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Jewel's School Gems by Jewel Pastor

Fun STEM activities and ideas for busy elementary school teachers like you!

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HOW TO TEACH THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD FOR KIDS by Jewel Pastor of Jewel's School Gems | Read about several ways on how to teach the scientific method for kids in this post PLUS grab FREE scientific method posters when you become a subscriber.

HOW TO TEACH THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD FOR KIDS

MATH CENTERS: 3 ENGAGING RESOURCES BY JEWEL PASTOR OF JEWELSCHOOLGEMS.COM | Need some fresh, fun and fabulous resources for your Math Centers? Look no further! Read about three engaging resources that you can use and grab freebies!

MATH CENTERS: 3 ENGAGING RESOURCES PLUS FREE POSTERS AND GAME

Place Value | How to Teach Place Value by Jewel Pastor of Jewel's School Gems | Are you looking for ways on how to teach place value? Well, you came to the right place. Read about various ways. Grab a FREE place value game, too!

HOW TO TEACH PLACE VALUE

7 WAYS TO MAKE EXTRA MONEY FOR TEACHERS DURING SUMMER

THREE BENEFITS OF COLOR BY NUMBER WORKSHEETS by Jewel Pastor of www.jewelschoolgems.com | Have you ever tried using color by number pages in the classroom? If you have, then I bet you’ll agree that these pages provide a lot of fun for children of all ages the whole year round. Aside from providing hours of enjoyment for your kiddos, here are three other benefits of using color by number pages plus a color by number freebie when you subscribe.

3 BENEFITS OF COLOR BY NUMBER PAGES

TOP 10 WAYS TO DESTRESS FOR TEACHERS: PART 2 by Jewel Pastor of www.jewelschoolgems.com Looking for ways to destress for teachers? I compiled tips from fabulous teachers of the TpT Down Under Tribe and TeacherpreneurTribe, and came up with this Top 10 list on ways to destress for hardworking teachers like you! I got so many valuable tips that this is the second of a two-part blog post.

TOP 10 WAYS TO DE-STRESS FOR TEACHERS: PART 2

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  • 🤩The Jewel’s School Gems Club STEM Teacher Planner — a digital planner designed for STEM teachers to help you get organized for the year and manage even the busiest schedule with ease (And… it’s absolutely gorgeous!). Sign up HERE for it to be yours ➡️ https://view.flodesk.com/pages/60702e52a67ae07c13217aac
  • 3 SPOOK-TACULAR HALLOWEEN STEM CHALLENGES FOR THE ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM by Jewel’s School Gems | This blog post features three spook-tacular Halloween STEM activities that you can do with your class. I promise these are so much fun, your kids won’t even miss the sweets! Get your students designing and building a haunted house, a snake roller coaster, or a spider web. Click to read TODAY.
  • Bible Stories STEM Challenge or Activity (David and Saul Activities) | Have you ever wondered if STEM and Bible stories can be combined? Well, the answer is YES. Try my David's Harp STEM Challenge and see how fun and engaging the study of Bible stories can be when combined with STEM! Click HERE! #biblestoriesstem #religiouseducation
  • 11 GREAT POSTS YOU NEED TO READ ABOUT STARTING A MAKERSPACE by Jewel's School Gems | Looking at starting a MakerSpace this year? Here are 11 great posts on MakerSpaces that will surely help you in your quest to start a MakerSpace or STEM lab! #makerspace
  • 3 SPOOK-TACULAR HALLOWEEN STEM CHALLENGES FOR THE ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM by Jewel’s School Gems | This blog post features three spook-tacular Halloween STEM activities that you can do with your class. I promise these are so much fun, your kids won’t even miss the sweets! Get your students designing and building a haunted house, a snake roller coaster, or a spider web. Click to read TODAY.
  • WHAT IS STEM? The Best STEM Explanations from 8 Pioneering Professionals by Jewel's School Gems | This is a blog post about what STEM is. It’s about what it means to STEM educators who have dedicated much of their time in designing and creating meaningful resources, such as fun STEM activities for kids in the elementary classroom. It’s about answering this question: What is STEM? So teachers who are new to STEM or are clueless about it will gain a better understanding. #whatisstem
  • DO YOU KNOW HOW TO DO TEAM BUILDING WITHOUT TEARS BY JEWEL’S SCHOOL GEMS | Have your experiences with STEM team challenges been less than inspiring? Or maybe you have been reluctant to even give them a try?  You are not alone.  So, what’s a teacher to do?  Well, you could sigh and shake your head and wonder how many days till summer break.  Or, you can dig in your heels and get ready to take the actionable steps below and improve team building in your STEM classroom. #stem #teambuilding
  • 11 GREAT POSTS YOU NEED TO READ ABOUT STARTING A MAKERSPACE by Jewel's School Gems | Looking at starting a MakerSpace this year? Here are 11 great posts on MakerSpaces that will surely help you in your quest to start a MakerSpace or STEM lab! #makerspace
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STEM by Jewel's School Gems

