STEM Challenge

STEM! I love doing hands on activities with the students! Always have. Just ask the husband who has made, carried, or bought tons over the years. He’s a keeper! Anyway – I was a little nervous at first when Carson Dellosa sent me their new Stem Challenge cards. The box said Grades 2-5. L I teach kindergarten.  But guess what??? They will be fine for us! They will not be independent cards, but we can still use them! The CCS have upped the rigor for science, so my teaching BFF’s and I have been working through what we need to add and change. These will be great!

There are two different versions – STEM Challenges and STEM Challenges Seasonal. So I opened up the seasonal first. Three tabs in the box – Spring/Summer, Winter, Autumn. I was thrown off when there was nothing behind the Autumn tab. Then I realized that the cards are in FRONT of the tabs. (I may have been sitting outside in the sun too long! LOL) The Challenge box is set up the same with Earth & Space, Life and Physical science tabs.

So many of these activities could be repeated every year with the students. They will get more and more out of them every year. They will build on their skills and knowledge. I don’t think that it would be that horrible if they repeated some of the activities in different years. I don’t think you would get through every card in every year anyway. Pick and choose!

The cards are set up in a very user-friendly manner. The challenge is listed, there are hints, there are visuals for materials. The cards also have a simple explanation to the science behind the challenge and questions to extend their learning.

Yes, the kindergarteners would not be able to read these themselves. Their third grade buddies could though! J Put it under the document camera to show on the board for all to see. I can see setting up the materials around the room and having the students pick up what they need. I could see leaving the materials out after the buddies worked together for the kinders to work through on their own. They would remember what they needed to do, what worked and what didn’t work. I could see having some “experts” from the older grades coming to visit to help during center time with different groups. Let’s use those resources – I mean students- to our advantage!

Wouldn’t it be fun if the whole school were working on the same set of standards at the same time? Then the whole school could try some of the challenges and see how each other did and what they did! Let’s build that community up! You could have a whole STEM day! Maybe every Friday? The possibilities are there people!

Has anyone else had an “aha” moment when they were doing an experiment or activity with a class and finally figure something out? Just me? Really? The more I teach, the more I learn. I can remember the first time it happened was in college. We were learning place value in adding. I knew how to add- I just did it. I never worried about making a group of ten and carrying it over to the next place. I just put the one up there and added. I swear, no one ever told me about the groups of ten! LOL  I have a sneaky feeling there could be some “aha” moments as we do these STEM Challenges!

These STEM Challenges are going to make learning FUN!

I participate in the Brand Ambassador Program for Carson-Dellosa and have received this product for free to review.