Vivify STEM Blog
2020 Hour of Code Resources + Unplugged Coding Activity
Schools across the world will participate in an Hour of Code on December 7-13th as part of Computer Science Education Week. Check out our must-watch inspirational coding videos plus low-prep activities perfect for social distancing or distance learning.
5 Spooky Halloween STEM Activities
Trick or treat! Get in the Halloween spirit with our favorite spooky STEM activities! Read on for free Halloween paper circuit templates, a robot hand candy grabber, a Haunted House STEM challenge, and more!
Bring Space Club to Your School!
From space suit design to growing plants in space, Space Club is an interactive virtual program with weekly engineering design challenges, sessions with NASA engineers, and students from across the country! Students will upload videos of completed designs for the chance to win epic prizes like telescopes and robots! Learn how to bring it to your middle school this fall!
7 Ideas for Teaching Social Studies with STEM
STEM by definition is a collaborative way of bringing subjects together to introduce students to higher-order thinking. So it shouldn’t be isolated to the science or specials classes. Bring STEM into your social studies lessons with the ideas and tips below.
50 Distance Learning Icebreakers & Games
Are you struggling to engage students during distance learning? Here is a list of 50 icebreakers and games to keep students engaged and motivated during remote learning! Perfect for back to school, these activities also develop important 21st-century skills like communication, creativity, and collaboration. The following list is divided into three parts: relationship-building icebreakers, fun games, and top tools for distance learning.
How to use Digital & Printed STEM Journals
Elevate any STEM challenge by using a journal to capture student thinking during the engineering design process! Read below for how to use a digital or printed STEM journal including strategies for distance learning.
Superhero Arm: STEM At Home Activity
To support students during school closings, Vivify is launching a STEM Space At Home weekly video series! Tune in every Thursday for a new STEM activity, led by an engineer, and using materials you can find at home. This week’s challenge: Superhero Robotic Arm!
Thrilling STEM Activities for Kids: Roller Coaster Challenge
Let’s talk about roller coasters! Make the stimulating challenge of creating a roller coaster part of your next STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) project. By using the engineering design process, student teams are tasked with creating a thrilling ride! Students learn about the science of roller coasters, including various forms of energy, and then using common materials such as craft sticks, paper and tape, students design a track for a ping pong ball to land safely in a cup at the bottom. This activity is definitely one of my new favorite STEM activities for kids!
10 Easy STEM Career Classroom Activities
Do you talk about STEM careers in your classroom? Perhaps you don’t have a STEM background and feel intimidated. Or maybe you know about certain careers, but you are looking to expand your knowledge of the diverse field. We can help! Read on for strategies to bring STEM careers to life in your classroom! Through activities that connect STEM to student interests, we will show you how to easily engage kids with the exciting possibilities of real-world STEM.
Design a Mars Colony: STEM Project
Six steps to designing a colony on Mars! Students learn about Mars, brainstorm and research design solutions for food, water, energy, and other critical systems, and build a colony model from recycled materials. This is the perfect way to take your STEM or STEAM program to the next level with a project-based STEM challenge!
May the Fourth Be With You STEM Activities
It is a time of great opportunity to challenge kids to think critically and teach them the skills required for their future careers! STEM activities are interdisciplinary and project based which makes them exceptionally easy to include in holiday festivities. May the 4th (Star Wars Day) is no exception! Whether you are a Star Wars fan or not, the following activities are an exciting way to enhance STEM concepts and tie in the movies that have traversed the generations. May the 4th be with you!
7 STEM Activities in the Sun {Perfect for End of Year & Summer!}
Need ideas for outdoor STEM challenges for the end of the year or summer time? My students always get restless as the weather warms up, so we take STEM outdoors! What’s a better way to enjoy the weather and to learn science and engineering than to do STEM with the sun? From a UV light shelter to a s’mores solar challenge, read on for awesome STEM outdoor activities using the sun!