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🚨NEW PRODUCT ALERT! If you’re one of the awesome educators who bought my Bible STEM Activities Bundle, make sure to redownload to get this new STEM Challenge for FREE! If you’re a member of Jewel’s School Gems Club, it’s also waiting for you on the website. Link in my profile @jewelpastor 🤍 ... See MoreSee Less

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jewelpastor

STEM by Jewel’s School Gems
First time to go an a canoe journey as a teacher w First time to go an a canoe journey as a teacher with my 8th graders 🛶
🚨NEW PRODUCT ALERT! If you’re one of the awes 🚨NEW PRODUCT ALERT! If you’re one of the awesome educators who bought my Bible STEM Activities Bundle, make sure to redownload to get this new STEM Challenge for FREE! If you’re a member of Jewel’s School Gems Club, it’s also waiting for you on the website. Link in my profile @jewelpastor 🤍
Self-care Saturday! What do you do to take care of Self-care Saturday! What do you do to take care of yourself on the weekends?
Are you excited for spring to come, my friend? I k Are you excited for spring to come, my friend? I know many of my U.S. buddies are! This is why I am so excited to share with you my three Spring STEM Challenges.
 
The first challenge is for students to design and build an umbrella that is waterproof and can easily be opened and closed. You probably already knew the first umbrellas were for shade from the sun and called parasols, but did you also know that until the mid 1700’s it was strictly taboo for men to use umbrellas? Another interesting fact about umbrellas is that currently there are more than 120,000 entries with the U.S. patent Office with the word “umbrella.” A google search for “crazy umbrellas” brings up full body umbrellas, dog umbrellas, and teeny tiny shoe umbrellas to name a few. This would be a fun starting point for a creative writing assignment to connect with the Umbrella STEM Challenge.
 
The next challenge is for students to design and build a bird’s nest which can hold at least three eggs, using only styrofoam and materials found in nature. Before (or after) your students partake in the Bird’s Nest STEM Challenge, an interesting thing to do, is to watch one of the many live stream nest cams. Beware, they are fascinating, and you may find yourself spending more time than intended viewing!
 
The third challenge available this month allows you to tell your students “Go fly a kite!” and mean it literally. The Kite STEM Challenge is to design and build a kite that can fly for at least one minute using plastic bags, wooden skewers, string and clear tape. If your students think that is a long time to keep their creations in the air, share with them that the world record for the longest kite fly is 180 hours!
 
You can purchase each of the challenges individually or get all three in the money-saving Spring STEM Challenge Bundle on TpT and at Jewel's School Gems Club. Link in my profile @jewelpastor #springstemchallenge
It’s always fun seeing my little one entertain h It’s always fun seeing my little one entertain himself. Books aren’t only for reading, they’re also for building and creating chain reactions.💙 #stemfortoddlers
🚨NEW PRODUCT ALERT! If you’re one of the awes 🚨NEW PRODUCT ALERT! If you’re one of the awesome educators who bought my STEM Bell Ringers Bundle, make sure to redownload to get the winter set for FREE! If you’re a member of Jewel’s School Gems Club, it’s also waiting for you on the website. Link in my profile @jewelpastor 🤍
Happy new year, everyone! May we all be blessed th Happy new year, everyone! May we all be blessed this year with everything we hope for!💟
Challenge your students with exciting Winter STEM Challenge your students with exciting Winter STEM challenges to design and build a Snowman, a Snowflake, and a Sled using the suggested materials or choose your own supplies.

Because these Winter STEM Challenges come in a print and digital version, you can choose to print out the pages to give to students or, have them use their electronic devices and save yourself a little ink.

Whether you choose to use this Winter STEM Challenge Bundle one winter day or as a center activity as part of your Winter activities for your second through 5th grade students, they are sure to have a super fun time. The challenges will surely get your students designing and building during this time of year.

Colored and blackline versions of sheets, as well as pages with alternate spellings, are included in this amazing bundle.

See what other teachers are saying:
⭐ These activities will be great in our STEM program. Thanks!
⭐ I cannot wait to do this with my class the week before break!
⭐ Great product!

