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Showing posts with label stations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stations. Show all posts

I Am Thankful For...Freebie!

I am so very thankful for my blogging friends...visitors...and anyone else who pops on by my site! I am appreciative that you are here and that you stop by to see what I am doing in my science school yard with my 400 kiddos! To thank you for being here...I have posted a small freebie that my second graders were working on as they finished the acorn trees and mazes. They couldn't get enough of the fun hands on STEM activities. Check out the  pictures of their hideouts! You can have fun with this one this week as we get closer to Thanksgiving.
Can the turkey hide in here???

Maybe a scary sign will deter the hunters...

Bars might keep them out!

Here is what to do...
1. Pick a fun Turkey Trouble story where poor turkey might be dinner...
2. Set out materials for them to get or have them ready at the tables...
3. Let them build their own little turkey hide out to help the turkey not be dinner!
4. Place the paper turkey inside the hideout and then...
5. Let the kids share their ideas and reflect with their sheets.

A little writing...a little reading...a little science and engineering! If you like this freebie...take a look at my STEM stations on TPT.

Download your freebie station HERE.
Thanks for stopping by! I am thankful for you!
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Turkey and Billy Goat Science

 This week, we started to use my STEM Fall Into Thanksgiving Pack. We have finished up our first units for FOSS at many grade levels and it is sure fun to take a STEM break!

I love the way that the book Run, Turkey, Run! fits our STEM activity of making a maze. We used the story map to create scenery along the way...You could always use another turkey book's story line to help your engineers...

I start with a box from juice from our lunchroom. We grab colored paper, popsicle sticks, jenga blocks, and cubes that we have in our classroom along with  a marble for each maze. 

Here are some of their a-maze-ing turkey runs!
They loved working together as a team to create the runs and the scenery, but most of all to play with the maze!
What a great Fall STEM station!


Their teacher even had fun!


Looking for more STEM lessons and ideas? Grab my Thanksgiving pack that includes scarecrows, oak trees, Turkey hideout, along with other a-maze-ing challenges here... TPT STEM Fall Into Thanksgiving Pack .

In Kindergarten...we finished up another positional word STEM activity with the Three Billy Goats Gruff! There is a great version of this story to read on EPIC books that is a nice positive twist! It goes along well with the positive twist on Miss Muffet we use with the song on youtube!
This version is great...the troll doesn't want to "have them for dinner"...He wants to have them over for dinner!
  Take a look at the kindergarten bridges and puppets that they use to retell the story! Science and language arts can go hand in hand!
We work with retelling word cards...up...across...over...under...next to...

We draw and discuss what a bridge needs in order to get across...

We then let our kinders play with the puppets to reenact the story line!
I love to see them be creative and play and science can do that! 
STEM Three Billy Goats Gruff Pack
   Next week...boats to go under the bridge! They are very excited!

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Falling Into STEM

My 2nd graders just got done with their air and weather unit. I wanted to do something fun with them so I chose one of my STEM activities out of my new STEM Fall Into Thanksgiving Pack. I did this with older kids last week and I gave them more supplies. This week I tried it with littles and fewer materials made better trees. I love how they problem solved after we drew the parts of a tree in our notebooks and labeled the parts a tree has...

Take a look at their tree creations...
This tree's branches were sagging. I asked them what kind of tree it would be...we agreed either a tree knocked over by a tornado or a weeping willow.

This group struggled...but on their final attempt....the acorns and pine cones sat on top. They told me that the branches were together and didn't spread out.

I love how they started using the parts of the tree to describe what they still needed to include!

My two buddies on this STEM team started building a forest! They were able to make two and they were so proud of themselves!
The part I liked best is that I could let my students work on a quick and easy activity during this fall season. I am handing off the supplies and a fun book to my first and third grade friends for next week's first Paw celebration!


If you interested in this or 3 other STEM activities for Fall and Thanksgiving check out this pack!

Here is a treat for you...leave me a comment...I never get them...and I will pick one lucky winner to receive this pack for free!
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Currently November

I have been very busy in October. We are working hard to add NGSS and STEM into our science lessons....we gutted our school garden and redesigned it to make it more user and mower friendly...harvesting everything we could so that our kiddos could eat it in the lunchroom. Organized the Great Lakes Apple Crunch Day...and finished four products for our STEM classes and our teachers to use for our special PAW celebrations twice a month! They are more seasonal for our kids K-5 to enjoy. I am finishing two more today...my goal was 100 products by November...and I have one more to go. Currently it is NOVEMBER and so I have to make sure it is done today so that I meet my goal. I am connecting with Farley over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade to share with you what I am up to!


Listening...We are up north. Setting out corn and apples for the deer...checking the deer cam...and whoa...take a look at what we saw...


So now we are back at the cabin talking fantasy football! I love when he shares what he is up to.

Our district is proud of all of the great things that are happening in our school garden. Our food service administrator is 100% on board to wanting every child in our district being positively affected by our school garden as well. We make videos for schools to share our Wisconsin Wednesday's food that is served in all of our schools...and with that they literally gave me a clean slate. This week, while kids were gone, and teachers had in-service...the district cut all of the sod out of the garden...cut down two trees that were causing safety issues...ground all the stumps down...dug out all of the overgrown flowers to make way for our large scale pumpkin patch...started to build new raised beds...took our 5 benches to redo over the winter...and will be cementing a new area for our picnic tables within the garden! I am sooooo excited for a chance to really make this garden special.
They saved our asparagus...but take a look at my clean slate...The Kindergartners will be so excited about their pumpkin patch next to the school. Blueberry bushes...raspberry patch...three large  raised beds...any suggestions???? 
Thinking...my kids need to get me their lists...I hate waiting until after "black" Friday.

