Vivify STEM Blog
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.
A Neuroscientist’s Top 5 STEM Activities for Kids and Families!
Do you have kids interested in life sciences? We asked Maria Garza, a graduate student in neurobiology at the University of Texas at San Antonio to share her favorite activities! Read on for some toys, apps, and games to delight your students followed by some Vivify STEM lessons!
Some background on our guest blogger: Maria works with animal models to study how molecular mechanisms in the brain impact behavior and cognition. As a scientist, wife, and mother, she hopes to encourage other women and girls interested in STEM. Maria is also the founder of Women In Neuroscience, a public platform where women share their experiences in neuroscience, in order to create an atmosphere of support.
How to Host a Virtual STEM Family Event!
We miss our packed STEM Family Nights that included students and parents working together to launch rockets, build towers, and make slime! While we wait to bring back in-person events, we have put together a guide for hosting an all-virtual STEM event that will encourage families to step away from the computer and complete a hands-on project together!
From selecting activities to marketing, read on for 5 steps to host your own virtual STEM or STEAM family event!
15 Ways to Teach Robotics Virtually
One of our recent top questions in The STEM Space educator group was: Help! We are going virtual, and I run a robotics class. How can I teach robotics virtually?
We rounded up the answers from other teachers, conducted our own research, and we present to you 15 ways to teach robotics for distance learning!
How to use Digital & Printed STEM Journals
Elevate any STEM challenge by using a journal to capture student thinking during the engineering design process! Read below for how to use a digital or printed STEM journal including strategies for distance learning.
Superhero Arm: STEM At Home Activity
To support students during school closings, Vivify is launching a STEM Space At Home weekly video series! Tune in every Thursday for a new STEM activity, led by an engineer, and using materials you can find at home. This week’s challenge: Superhero Robotic Arm!
Top Take-Home STEM Resources for School Closings
As schools close in response to the coronavirus, classrooms are moving to online learning, and parents are scrambling to keep their children engaged in learning while stuck at home. To help both educators and parents, we have compiled a list of our top STEM resources including both online and offline take-home activities. We also provide resources for transitioning to online learning as well as teaching about the coronavirus.
30 Winter STEM Activities
Snow ball fights, candy canes, and reindeer…time for some winter STEM activities for kids! Read on for 30 science experiments, math activities, engineering design challenges, and even coding fun - all with a winter theme! All these activities use simple materials and are perfect for the classroom or at home while stuck indoors.
Thrilling STEM Activities for Kids: Roller Coaster Challenge
Let’s talk about roller coasters! Make the stimulating challenge of creating a roller coaster part of your next STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) project. By using the engineering design process, student teams are tasked with creating a thrilling ride! Students learn about the science of roller coasters, including various forms of energy, and then using common materials such as craft sticks, paper and tape, students design a track for a ping pong ball to land safely in a cup at the bottom. This activity is definitely one of my new favorite STEM activities for kids!
STEM Explorers: Travel the World with STEM Activities for Elementary
Pack your bags and get ready to go on an incredible journey with your students! One of my favorite things about STEM education is that it is a multidisciplinary approach to project-based learning. Our STEM Explorers lessons truly embody that spirit by connecting engineering design challenges to history and geography while also including math and science. The mission: to explore all seven continents and discover the inventions that were born there. Are you ready? Let’s go!
10 Must Have STEM Tools
Are you a new STEM teacher? Looking for a STEM activity in music or art? Are you introducing 3D printing? Our list of 10 must have STEM tools covers everything from robotics to unplugged learning, free resources, and some brand new products that just hit the market! We hope you enjoy this list of back to school STEM tools!
Lunar STEM Activities for the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo Moon Landing
Moon STEM activities, books, videos and more are in store in this post! Whether you remember the Apollo 11 mission or have only seen past pictures, the feat remains awe-inspiring. This can be especially true for kids who desire to dream big. Join us in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing as we engage kids with history and strengthen their STEM skills for the future. Read on for our list of related STEM activities and resources for your home, classroom, or program.