Jewel's School Gems by Jewel Pastor | Where Science and Math resources are brilliant, interactive and fun!

FREE STEM ACTIVITY, ANYONE?

September 21, 2018 By Jewel Pastor Leave a Comment

Are you trying out STEM activities for the first time? Or are you just looking for a STEM challenge that can be done during any time of the year? Well, here’s a free STEM activity that you might want to try with your students today.

WHAT IS THIS FREE STEM ACTIVITY ALL ABOUT?

This Bird Feeder FREE STEM Activity is perfect for any season! It’s a fun, creative, and engaging way to get your students designing and building at any time of the year.

In this free STEM activity, you will challenge your students to design and build a bird feeder that can be refilled easily and can dispense bird seeds on its own. You can use plastic bottles, plastic plates, cardboard, wooden clothespins, and string to engineer this bird feeder. You can modify the task too and include any other materials you would like students to use.

WHAT DO MY STUDENTS AND I HAVE TO DO?

You can do this free STEM activity individually or in groups (I prefer groups of 3-4). Give students the materials mentioned, as well as some tape. For older students, they can use a glue gun if allowed in your school (for a more durable bird feeder). You can show the students the images of the possible finished product I included or make the task open ended and let them come up with their own designs.

Let students present and test their work. Check if the bird feeders meet the requirements by filling them with bird food. Have students give feedback to each other as well.

WHAT CAN WE DO AFTERWARDS?

Give them a chance to make improvements. Place the bird feeders in a spot in the school where they can attract birds. Have students share their reflections afterwards.

Students can use the included vocabulary, and planning and reflection sheets to guide their learning. Please see Ideas for STE(A)M Links for discussion and extension activities that you can do.

Click HERE to download your FREE STEM Activity.

Thank you for reading. Have fun!

This post originally appeared at Classroom Freebies.

FOUR FUN FALL STEM ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

September 6, 2018 By Jewel Pastor Leave a Comment

Fall, teachers, and apples have been connected for as far as anyone can remember, but most folks don’t know why. The most popular theory seems to stem (pun intended 😊) from the pioneer days when families often paid the teacher with produce. Apples were often given as a gift of appreciation. “An apple for the teacher” became a popular slogan and nowadays back to school crafts and units feature shiny red apples at their core (Sorry, couldn’t help myself!).

For you own back to school nod to the apple’s place in school history, why not try one of my Fall STEM Activities, the Apple Sling Shot STEM Challenge? Challenge your students to design and build a slingshot for launching apples using a y-shaped tree branch, felt, rubber bands, and a stapler. You can also modify the task and include any other materials you would like. Small pumpkins, acorns, or even crab apples can be used in place of regular apples. Don’t forget to check out the suggested safety rules or be sure to create your own.

Just as apples symbolize back to school, pumpkins are the epitome of fall! Challenge your students to a Pumpkin Boat STEM Challenge. Have your students design and build a boat using a small pumpkin, wooden skewers, and colored paper. The boat must be able to carry at least a small doll or miniature figure.

Get your students really pumped about this challenge by introducing it with this short video of the Oregon Giant Pumpkin Regatta!

I don’t know if I would want to participate, but I would love to see it!

The third challenge I have for you is the Scarecrow STEM Challenge. Challenge your students to design and build a life-size and free-standing scarecrow using sticks, hay old clothes and hat, old buttons, yarn, and felt fabric. The scarecrow must be able to stand without any human support.

This challenge is not only fun but will provide a good memory for students. Although still used in smaller rural farms and home gardens, the stationary old-fashioned scarecrow is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Technology has taken over the stereotypical pumpkin head scarecrows and farmers are looking more towards lasers and digital scarecrows.

Just like all my other STEM challenges, each of these Fall STEM Activities contains clear student directions, photos of possible finished products, suggested materials, planning and reflection, and vocabulary worksheets. Additionally, for your convenience, I have added ways to modify the challenges, as well as the STEAM links and the Next Generation Science Standards covered.

You can purchase each of the challenges individually or get them in this money-saving Fall STEM Activities Bundle.

