Back to school is an exciting time for both teachers and students, but it can certainly get overwhelming with assessing each child. It’s important to have some fun activities on hand so that there’s a balance of assessments and play. I like to use STEM because it feels like play, but in reality, students are learning to problem solve, persevere, and collaborate with their new peers.
If you have younger students who aren’t experienced with STEM activities yet, check out my tips on introducing STEM to little kids.
Below are five STEM activities you need for back to school!
1. Pencil Towers Challenge
Here’s what you’ll need:
- pencils
In this challenge, students use their pencils to create the tallest tower. This is a great way to get kids talking too! You could limit the number of pencils by giving them only ten or twenty. Their towers will still turn out different. It’s interesting to see who reacts well to this challenge and who frustrates easily.
2. All About Me STEM
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Multi Colored pipe cleaners
- Styrofoam ball cut in half pieces
In this challenge, students are asked a series of yes or no questions. They earn supplies based on their answers and use them to create a sculpture. The sculpture represents the students, similar to a glyph. These make a great display for Open House or to keep in your classroom! Students then compare and contrast themselves (and their sculptures) with other students in the classroom.
3. Getting to Know You STEM
Here’s what you’ll need:
This is like having a student interest inventory survey but with a twist. Instead of answering questions to answer them, students answer questions and earn materials based on their answers. They have an opportunity to earn some or none. The key to this is, to be honest. Students record their answers on a sheet of paper, and you get to keep this in their student portfolio.
Once students have answered all the cards, they get to create a surprise STEM challenge using only the materials they’ve earned. For example, one student may have earned 18 brain flakes while another earned 25 brain flakes. It’s interesting to see how intentional the students with fewer pieces become with their materials. They use their pieces to create the tallest tower.
4. The Dot STEM
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Craft sticks
- Tape
- Printable
- The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds
I love using the book The Dot to discuss having a growth mindset right at the beginning of the school year. Vashti, the main character, doesn’t believe she can draw, so she paints a dot. Her teacher tells her how wonderful it is and frames it. Vashti is cynical when she paints hundreds of dots. Her teacher continues to praise her. Vashti’s confidence grows, and she becomes more serious about her paintings. This is an adorable story that students can relate to.
This STEM challenge asks students to create their own mark. Then, they must create an easel to display their mark. It’s a little more challenging than it looks, and they enjoy creating these in small teams.
5. Fall STEM Task Cards
Here’s what you’ll need:
There are 30 task cards that make learning about fall and the beginning of school fun for kids. We use these with our STEM Boxes. Students use any material they’d like to create something based on the STEM task card. This includes QR codes, challenges with pictures, and writing pages.
These STEM activities are low prep, engaging, and help you get all of the information you need to know about each student at the beginning of the year. They’re great for teachers and students!
Let me know in the comments your favorite back-to-school activities to get to know your students!
Leave a Reply