Welcome to Vivify’s Blog!
How to Teach Growth Mindset and Failing Forward
Students need to experience failure in our classrooms. They may not think so, but learning from those failures is what helps them grow. Read on for ways to empower your students to learn from their failures, aka. fail forward, with a good dose of growth mindset!
50 Distance Learning Icebreakers & Games
Are you struggling to engage students during distance learning? Here is a list of 50 icebreakers and games to keep students engaged and motivated during remote learning! Perfect for back to school, these activities also develop important 21st-century skills like communication, creativity, and collaboration. The following list is divided into three parts: relationship-building icebreakers, fun games, and top tools 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.
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.
How to Start an After School STEM Club
Interested in starting a STEM club at your school? Read on to learn how to get support, find resources, and create an awesome experience for your students. We included tons of links to popular STEM competitions, curriculum resources, and much more to help get your club off the ground!
The Best 3 Back to School STEM Icebreakers
Need a fun, easy team-building challenge for back to school? We have you covered with our favorite three back to school STEM icebreakers! Whether preschool or high school, read on for STEM activities and modifications to get your students moving and working together as a team!
How to Launch Model Rockets & Amaze Your Students! (Pt 3)
The most exciting part of rocketry is the thrill of launch day! However, this can be the most stressful day for educators on a limited time frame and 30 rockets to launch! Read on to learn how to set-up a smooth launch event along with tips from my over 400 rocket launches with middle school students!
This post is part three of a three part series on model rockets in the classroom.
How to Launch Model Rockets & Amaze Your Students! (Pt 1)
Do you want to launch a rocket with your students or kids? Are you afraid or unsure where to start? Keep reading for a beginners guide to model rockets based on my years of experience launching hundreds of model rockets with all ages. I also linked to a Google Drive with tons of valuable resources to get you started!
This post is part one of a three part series on model rocketry in the classroom.
Thanksgiving STEM
We are forever thankful for STEM education and the promising future it gives to our world. From designing a turkey nest for an egg drop challenge to sailing the Mayflower, we have compiled a list of our current favorite Thanksgiving STEM activities for you to enjoy. Don't forget to grab our FREEBIE Thankful for STEM resource!
Mobile STEM Classroom
These past few months have been a whirlwind! I moved to San Antonio and started my new work at Communities In Schools. I was excited, but nervous, to take on the challenge of creating brand new STEM programs for middle school students. Luckily I had a few years of volunteer work in Maryland developing and leading after school programs, but this is an official role with lots of eyes watching!