Play Money- coins and bills
Snap Cubes

Once completed, have them snap a picture and share on Seesaw or create a 100th day slideshow!

3.    President Macaroni Monument Design Challenge

A monument is a statue, building, or other structure built to commemorate a famous or notable person or event!

In honor of this special month, have students design a monument in honor of their favorite president or another special person in history.  Maybe it will be the Washington Monument or the Lincoln Memorial?

Using macaroni is one option, but you can also have students bring various materials from home or use the materials you already have in your classroom such as tongue depressors, note cards, pattern blocks, pipe cleaners, marshmallows, Playdoh, etc.

When done, have your students reflect using paper or pencil, or FlipGrid and/or Seesaw!

Upcoming Events in OTS

1.  Seesaw Social-  Sign up in OTS HERE if you'd like to receive 1 hour of district PLT for coming to this casual, fun and engaging event right here in Pennridge!  Questions- contact Peg Volak or Erin Reichert.