Thinking Caps ON! STEM Challenges in Science

What happens when you give students a random assortment of materials (rice, popsicle sticks, straws, tea bags, glue, jelly beans, and toothpicks... to name a few) and challenge them to create something? Magic! Magic happens! This year, I've really embraced STEM challenges in my science classroom and I strongly believe you should do the same.  I can't take credit for these incredibly creative challenges. SmartChick Teaching has been my source of inspiration! I highly encourage you to check out her TpT store here. 

Here's a recap of the there projects we've competed in 2016:

While studying animal adaptations, students were challenged to create a bird's beak. Their beak could be designed to pick up rice, beans, lentils, or seeds. As you can see below, some groups wanted to "be the bird" and truly experience this STEM challenge!

 

My students are currently in the midst of their American Revolution unit. I wanted to join in on the fun in science... so we created structures to keep tea bags dry when dumped in the Boston Harbor. Originally the task was to create a "crate", however... I was flexible with different designs that were presented. I couldn't crush the creativity happening in the room! 

We even had a live stream of the Boston Harbor playing through our Apple TV.  We decided it wasn't the best idea to stand in a semi-circle around the table for the rest of the day, so we played a live feed and continued about our business. 

By the time the end of the day rolled around, all of the tea bags were still dry... we had to sink them. It was very exciting! 

Our latest project was building geodesic domes out of jelly beans and toothpicks. Students had to build the strongest structure. To find the winner, we put chapter books on top of the structure. The current champion held 13 chapter books! It was incredible.

During this project, I felt like I was the host of a cooking show. Bouncing around from group to group, channeling my inner Giada De Laurentiis, asking each group to tell me about their project and asking, "why did you decide to use a jelly bean that way?" 

At the conclusion of each project, we've debriefed and had great conversations about what went well, what didn't work out so well, and what we learned about engineering. After every project, each class has commented how powerful it was to work as a group because everyone offered great ideas and contributed to the genius of the project. 

Arkansas? CHECK!

Before I was a homeowner, I had the great pleasure of renting a duplex from an amazing couple. They are both living the dream of retirement, but you would never know because their day planner is quite full! 

Among the countless hobbies they enjoy as a couple, they also have traveled the entire country together. Throughout their marriage, they have visited (almost) ALL 50 states together. I find this feat rather remarkable and I challenged my husband to do the same with me. 

Don't get me wrong... I could go for another week in the Dominican Republic, but I'm ready and willing to check out good 'ol U.S. of A's beauty as well. 

For Valentine's Day, we checked off one of our neighboring states and officially visited The Natural State. 

May not seem like most to some.... but boy-oh-boy, I enjoyed every minute with my Valentine and two best friends!

More to come on our Eureka Springs trip in a future post. 

Happy Thursday!

Hear Us Out! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel!

Do you ever have grand ideas for a project and then step back from your incredibly elaborate ideas and think to yourself, "how in the heck am I going to pull this off?" 

OR! 

Have you ever continued with the incredibly elaborate project idea.... and then when you're in the thick of it you think, "Oh crud. How are we are going to pull this off?"

Luckily, this was one of those times were I took the advice of my co-collaboraters and we took the project down just a smidgen and it's been in-cred-ible. 

Instead of attempting to manage a full fledged newsroom, we decided to have our classes create original "Opinion Talk Shows".  Our writing focus for this quarter is opinion writing, so what better way to share our opinions than to write it AND share it on YouTube?

To kick off the project, we decided as a class to name our show, "Robertson Rivals". Each week, one small group gets the opportunity to take one of their published opinion pieces and transform it into a script for a talk show. 

Behind the Scenes

Small groups collaborate through Google Slides to write their script and decide on specific "parts" for the talk show. 

Our inspiration for opinion topics come from Scholastic News Magazines. Our more popular debates have been...

Should participation count as a grade?

Does everyone deserve a trophy?

Should students have homework over breaks?

Should schools make up snow days on Saturdays?

We invite YOU and your students to subscribe to our YouTube channel and weigh in on these topics. My students love watching the "views" number spike and hearing feedback from other kids (some even in our building) about their talk show!

A Little Cheesy

The past few years I've enjoyed standing in the treats aisle at the grocery store trying to think of puns for my student's valentines. My husband is the king of punny thoughts so I highly enjoy naming off candies and treats and asking him to come up with something.  A yearly activity I plan to continue for-ev-er. 

Gosh... Married life is the best. 

 Last year I thanked my students for making me "Snicker" everyday...

In the past, I've made things "O-Fish-AL" about my appreciation for my students. 

This year, I'm just plain cheesy. :)

Happy Valentine's Day (week) to my fellow teacher friends! 

KAHOOT!

Looking to try something new in the month of February? My suggestion: Kahoot!

