Welcome to Vivify’s Blog!

A Teacher’s Guide to Science Fair

Are you a teacher responsible for running Science Fair this year? Not sure where to start? Read on for our Science Fair Guide: Steps to Success! This post includes the basics of Science Fair, our steps to success for teachers, a free science fair poster, a nature of science lesson, and links to real student Science Fair project examples.

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The ABCs of Kindergarten STEM

In this post, we discuss how to engage the youngest learners in meaningful STEM through our brand-new Alphabet STEM curriculum for Kindergarten! Alphabet STEM was a collaborative effort from the Vivify STEM team. Read on for our favorite letters, advice on teaching kinder STEM, and grab the free kinder STEM lesson!

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Celebrate the Winter Solstice with a STEM Challenge

Learn about the winter solstice with a science lesson and engineering challenge! In this STEM activity, students will explore how light reflects and refracts and how materials can be transparent, translucent, or opaque. Teams will then use the engineering design process to build a lantern to expand the light cast by a flashlight. Plus, tons of videos and real-world STEM connections!

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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.

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Rate Your STEM Lesson: What Stage is Your STEM Challenge?

What is the focus in your STEM classroom? Do you love teambuilding activities? Or perhaps you spend most of the year on engineering design? Take our quiz to find out what stage of STEM your lessons are! Then read below for more on the 3 Stages of STEM, example activities, and a free STEM lesson checklist to help plan your lesson!

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Design a Prosthetic Leg STEM Activity...for Animals!

Looking for an engaging STEM activity that builds empathy? Read below for a Stage 2 STEM engineering activity that challenges students to learn about and design an interchangeable prosthetic leg. Students then apply concepts for a prosthetic for their favorite animals!

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Design a Sustainable Eco-House STEM Project

In the Eco-House Extravaganza STEM project, students work in teams to complete the ultimate project-based learning STEM experience: planning and designing an energy-efficient, eco-friendly house! Read below for how to implement a project that incorporates environmental and earth science, STEM careers, sustainability, and teamwork. This lesson was developed by a middle school science teacher and Harvard graduate student, Kristina Ohl, who shares her experience developing and testing out this lesson so you can bring it to your classroom!

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Sub Plans for a STEM Classroom

Are you in need of sub plans for your STEM classroom? Whether it's planned ahead, the morning of, or a 2 week COVID quarantine, I try to always have low-prep STEM lesson plans ready if needed. But sometimes preparing for a sub can feel like more work than actually being there! So I got together with the Vivify team to brainstorm ideas and put together strategies and recommendations for how to run a successful STEM classroom with a substitute teacher!

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Go on a Mission to Mars!

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!

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Football STEM Challenge!

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?

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5 Spooky Halloween STEM Activities

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!

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