PreK-5 STEM Explorers

Have you heard the news? Oregon Senate Bill 1596, which takes effect at the start of 2027, officially recognizes play-based learning as valid instructional time for students in grades K–5. The State Board of Education is revising rules so that both free play (child-directed, spontaneous activity) and guided play (adult-supported learning with specific goals) count directly toward required classroom hours (recess and required PE remain separate).

What this means for Elementary Teachers

We often find play-based learning emphasized in early childhood settings, and I'm excited to see more and more of it in elementary school as we are now officially encouraged to make play part of our day. Instead of viewing play as a break from academic content, this bill acknowledges that play is how young children learn best. Importantly, SB 1596 also explicitly states that play opportunities should never be withheld as a behavioral consequence. 🙂

As educators, we can leverage…

Summer is right around the corner! No need to reinvent the wheel; my favorite ECE idea source, Busy Toddler, has shared her Summer Bucket List and Boredom Busters to keep kids of all ages engaged, active, and learning through play all summer long. You can share these with your class, use with summer school students, or try with your own kids!

First on my list to try are making bubble foam and setting up an obstacle course outside. 🙂

This spring, I had the pleasure of racing groups of middle school students from across the region to find out which of us is at the top of the food chain (spoiler alert... not me!).

CGCC's 5th annual Math Day was a huge hit! Middle schoolers got to learn hands-on, applicable math from professors, industry professionals, and local STEM geniuses. Topics ranged from How Not to Kill Your Patients to Stomp Rocket Science. Leaning into this year's "Math in the Wild" theme, I brought an Animal Speeds activity.

First, students recorded three of their own speeds (tortoise crawl, normal walk, and all-out sprint) on a 20-meter track. They then calculated their speed for each using the formula speed = distance/time.

The best part was comparing our results to different animals. While most of us landed somewhere in the neighborhood of a chicken or a pig (a humbling realization), one student actually reached "Almost Elephant"…

Last week, I attended this great webinar hosted by AI for Education. When we hear AI, we usually think of ChatGPT or high-tech tools that aren't exactly age-appropriate for a 6-year-old. But the session made a compelling case: AI is already part of our students' lives, from the videos recommended to them on YouTube to the voice assistants they talk to at home.

The big takeaway? We aren't recommending direct student use of AI before third grade. However, we have a responsibility to build AI Literacy early on, and we might be surprised how much will click with our students.

How do we teach AI to young learners?

The goal isn’t to get kids "on" the tech, but to help them understand the world around the tech. Here’s what was covered:

• Spotting AI in the Wild: Using real-world examples to show kids that AI is a tool humans built. It’s in our Netflix recommendations…