PreK-5 STEM Explorers

It’s always a joy to bring hands-on STEM experiences into classrooms! Recently, I had the opportunity to lead a STEM + literacy integrated activity with a class of bright, creative third graders.

After reading "21 Elephants and Still Standing" by April Jones Prince, students explored what makes a bridge strong, then applied the engineering design process to create their own bridges using simple materials. The challenge: build a bridge that could hold 21 pennies.

Their designs showed so much imagination, problem-solving, and perseverance. See them hard at work! 💪

👀Stay tuned to see these Storybook STEM lessons published to our website. Want me to come and visit your class? Send me an email at cfelderman@cgesd.k12.or.us and let's schedule something!

Fall is a great time to connect students with place-based and phenomena-based learning. BirdCast’s Live Migration Maps use radar data and machine learning to track bird movements across North America in real time. 🐦‍⬛

This tool gives students the chance to:

• Observe migration patterns as they happen

• Analyze how weather and geography influence movement

• Practice reading and interpreting data visualizations

  
  

It’s an accessible entry point for introducing data literacy and systems thinking in the context of a seasonal phenomenon. Even younger students can make simple observations, such as noticing when and where migration is most active. Older students can dig deeper into trends and relationships.

There's a chill in the air, leaves on my windshield, and pumpkins on every porch. It must be fall! 🍂🎃

Here are five Fun Fall Facts you can share with your students:

• Leaves change color because less sunlight triggers a chemical change in the pigments.

• Pumpkins are technically a fruit since they grow from a flower and contain seeds.

• Autumn lasts longer in the Northern Hemisphere because of the Earth's tilt.

• The Northern Lights often shine their brightest on crisp, clear fall nights.

Our STEM Hub recently hosted two PlayLabs focused on Kindergarten readiness. We had 28 educators join us for conversations about what skills signal that a child is ready to enter Kindergarten or transition to a new classroom.

One of our key activities asked groups to rank Kindergarten readiness milestones such as asking questions, taking turns, following directions, holding a pencil, writing their name, measuring, and counting to 20.

Across seven groups, here are the major trends we saw:

✨ Top priorities:

• Social-emotional skills such as taking turns, asking and answering questions, waiting, and following directions

• Ability to work in a group and communicate effectively