Welcome to Vivify’s Blog!
Brick by Brick: Intro to Criteria and Constraints
The world’s greatest superhero needs your help! Your mission is to create an exact replica of their top-secret headquarters. But there’s a catch: the villain has stolen all the blueprints! It’s time to put on your engineering hats, strategize with your team, and rebuild the superhero’s headquarters brick by brick. The fate of this mission depends on you—let’s get started!
The Brick by Brick: Intro to Criteria & Constraints lesson builds communication skills, increases understanding of the engineering design process, and is a great way to connect to authentic engineering work. Learn more below and find this lesson for FREE in our STEM resource library.
Water STEM Activity: Design a Water Pipeline!
Water is one of the most vital resources on our planet, yet many students are unaware of the engineering marvels that ensure clean water reaches our taps daily. The water pipeline STEM challenge is an exciting way to introduce students to the crucial role of engineers in solving real-world problems while aligning with key educational standards.
Top 3 AI Tools for Educators
AI has the potential to save teachers valuable time while transforming students' learning experiences. But with the growing number of AI tools available, where should educators begin?
A Search for Life: Astro-Rover STEM Challenge
The Astro-Rover STEM Challenge is a classroom favorite, with many of my students calling it the highlight of their entire school year! What makes this space-themed unit unique is the way it blends science concepts and design thinking into one truly interdisciplinary package. The Astro-Rover STEM lesson, perfect for middle school classrooms, captivates students with the thrilling topic of alien life while aligning with key NGSS science standards, such as understanding how the presence of water can indicate potential for life.
Eating in Space 5E Science: Design a Menu for an Astronaut!
Did you know that astronauts eat mac and cheese in space? That’s just one of 203 different things on the menu!
Design a Zoo 5E STEM Project
Have you ever wanted to own a zoo? With this STEM challenge, you and your students can!
Earthquake-Resistant Structures STEM Project
Why do earthquakes happen? How can we protect people and buildings during an earthquake? These are just some of the questions students explore in the Earthquake 5E STEM challenge. In this challenge, students learn about earthquakes and how engineers design structures to be earthquake-resistant.
Top Resources for the 2024 Solar Eclipse!
Many classrooms around the world are gearing up to view a spectacular event—the 2024 solar eclipse! To make this cosmic phenomenon an unforgettable and enriching experience for both educators and students, we are excited to share the best resources for celebrating the solar eclipse! We also share a free Solar Eclipse Explorer Kit filled with teacher slides, an editable note to families, and tons of resources to plan a solar eclipse party or celebrate in your classroom or home!
The ABCs of Kindergarten STEM
In this post, we discuss how to engage the youngest learners in meaningful STEM through our brand-new Alphabet STEM curriculum for Kindergarten! Alphabet STEM was a collaborative effort from the Vivify STEM team. Read on for our favorite letters, advice on teaching kinder STEM, and grab the free kinder STEM lesson!
Celebrate the Winter Solstice with a STEM Challenge
Learn about the winter solstice with a science lesson and engineering challenge! In this STEM activity, students will explore how light reflects and refracts and how materials can be transparent, translucent, or opaque. Teams will then use the engineering design process to build a lantern to expand the light cast by a flashlight. Plus, tons of videos and real-world STEM connections!
Top 5 Christmas STEM Activities
As the Thanksgiving leftovers slowly dwindle in our fridge, it is time to look forward to the Christmas season and help Santa get ready for his epic journey around the world. What better way to model the engineering design process than with activities that help Santa navigate the challenges of the Christmas holidays? From transporting toys with pneumatics or coding an elf, here are our favorite 5 Christmas STEM activities.
Ocean STEM Activities
5, 4, 3, 2, 1! There are 5 oceans 4 (for) our students to explore in these 3 fun ocean activities consisting of 2 science experiments and 1 art project. Let’s dive in!