Loving...someone on TPT made a large purchase yesterday. I wish I could thank them! I am so appreciative!

Needing...to finish new STEM stations for our teachers. We just implemented a new PAW award celebration for students making good choices. The teachers are in need of quick and easy...fun...and educational ideas that they don't always get to do. Here is what I made this week for them...
STEM Christmas Stations on TPT

Bird Beak Stations and STEM Connection on TPT

STEM Halloween Stations on TPT
I am finishing STEM Fall Into Thanksgiving Stations and STEM Candy Stations tonight! I will meet my goal if I can finish it today...Thanks for stopping by! I can't wait until I can eat pie...and see all of my kids around my table again! I miss my two college kiddos...it isn't the same without them...
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Bird Beak Adaptations

We have been working hard in our first grade science rooms to learn about invertebrates. That concept alone is very hard for littles, but it is on our road map so why not make it real? This week, we finished up on birds. My little birdies enjoyed a story about birds and their adaptations. From feet... to beaks birds are pretty sweet! I once again used EPIC books for my projectable book: Birds Of All Kinds.
 
We followed it up by discussing how baby birds learn to fly and then find their own food. What will the baby birds need to know? What will they have to learn on their own? What will they need to have?

After we shared...my baby birds were able to learn about the food (station explanation) that they were going to find. I gave them their checklist...my way of giving them ownership for their time management...and let them fly the coop! Here they are working on their stations!!!!
My little robins digging for worms...

My little hummingbirds sipping nectar...

My little cardinals cracking seeds....

Check out the flamingo scooping krill...

The little woodpeckers are busy digging for bugs...

My little swallow getting ready to catch a bug mid-air...

Finally my birds of prey as they rip and tear meat!
This activity will allow them to have the background to create their own beaks next week! What a great way to add STEM into my classroom! Adaptations are part of the new NGSS science standards as well! Here is my Bird Beak Stations and STEM Connections Pack on TPT ready for your little birdies to soar in science!
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Going to the Beach and Paris in Science

I have been doing a lot of reading about how to get kids excited about your teaching. The goal is to create rich experiences for them and opportunities to go on an adventure in and out of school. Teaching FOSS kits for science doesn't always lend itself to that, but this year my goal is to plan "stay"cations for my students. I want to provide opportunities to make fun connections with what we are learning in science. Our first graders are learning about jobs they could have that deal with animals. We are building a zoo, learning about taxidermy, and later on marine biology! We are connecting our lessons to adventures we can have using what we can get our hands on! Next week, we are going gold prospecting in our school garden...digging up our potatoes. This allows us to connect science with social studies!  A majority of my kiddos don't get to go anywhere outside of our town...so why not set the mood in our room and around our school!
Students review what a mammal is... (this pack is coming soon!)
We then get to meet Foxy Fox. Using a real mammal really gets them seeing the characteristics! It is also a great incentive. Sheet first...then pet the fox!
This week...my third graders are going to the beach! Beach Boy music in the background...sand and shells everywhere. Why? To practice measurement sillies!
This is from my measurement stations found in MY STORE ON TPT.


My second graders are going to Paris, France! With french cafe music in the background...pictures of the Eiffel Tower on the smartboard...we are learning science! You wonder how? We are learning about Air. Gosh!
I found this great book on EPIC books called Pierre In The Air. It all started there! We are using the FOSS air lesson on parachutes with no books in our library about that. I found this book and Voila! A french scene to set the mood! I even researched how to speak with a french accent on you tube to read the story! After building a parachute...getting on a plane...and traveling outside to Paris...we learned about air resistance. Check it out! The kids loved the fun way we learned about air and it seemed to stick better when we reflected!
Testing our homemade FOSS parachutes! 
The best is saved for last...the real parachute and a fun color swap game! 
Now...what can you do to make science an adventure? What can you do to make science simple and yet...fun! Let me hear what you do to tie in real world experiences!
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Measuring Up The First Day Back!

What a great first day of school. Working with every Kindergarten-fifth grader in our school is amazing. It may be a bit of juggling as I transition from a 5th grade class that is followed right away...not a minute between by a first grade, but I am up for it! Today, was called hit the ground running! Because I know all of them!!!! I can get started with not too much review!

My fourth graders worked on things that help our learning STICK! Then we worked right into magnets! See the transition! We did a KWL followed by them getting to just explore and play!
I love watching them figure out the balls...the magnet chips, and the magnets. I then add the vocabulary words attract and repel on the board. I ask them to show and tell their team what each word means. It is amazing that each student can show what they know! I then gave them a bag of items to test. This year...we are doing FOUR OUT THE DOOR! They must show me what they give themselves as a self assessment on my rubrics with four being the best! I have included the rubrics for you. One is for content...one is for writing, one is for analyzing, and the last is for effort.

                           Science Rubrics Download...FREEBIE


We use FOSS so we did a quick FOSS sheet and then I read a book from EPIC books about magnets! We learned about Iron and Steele and how they attract things that are magnetic! Great quick read and a free sight for teachers!

I also taught my firsties about scientists tools! The kiddos loved the stations! I had them using scales, thermometers, rulers, and timers! The hands on activities helped my little ones get through a whole hour with not too much fuss!
Third graders are also doing similar stations as they learn the metric system! Get them up and moving...get them working as a team! Get them self-assessing! Science=Success!

Happy Back to School! Happy Classrooms!
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