Wow! Spring Break is over and there are only 43 more days of school left before SUMMER!!! This year has been a blur!  I always start wondering, “What will my students remember about being in my class?” “Will they remember worksheets or test prep?”  I really hope not! Yes, I use worksheets (sometimes) and I prepare my students with the skills they will need for standardized testing, but I don’t want that to be what they remember about Mrs. Taylor’s Class! I really try to find ways to hit our grade level skills through fun and engaging projects. STEM Challenges not only hit many of my targeted math and science standards, but it also makes learning fun and memorable!  STEM Challenges also teach many lifelong skills like problem solving, cooperation, critical thinking, and communication.  Easter STEM Challenges and Peep Boat Challenges are a great way to engage your students in learning important math and science standards.  I also have an Easter STEM Challenges K-2.

Students create Peep Puff Boats that can move across water.  Students go through the Design Process as they work together to design a boat that can hold and float with a Peep! Students even name their boats! My students love this activity!!! I also connect some important economic concepts with this lesson. (productive resources) Students test out their boats to see if they float!! 

Jelly Bean Tower Challenge: Students will  plan and design the tallest jelly bean tower possible using only jelly beans and toothpicks.  This is a great time to review different geometric shapes.

 Egg Experiments

Students will conduct an experiment to see how eggs will react with different liquids.

Rubber Eggs

Students will conduct an experiment to see how eggs will react to vinegar over several days. 

Easter Egg Tower Challenge: Students stack Easter Eggs to build the tallest tower.  A steady hand and planning is very important.  I purchase several different sizes of eggs to add rigor to this challenge.