You can also get my Bird Feeder STEM Challenge for FREE here. Perfect for any season, this challenge is a must try for Fall. And, if you have not yet purchased any of my STEM challenges, this is a great way for you to give it a try! Have fun!

7 BRILLIANT BACK TO SCHOOL STEM ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

July 29, 2018 By Jewel Pastor Leave a Comment

Hi, Friends! Have you had time to relax and recharge? I hope you have spent many days enjoying life with friends and family. Unfortunately, summer flies by and although I am on the other side of the world, I know how it goes. Before you are ready, the stores have set up their back to school displays and you try not to look as you purchase one last bottle of sunscreen. But the allure of new supplies is too strong, and you just must have a quick peek! Then a chain reaction begins, and your mind starts planning for back to school. Don’t worry though as I am here to help you with new Back to School STEM Activities and money-saving bundles!

BACK TO SCHOOL STEM ACTIVITIES BUNDLE

7 BRILLIANT BACK TO SCHOOL STEM ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS by Jewel Pastor of Jewel's School Gems | Looking to make back to school easier for you and more fun for kids? Here are 7 brilliant back to school STEM activities to help you have a STEM-tastic beginning of the year! — *This Back to School STEM Activities Bundle includes a backpack, a schoolhouse, and a school bus.*

The Backpack STEM Challenge is a great introductory activity. Challenge your students to design and create a backpack from a cereal box, cardboard, felt, wrapping paper and tape and be able to hold three notebooks and a pencil case without breaking. You can show them the included images of possible finished products that are included or leave it open ended for a slightly more difficult challenge. Try doing this activity during the first week of school! Your students can make a list of goals for the year and place them inside the backpack. At the end of the year, they can check and see how many they have achieved. Another fun thing to do is to have your students decorate their backpacks with motivational words. Your students can cut out shapes and use markers to write their words, or if computers are available they can use word art and print them out.

The Schoolhouse STEM Challenge uses a tissue box, cardboard tubes, masking tape, colored paper and paint. The schoolhouse must be painted and have a door, at least two windows, a bell and a sign. For a cute Back to School Night display, have your students add their own photo inside the door or window and their name or grade on the sign.

The third challenge is a School Bus STEM Challenge, which my students really enjoyed. They were required to design and create a school bus which ran on its own, using a tissue box, cardboard/toilet roll tubes, skewers, rubber bands, a plastic cup, cardboard, plastic lids and a pen socket. While your students are working take plenty of photos or video clips to add to your Back to School Night presentation. The kids enjoy seeing themselves working too, so perhaps let them caption the photos or add them to their completed projects.

TEAM BUILDING STEM ACTIVITIES BUNDLE

Team building is an important skill to incorporate at the start of the new school year. In addition to designing and building, the next three STEM challenges encourage building and developing collaboration skills.

To begin, I divided my students into groups of three or four and challenged them to design and assemble a bridge that could hold the most weight, using 30 popsicle sticks and a strip of adhesive putty. To make the Bridge STEM Team Building Challenge more interesting and difficult, I incorporated limitations such as only using one hand for a selected amount of time. The results were surprising!

The Apple Tower STEM Team Building Challenge uses a small apple cut into eight pieces and drinking straws. Again, I divided my class into groups of three or four and challenged them to build the tallest free-standing tower. The challenge packet contains suggestions for increasing the difficulty of the challenge.

Finally, there is the Marble Run STEM Team Building Challenge. Many students remember having this much-loved toy when they were younger and were very excited about building their own. Challenge your students to design and build a free-standing marble run from five cardboard tubes, 10 popsicle sticks, four pieces of colored paper, masking tape and a marble. They must also create a barrier that will stop the marble from rolling away.

These are my six newest challenges. Be sure to check out some of the many others that available in my store.

ALL ABOUT ME STEM ACTIVITY

At this time of year most teachers like to do some type of “All About Me” activity. Why not do yours as a STEM Challenge?

Challenge your students to create a Time Capsule that look like themselves from a Pringles can and the suggested materials (or modify the task to included materials of your own choice). After making the time capsule, have students cut pictures of their favorite things and hobbies from magazines or have them fill out the sheets I included (All About Me and Letter to Future Self) and place these inside the can. You can place a photo of the student with these sheets. You can also ask parents to write their children a letter and include it in the time capsule. This project will be a wonderful keepsake for your students and their families! Display alone or combine with any or all of the Back to School Activities for an impressive Back to School display!

