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?

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

When you hear the word “FAILURE”, what comes to mind? What feelings surface? Failure is something adults face often; for example, in our jobs when we fail to meet a deadline, in our relationships when we fail to act appropriately to situations, and in our homes when we fail to get chores accomplished or items fixed, to name a few. How a person responds to failure, and more importantly, how one goes on to succeed may be based on how he or she is conditioned at a young age.

The Super Bowl is almost here! While I am planning to consume large amounts of buffalo wings and chips and dip, I am reminded that there is more that goes into this monumental day in America than just good entertainment. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), is present in every aspect of this beloved game. This truth provides a wonderful opportunity to get kids involved in an early love of STEM.

With days until Christmas, kids can be bundles of restless energy! We can help you channel all that craziness with a fun Christmas themed engineering challenge that will keep your child or students entertained while learning! 

Many families across the country participate in the fun tradition of the Elf on a Shelf. The elf is a magical helper that manages his naughty and nice lists by reporting back to the North Pole each night. Parents have fun placing the elf in all sorts of crazy positions each night, and kids wake up each morning looking for the elf. 

Need some winter-themed STEM challenges for those last school days of December? Engineering challenges are the perfect way to channel the high energy of students before the holidays. Students can pop frozen bubbles, make fake snow, design a new Santa sleigh, or build a wrapping paper bridge!

I don’t know about where you live, but here in Texas it has been really hot outside! Shocking, I know! So how do my munchkin and I beat the heat while having fun and learning a little along the way? Well, besides squeezing in our daily airing of Frozen, we built a snowman!

Are you looking for STEM activities, but don’t know where to begin? Does engineering or science seem like a foreign subject?  These thoughts often prevent teachers and parents from using STEM activities, but STEM is not difficult to implement! All parents and teachers can use STEM activities for an engaging way to practice math and science skills. STEM is all about connecting academics to the real world to awaken a passion in students for learning and discovery!

Just in time for the winter holidays, we have created a STEM winter-themed calendar! Students will pop frozen bubbles, make fake snow, design a new Santa sleigh, build a wrapping paper bridge, and much more. The calendar is jam-packed with ideas to keep the learning going during these holiday months. This calendar is recommended as a STEM challenge to students for the holiday break!

A staple science experiment is the famous Diet Coke + Mentos reaction. Every child loves the impressive geyser created from combining these two ingredients. If you are not familiar with this classic, I highly recommend you try it out or at least watch this video: MythBusters

One problem with conducting this experiment in a classroom is the obvious messy factor. Another issue is having students actively participate instead of just watching an awesome explosion (still highly recommended). My twist on this experiment involves a smaller version of the reaction that is contained inside a balloon! Read on to learn more.