Please click the link in my profile @jewelpastor to see them in my store. Also available on the Jewel’s School Gems Club website.
I know I usually share STEM stuff here, but I’m I know I usually share STEM stuff here, but I’m just so happy to share that I’ve just organized my first ever art show and it was a success! I’m so proud of all the work my Art students did this year. I’d surely miss teaching Art in this campus since I’ll be transferring to the campus closer to home next year.💙 Thanks to @deepspacesparkle for making teaching Art so easy!
Challenge your students with exciting Thanksgiving Challenge your students with exciting Thanksgiving STEM challenges to design and build a Mayflower Ship, a Turkey Trap, and a Thanksgiving Table using the suggested materials or choose your own supplies. Because these Thanksgiving STEM Activities and Challenges come in a print and digital version, you can choose to print out the pages to give to students or, have them use their electronic devices and save yourself a little ink.

See What Other Teachers Are Saying . . .
⭐ My students loved these activities. We used them the day we got out for Thanksgiving and the kids had a blast.
⭐ Excellent resource! Very helpful in delivering instruction to my STEM club.
⭐ I loved using this the week leading to Thanksgiving and the kids enjoyed it as well!

Click on the links in my profile to see this on TpT or the Jewel’s School Gems Club website >>> @jewelpastor
😊 A few months ago, I talked about how I came u 😊 A few months ago, I talked about how I came up with the idea of Bible STEM challenges and showed you photos of the Towers of Babel and Noah’s Arks designed by the youth group in our church.

📸 Now, here are some pictures of our youth building David’s Slingshot that day. Everyone had a great time building and testing their slingshots!

💎 To see more of my Bible STEM activities, click the link in my profile @jewelpastor
🤔Have you ever wondered if STEM and Religion ca 🤔Have you ever wondered if STEM and Religion can be combined? 

Well, the answer is YES. Try this HUGE Bible Stories STEM Activities and Challenges BUNDLE!😍

The Bible lessons in this bundle will show you how fun and engaging the study of Bible stories can be when combined with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics!🤓

The STEM activities and challenges in this amazing bundle were created especially for Vacation Bible School (VBS) and it was a hit among students of all ages. Kid-tested, your Sunday School or even homeschool students will really enjoy learning about different Bible stories and characters.❤️

🎉Here’s what happy teachers have to say about this FOREVER GROWING BUNDLE:

⭐ This is literally an answer to prayers! Thank you so much for creating such an amazing product that it teacher friendly and the kids absolutely love!

⭐ This is proof that TpT is a one stop resource! I can’t believe there’s STEM to match Bible stories on TpT. Can’t wait to use this!

⭐ Phenomenal resource, even with the littlest learners who are pre-readers. Easy to adapt to different skills and ability levels.

⭐ Students found these activities highly engaging. Students either worked in groups or individually to create. We used the activities for our Science VBS, mission trip, and are integrating them again this summer. Awesome product. Thanks!

⭐️ My church kids love these activities! We have used them together and are now using them as a distance activity with their parents.

LINK TO THIS ULTIMATE BUNDLE OF BIBLE STEM ACTIVITIES IN MY PROFILE. IT’S ALSO A PART OF THE JEWEL’S SCHOOL GEMS CLUB STEM TEACHER MEMBERSHIP ➡️ @jewelpastor
📖 Jesus healing a paralytic is one of the mirac 📖 Jesus healing a paralytic is one of the miracles of Jesus in the Bible.

🙏🏻 The people gathered in such large numbers that day that there was no room left inside the house where Jesus was teaching, not even outside the door. The paralytic man’s friends cut a hole in the roof and lowered their friend down so Jesus can heal him. With this show of faith, Jesus, of course, healed the man.

💪🏼 Challenge your students to design and build a mat that can be lowered safely down a height.

⭐️ Here’s one teacher has to say about it: These STEM projects are always such a hit with my students and I love that this is literally just a print, pull out materials and go activity. The lists make it super easy to prep for and the kids are always highly engaged with the projects.

❤️ This Jesus Heals a Paralytic STEM Challenge is a part of my Bible STEM Mega Bundle. Check it out on TpT or my Jewel’s School Gems Membership through the link in my profile @jewelpastor
Are you trying out STEM activities for the first t 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.

CLICK HERE to download this FREE RESOURCE ➡️ Link in my profile @jewelpastor
Nothing makes my day more than reading feedback on Nothing makes my day more than reading feedback on my resources. Here are a few for my scarecrow STEM challenge:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Daphne W: My students LOVED this! I think they amazed themselves with the scarecrows they designed and built. The coordinating activities are great to extend the project.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cynthia R B: Nice product to use with groups. Great way for students to collaborate. Can also incorporate reusing materials.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Claire M: We used this with a larger group of students divided into four smaller groups and they really enjoyed working together to design and build a scarecrow!  Enjoyed it!