REMEMBER…

Just like all my other STEM challenges, each of these back to school STEM activities contains clear student directions, photos of possible finished products, suggested materials, planning and reflection, and vocabulary worksheets. Additionally, for your convenience I have added ways to modify the challenges, as well as the STEAM links and the Next Generation Science Standards covered.

You can purchase each of these back to school STEM activities individually or get them in my money-saving BEGINNING OF THE YEAR STEM ACTIVITIES BUNDLE! Enjoy!

3 EPIC SUMMER STEM ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

July 2, 2018 By Jewel Pastor Leave a Comment

Hello, Friends! Happy summer! I hope most of you are enjoying some lazy hazy days of relaxation and fun! For those of you who are still working due to year-round school, summer program, ESY or even camp, I have three exciting new summer STEM activities for you and your students to have fun with. Gather some basic supplies and cool off with some wet learning fun!

Fishermen (and women) of all ages can be seen casting their lines wherever you find fish this time of year. Your students won’t catch anything they can fry up for dinner with the Fishing Rod STEM Challenge, but they will enjoy designing and building a fishing rod with a working reel, from a wooden stick, large paper clips, bottle caps, and yarn.

If your class has younger buddies (or if you don’t, go ahead and invite some) then let your students pair up for post Fishing Challenge games. They will be proud to show off their creations and the little ones will love trying to catch some balloons or other items.

Another fun thing to do, is to make up some “privilege fish” and let students try to catch some free time, no homework, etc.

The Floating Device STEM Challenge requires students to design and build a flotation device using straws, tape, and plastic wrap and be able to hold a doll without sinking. Be prepared for lots of laughter! While striving to complete this challenge, students found their less than successful outcomes quite amusing as Barbie unceremoniously hit the water.

After completing the original challenge, you can also encourage students to collect a variety of other plastic dolls and animals and predict which will float and which will cause the device to sink.

The Water Slide STEM Challenge completes this month’s bundle and is a very flexible challenge, in case you are working with a mixed age group. The challenge requires students to design and build a water slide from cardboard tubes, tape, aluminum foil, straws, cardboard, and a marble. The water slide must have a ladder and at least one twist and be able to move the marble quickly but safely from the top of the slide to the bottom. For mixed abilities groups, vary the difficulty of the challenge by changing the number of turns the slide must have or specify different heights for the ladder.

To add a writing component to the Water Slide Challenge, ask students to describe the best or worst water slide they ever rode.

Just like all my other STEM challenges, this packet of summer STEM activities contains clear student directions, photos of possible finished products, suggested materials, and planning, reflection, and vocabulary worksheets. Additionally, for your convenience I have added ways to modify the challenges, as well as STEAM links and the Next Generation Science Standards covered.

You can purchase each of the challenges individually or get all three in the money-saving Summer STEM Challenge Bundle! Have fun!

10 AMAZING STEM RESOURCES TO TRY TODAY (PLUS A GIVEAWAY!)

May 15, 2018 By Jewel Pastor Leave a Comment

May has always been a special month to me. It’s not only because both Teacher Appreciation Week and Mothers’ Day are celebrated in May, but also because it’s my birth month! To celebrate being blessed with another year of life, I decided to invite a few of my STEM seller friends to help me put together a list of 10 amazing STEM resources that will help you engage your students right to the end of this school year and beyond! Make sure to check out the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post for a chance to win a $50 TpT gift card and ALL the STEM resources listed below.

Pirate STEM Challenges

Arrrrr you ready to earn your Pirate Name? Earn gold bullion by completing these Pirate STEM Challenges and receive a REAL pirate name. Design and construct a Pirate Hat, a Pirate Spyglass, Pirate Weaponry, a Pirate Ship, a Pirate Flag and a Pirate Treasure Map!

