Welcome to Vivify’s Blog!
Summer STEM Bucket List Student Gifts
Summer is almost here! Give your students a gift that will encourage them to continue learning all summer long. With a Summer STEM Bucket List, kids will explore, create, and discover things about the world around them in a way that kids (and their teachers) love! Get your FREE printable Summer STEM Bucket List!
Design a Mars Colony: STEM Project
Six steps to designing a colony on Mars! Students learn about Mars, brainstorm and research design solutions for food, water, energy, and other critical systems, and build a colony model from recycled materials. This is the perfect way to take your STEM or STEAM program to the next level with a project-based STEM challenge!
Bolt: Is Sphero's Latest Robot Worth the Hype?
With the release of BOLT, Sphero has added some cool new features to their traditional robot design, including an animation matrix, light sensor, and BOLT to BOLT robot communication. They have also updated the Sphero Edu app, so robots can also connect to Chrome, Mac and Windows computers. But at $149.99, are these features worth the extra $20 over the popular SPRK+? Read on for an in-depth look at 6 new BOLT features plus 3 awesome STEM activities for your classroom set!
Enhancing the STEM Experience: The Young Scientist Challenge
How do you enhance your child’s involvement and interest in STEM? A recent study highlights the advantages of encouraging scientific curiosity. We’ve already seen tremendous improvements in the academic success of students involved in our afterschool Space Club, but involvement at home is key too! One great resource can be found in the Young Scientist Challenge by Discovery Education and 3M. If you are already involved in this competition, remember to submit your entry videos by April 19th! If not, read on to learn more.
6 STEM Resource Finds and Takeaways from the NSTA Conference
Instead of spending my spring break lounging on the beach drinking mimosas, I decided to head to Atlanta, Georgia for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) National Conference! I mingled with thousands of other educators across the country all passionate about teaching science. As a first-time attendee, here are my takeaways from NSTA including a list of my top 6 STEM resource finds!
Top 10 STEM Space Activities
Ready to launch your students into some space STEM activities? Read on to explore our top space-themed STEM activities. These activities are categorized into our 3 stages of STEM to fit different learning levels.
5 Tips to Planning the Best STEM Field Trip!
Exploring a science museum, attending a planetarium show, or touring a local research lab, STEM field trips are the ultimate way to excite students and connect classroom topics to the real world of STEM! Read on for our guide to planning a fun and educational trip based on our adventures in Space Club.
The Best STEM Challenge Ever
Join us as we give you all the details about our popular Space Lander STEM Challenge and link up with some other great STEM educators sharing the BEST STEM CHALLENGE EVER!
Teachers love the Space Lander STEM challenge because the students are completely engaged. Students not only learn, but deeply understand the engineering design process, key science concept, and math standards all while improving their soft skills involved in teamwork.
Earth Day STEM and a FREEBIE!
Earth Day is a great opportunity to combine STEM with environmental awareness! Today’s students will be entrusted with preserving our planet for future generations. Industrialization, population growth, oil spills and other dangers threaten the safety of our home. Learning the science of plant growth and other critical functions of life here on Earth provides the foundation for engineering and technology developments that may save our planet.
This Earth Day, we challenge you to join us in giving kids hands-on STEM challenges that allows them to plant, design, and rescue. Find a freebie at the end of this post for you and your kids to enjoy too!
Thankful for STEM & TAME
Oh, how thankful I am for STEM! Long before "STEM" became a buzzword, the ancients began calculating and discovering, and building and uncovering, to make their world-- our world -- a better place. What are you most thankful for? How has STEM been a part of what you are thankful for?
Fall and Halloween STEM
Halloween is almost here, and we have just the thing to celebrate with your kids and classroom! ...an engineering challenge is my favorite way to immerse kids in a hands-on STEM learning environment throughout the fall season
Back to School STEM!
Back-to-school signs now greet me at every store, but I am still in denial that the lazy day of summers have come to an end! Soon, students will fill the hallways with laughter and shiny new backpacks, and teachers will clutch their coffee mugs and brace for another year! To help ease you into the new school year, Vivify invites you to start the year with some hands-on STEM challenges!