If you’re curious about this STEM challenge, it’s a part of my Fall STEM Bundle on TpT and my Jewel’s School Gems Club STEM Teacher Membership. Please the link in my profile @jewelpastor
For most teachers in the U.S., school has been in For most teachers in the U.S., school has been in session for at least a few weeks and is looking more like the “old normal.”
 
While we all breathe a collective sigh of relief, teachers are noticing the residual effects of the pandemic years on their students. There are the big things, of course, academic slide and social/emotional difficulties. These will take time and patience…and more time.
 
But there are also smaller things that we can work to remediate. Reportedly students are having trouble getting back into learning. The familiar behaviors and routines to start the school day and get ready to learn, which were taught and reinforced since kindergarten, are rusty. Many of our youngest students never even had the opportunity to develop these essential habits.
 
So, I am super excited to present my newest product line—STEM Bell Ringers!
 
Currently, I have STEM Bell Ringers in my Teachers Pay Teachers Store and Jewel’s School Gems STEM Teacher Membership. Right now, I have Autumn or Fall, Back to School, Outer Space, and Construction theme Bell Ringers. 

Each one of these resources includes five types of STEM Bell Ringers, four of each type:
* Quotes
* Mazes
* Brain Teasers
* Creativity Challenges
* Building Challenges

Each STEM bell ringer takes approximately 5-10 minutes to complete.
 
Use these STEM bell ringers to get your students engaged in learning immediately upon entering the classroom. This sets the stage for the day’s learning, provides structure to improve classroom management, and allows you, the teacher, a few minutes to take attendance, get organized, prepare materials, etc. by providing meaningful activities instead of busy work.

Click on the link in my profile @jewelpastor to check them out!
🍎 Fall, teachers, and apples have been connecte 🍎 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.

💎 Click on the link in my profile to see this resource, as well as the other two STEM challenges in my Fall STEM Bundle, on TpT and Jewel’s School Gems Club.
⛪️ Are you teaching STREAM for the first time? ⛪️ Are you teaching STREAM for the first time? STREAM as in R being Religion? This resource is just what you need!

👍🏼 This PowerPoint presentation can be used to introduce to students what STREAM is, help them understand how the Engineering Design Process works, and have them experience working on a STREAM challenge with their peers.

🙌🏼 This resource can be used as a whole lesson. You and your students will surely have a great time with this Introduction to STREAM and the Engineering Design Process PowerPoint.

💎 Check it out on TpT through the link in my profile @jewelpastor. You can also grab this resource and almost 250 more with a Jewel’s School Gems Club STEM teacher membership!
🍂 Looking for fun Fall STEM Activities? Check o 🍂 Looking for fun Fall STEM Activities? Check out this engaging Pumpkin Boat Fall STEM Challenge!

😊 This Pumpkin Boat STEM Challenge is perfect for this season! It’s a fun, creative, and engaging way to get your students designing and building during this time of year.

⛵️ Challenge your students to 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 a miniature figure. You can also modify the task and include any other materials you would like students to use.

Here’s what a couple of happy teachers have to say about it:

⭐️ Great STEM project — very creative!
⭐️ Great resource!

💎 Click the link in my profile @jewelpastor to see it on TpT. You can also get this STEM activity and almost 250 MORE resources from my Jewel’s School Gems Club website. Check it out today!
🔴🟡🔵 Dot Day is here! ✅ Check out this 🔴🟡🔵 Dot Day is here!

✅ Check out this awesome BUNDLE! This DOT DAY STEM BUNDLE is perfect for International Dot Day! It’s a fun, creative, and engaging way to get your students designing, building, and working together during this day.

🫶🏻 These STEM activities are also great book companions for The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds.

😊 This bundle contains the following resources:
🔴 3D DOT Dot Day STEM Challenge
🟡 DOT CATAPULT Dot Day STEM Challenge
🔵 DOT PAPER SPINNER Dot Day STEM Challenge

Each resource contains the following:
✅ Notes to Teacher
✅ Ideas for STEM Links
✅ Next Generation Science Standards
✅ Interactive Notebook Sheets
✅ Suggested Materials
✅ Photos of Possible Finished Products
✅ STEM Challenge Task Cards
✅ Planning and Reflection Sheet
✅ Link to Google Slides Version

👍🏼 Please click the link to see this resource on TpT! Also available in the Jewel’s School Gems STEM Teacher Club! #dotday2022
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