STEM School Box Challenges

STEM School Box Challenges is a packet of 10 STEM Challenges that will fit into a school box. This packet contains: Challenge Label, Inside the Box Student’s Directions, Teacher’s Page with the directions and materials, and Student STEM Journal. These activities can also be used for STEAM Activities, Maker Spaces, Tinkering Labs, or After School Clubs. Your students will love designing, creating, engineering, predicting, comparing, building, and reflecting about their challenges. Students will problem solve and think critically as they complete their challenges.

STEM Challenges on a Budget for Grades 2-5

This pack of STEM Challenges on a Budget for Grades 2-5 includes 40 pages. It contains 20 lesson plans accompanied by 20 activity sheets. Each lesson has its own worksheet that is printer friendly in black and white. This pack is made for teachers like you who are on a small budget but want to add a lot of fun to your STEM lessons. Each lesson plan has a picture of the finished product and have been tested in a classroom and can all work. Some of the challenges included are Lego Tower, Spaghetti Structure, Tee-Pee Designer, Pipe-Cleaner Challenge, and Playdough Challenge.

Assembly Line Science Plant Pack

Just in time for Father’s Day, Summer School Fun and a whole lot more, this Assembly Line Science Plant Pack helps your class create a perfect gift for that special someone! Your students will love applying for jobs, getting hired to create a one of a kind special gift to take home, or share with someone! This pack includes everything from applications, assembly line signs, job tags, and printable station activities! What a great way to get your students thinking about what positive attributes they have that would help your company! Your students will line up for some creative science connections!

Rocket STEM Challenge

In this age of space exploration, scientist are looking for efficient ways to create spacecrafts. Let your kids experience what it is like being an aerospace engineer. Get your class excited about blasting off into a new school year with this FUN Rocket STEM Challenge! This resource includes the following: 5E Lesson Plan, Teacher Background, Informational Reading Passage, STEM Planning Sheet, and Rebuild Sheet.

End of the Year STEM Challenges

This End of the Year STEM Challenges include:
1. Mini Golf Course (Hole in One) Challenge! Students must design a Mini Golf (one hole) that can be successfully completed in one stroke (a hole in one!). They must also craft a putter. Certain types of angles and obstacles in the course are required in their design.
2. Balloon Rocket Car Challenge! Students must design a bottle rocket or car that is propelled only by the air escaping from a balloon.
3. Trampoline Challenge! Students must construct a trampoline that can bounce an object (such as a marble) after being dropped from 12 inches (1 ft) high. They must measure the height of the bounce and build the contraption that creates the highest bounce.

Each STEM Challenge has photo examples, a list of materials needed, prediction section, brainstorming section, trials 1, 2, & 3, final results section with drawings, and a reflection section.

Sailboat STEM Activity

The Sailboat STEM Activity is a great way to incorporate the engineering design process into your classroom or program! Many are familiar with the raft buoyancy challenge, and this takes it one step further by adding a sail! Now students must build a boat to hold a specific weight as well as incorporate aerodynamic principles to make it move.

Push and Pull STEM Challenge

This Push and Pull STEM Challenge has everything you need in one unit. This package contains full color posters, a slide presentation about the Inquiry Learning Process, blackline masters for the classroom and a letter home, and a step-by-step guide to setting up your room and completing the STEM challenge.

Bible Stories STEM Challenge BUNDLE Volumes 1 and 2

Have you ever wondered if STEM and Bible stories can be combined? Well, the answer is YES. Try my Bible Stories STEM Challenge BUNDLE Volumes 1 and 2 and see how fun and engaging the study of Bible stories can be when combined with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)!

Each STEM challenge contains a lesson plan; interactive notebook sheets; vocabulary, planning, and reflection sheets; photos of possible finished products; and sheets with alternative spelling.

I created the STEM Challenges included in these bundles especially for our church’s Christian Youth Bible Camp and they were a hit among students of all ages. Kid-tested, I’m pretty sure your students will really enjoy the Bible Stories STEM Challenges included in these bundles!

Do you want to win a $50 TpT gift card and ALL these amazing STEM resources?

Now, here’s your chance to win a $50 TpT gift card and ALL the STEM resources featured above! Two lucky winners will be chosen on the 23rd. The first will win the gift card and the second will receive all the resources featured here valued at more or less $100! I hope you win! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway