I am a science teacher for grades 5- 8, and last fall, my students went on an epic adventure as we tested out Space Club’s Mission to Mars curriculum! Read below for our experience and two space-themed engineering design challenges you can try in your classroom!

STEM is an inventive, creative, thought-provoking process. But it also involves a lot of supplies, choice of partners (who we may or may not enjoy working with), and open-ended projects that lead to a sometimes chaotic environment! How do we manage all of this as a teacher trying to foster a creative STEM process yet maintain learning objectives and behavioral order in our classrooms? Here are our top 10 tips for classroom management for a STEM learning environment!

It’s football season! Challenge your students to create a safer football helmet for their adorable “egg” players. Using the engineering design process, teams of students design, create, and test pint-sized football helmets. Your classroom will have a whole squad when this challenge is complete. But will all of their players make the cut?

August is here, and that means back to school season! But don’t stress, we have you covered with our favorite STEM icebreakers, activities to introduce STEM to your students, and even classroom posters and freebies!

Click for ten simple summer STEM activities! We have included links for lesson plans, videos, and instructions to get your students exploring, building, and learning! All activities can be modified to serve kids of all ages!

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.

Are you looking for a low-prep STEM curriculum that supports distance learning, engages students, and involves engineering design and careers?

Vivify presents Mission to Moon, a hands-on STEM program delivered virtually for classroom or at-home learning. Your students will design robot hands, rovers, roller coasters, and more while learning about real-world STEM, meeting real STEM professionals, and connecting with schools across the world!

STEM Space At Home is a video series led by an engineer and using materials you can find at home. The videos are intended to support elementary and middle school students through fun engineering design challenges with a real-world connection. This week’s challenge: design a solar-powered tower!

Trick or treat! Get in the Halloween spirit with our favorite spooky STEM activities! Read on for free Halloween paper circuit templates, a robot hand candy grabber, a Haunted House STEM challenge, and more!

STEM Space At Home is a video series led by an engineer and using materials you can find at home. The videos are intended to support elementary and middle school students through fun engineering design challenges with a real-world connection. This week’s challenge: design a rover!

STEM Space At Home is a video series led by an engineer and using materials you can find at home. The videos are intended to support elementary and middle school students through fun engineering design challenges with a real-world connection. This week’s challenge: design a spacesuit!

STEM Space At Home is a video series led by an engineer and using materials you can find at home. The videos are intended to support elementary and middle school students through fun engineering design challenges with a real-world connection. This week’s challenge: build a personal mission patch!