We just can't get enough of Kahoot around these parts! 

Before Christmas, I took the plunge and created a study guide for our solar system assessment on Kahoot's game-based response system.  Since then, my students have been begging and begging to play again! I knew the end of our animal classification unit was around the corner, so I created another study session for this week. 

Engagement was through the roof! My students love the instant feedback and competition. I love the excitement over the content, how easy it is to create, and the feedback I receive from the teacher's perspective. 

So far, I've only utilized the "Quiz" portion of Kahoot.  I haven't used the "Discussion" or "Survey" features yet. 

Do you have any great quizzes to share? I love to share! Share with me and I'll share with you!

Just the Two of Us

Since there are only two of us capable of playing board and card games (sorry Chip and Bruce.. you're not helpful here) around the house, I made it my personal mission to find games for two people. Let me tell you... This is not an easy feat!

Just the two of us.

Now I'm here to spread my wisdom to fellow couples in the same boat. 

Full disclosure, I'm still a little bitter about an intense game of Skip-Bo from Wednesday night that did not end in my favor... However, I'll march forward and rework my strategy while I'm home on a snow day. 

Here are a couple of my favorite games to play with your main-squeeze when it's just the two of you. (Technically... you could play these with anyone, but you get my point)

Ticket to Ride

Once upon a time, I play this cross country train adventure game with two of my friends before Scott moved to the lake. Since then, I've been eye-balling it at Target waiting to take the leap because it was so fun. We invested in the game over Christmas break and have been travelin' across the U.S.A. ever since!

Now, I'm wishing (after seeing the way cheaper price on Amazon...) I would have utilized my Prime account to make the purchase. Ah! You live and learn. 

A game full of strategy and sneaky decision making can really bring out the competitive side in your opponent. I speak from experience. 

Just remember... it's only a game. It's only a game...

Skip-BO

Confession: I'm addicted to Skip-Bo. It's kind of like Uno on steroids. The best part? You can play with two people. Sometimes it may take a couple of hours (good 'ol fashioned quality time if you ask me!), but we like to queue up our favorite show on Netflix and play 'til the hogs come home. 

Those are my faves! I'm always looking to add our collection for date night. What 2-player game suggestions do you have? Share with me!

"Embrace the Butter" -A Wise Friend

Right after Christmas my husband and I set off on a little adventure to Savannah, Georgia and it was ah-maze-ing. I loved every part of the city and I cannot wait to visit again and bring all of my friends!

Here are my tips to traveling in one of the most charming cities in the United States.

Tip #1: Read the book. 

Before jetting off for the holidays, one of my friends told me I needed to read the book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" before going to Savannah. I'm so glad I followed her advice! 

Tip #2: Grab your camera, fanny pack, and trolly sticker and be a tourist. 

There's no shame in being a tourist, asking for directions, or wearing that big 'ol camera around your neck (these are all my exclusive opinions).  I often look the part of a tourist in my home town. I can't help it. I love to explore. 

We learned more about the city of Savannah on our trolley ride around town than by walking or reading anything online. The best part is you can hop and on and off the trolley throughout the day. 

Please note the trolley stickers and camera strap!

Tip #3: Explore River Street

Hobble along the cobble stone roads and grab a bear claw to snack on or pop in Vic's on the River for an amazingly delicious crawfish beignet. We opted out of a river cruise, but if that tickles your fancy.. I say go for it! 

Tip #4: Eat. Eat it all. 

This is by far the most important tip. The food was amazing. We had tapas as Jazz'd, soup and sandwiches at Six Pence Pub, and pimento cheese hush puppies at Churchill's to name a few. Oh, did I mention our amazing breakfast at Collins Quarter? Even the chai tea was heavenly. Savannah can do-no-wrong in the meals department. 

Tip #5: Bike Tybee Island

My husband and I love to bike around cities. We love to stroll around and take in the sites together. Tybee was the perfect island to bike around. It was about a 25 minute car ride from Savannah and the perfect way to spend a morning. We had breakfast at Sunrise Cafe, biked around the town, visited the lighthouse, and had lunch at A-J's Dockside. Perfection!

Tip #6: Soak Up the History

Wave at the girl. Visit the historic homes. Take a look at the art museum. Read the plaques. Hop from square to square. Sit where Forrest Gump sat and talked about his mama and Jenny. Do it all!

Mercer House 

Last but not least... If it claims to be famous, I'd go ahead and test it out.

Tip #7: Is it famous? You should probably test it out yourself. 

Exhibit A: Do I regret trying these famous cookies of Savannah? Nope. Sure don't. I would like some more, please.

Located in City Market... You should go there too!

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I've barely scratched the surface on visiting Savannah, but now you have one more city to add to your U.S.A. bucket list! 

Where shall we travel next, blog-friends?