STEM Challenge: Geodesic Domes

I purchased a STEM Engineering Challenge Project's pack on TpT forever ago with every intention of incorporating these activities into my science curriculum and then it didn't happen....

So finally during our week of PARCC testing, I decided the students would enjoy a hands-on science project. The class worked in groups to create geodesic domes. Before starting this project, we used our Chromebooks to research geodesic domes. The students had never heard of geodesic domes, but they were excited to research them and step up to the challenge of making their own!

I used the activity from Smart Chick's STEM Engineering Pack #1. 

Here are some pictures of the geodesic domes my students created! They had so much fun working on this project and the best part is that it forced them to be creative and think for themselves! It also required students to work together!

I can't wait for our next STEM challenge!

Electricity and Magnetism!

We have just started a new unit on Electricity and Magnetism. I love this unit because of the hands-on activities you can do with it! This week my students worked on making series and parallel circuits. We read about and discussed both of these circuits. We talked about the materials needed to make a complete circuit and then the students were given these materials to make their own circuits. They were not happy with me when I told them I wasn't going to tell them how to do it.
 I don't know about your students, but my students hate having to think on their own and it drives me crazy! I am trying so hard to teach them to be problem solvers. So when they were finally able to put together a circuit on their own, they were very proud of themselves! It was fun to see them try different things with the circuits like adding an extra battery to make the light shine even brighter. Below are some pictures of the circuit creations!

Today students got to make electromagnets! I love seeing students work together and get excited when they accomplish a goal!

Before we test over this chapter, we will play our favorite "I Have, Who Has" review game and do a scoot game with task cards. 

What are your favorite electricity and magnetism activities that you teach?

Educent's Marketplace!

Introducing the NEW Educents Marketplace I just received an email from the founders of Educents, Kate and Kaitlyn, with some really exciting news. Until today, Educents was a website for parents and educators to take advantage of daily deals. But those deals expired... And there were only 50 deals available at once... I wanted saving money to be even EASIER. Kate and Kaitlyn agreed. So they created the new Educents Marketplace. It’s even easier to discover affordable educational resources that make learning FUN! Thousands of new products - Educents Sellers can now offer ALL of their bestsellers on the new Educents Marketplace. There's a wide variety of worksheets, lesson plans, educational apps and toys. Shop The Young Scientists Club, Scholastic, Workman Publishing, Alpha Omega Publishing, Life of Fred books, hundreds of printable units created by educators, and more! Offers that NEVER expire - Sellers can offer our favorite educational products year-round. Once a deeply discounted Daily Deal expires, you can still find that product available on Educents at the lowest price. Discovery - It's easier to search on Educents. Search for your kiddos' interests like Minecraft or Frozen-inspired resources, and then sort by grade level, subject, brand, and more! Follow your favorite brands and Sellers - The “Follow Me” feature lets me add my favorite Sellers to a list. Click the heart on the Seller Storefront. You can also see which Sellers are the most popular with other shoppers! The Educents Marketplace is exactly what I want it to be -- the best place for parents and educators to find the resources I NEED at an affordable price.