Vivify STEM Blog
Design a Prosthetic Leg STEM Activity...for Animals!
Looking for an engaging STEM activity that builds empathy? Read below for a Stage 2 STEM engineering activity that challenges students to learn about and design an interchangeable prosthetic leg. Students then apply concepts for a prosthetic for their favorite animals!
Design a Sustainable Eco-House STEM Project
In the Eco-House Extravaganza STEM project, students work in teams to complete the ultimate project-based learning STEM experience: planning and designing an energy-efficient, eco-friendly house! Read below for how to implement a project that incorporates environmental and earth science, STEM careers, sustainability, and teamwork. This lesson was developed by a middle school science teacher and Harvard graduate student, Kristina Ohl, who shares her experience developing and testing out this lesson so you can bring it to your classroom!
Sub Plans for a STEM Classroom
Are you in need of sub plans for your STEM classroom? Whether it's planned ahead, the morning of, or a 2 week COVID quarantine, I try to always have low-prep STEM lesson plans ready if needed. But sometimes preparing for a sub can feel like more work than actually being there! So I got together with the Vivify team to brainstorm ideas and put together strategies and recommendations for how to run a successful STEM classroom with a substitute teacher!
Do you see what I see? Pinhole Camera STEM Challenge
Are you looking to add more science to your engineering design challenges? Watch the video below for some cool demos to share with your students followed by an engineering design challenge on how to construct a pinhole camera that demonstrates "camera obscure.” We also have a complete lesson plan connecting the challenge to the innovation of the light bulb in England!
Go on a Mission to Mars!
I am a science teacher for grades 5- 8, and last fall, my students went on an epic adventure as we tested out Space Club’s Mission to Mars curriculum! Read below for our experience and two space-themed engineering design challenges you can try in your classroom!
10 Tips for Managing a STEM Classroom
STEM is an inventive, creative, thought-provoking process. But it also involves a lot of supplies, choice of partners (who we may or may not enjoy working with), and open-ended projects that lead to a sometimes chaotic environment! How do we manage all of this as a teacher trying to foster a creative STEM process yet maintain learning objectives and behavioral order in our classrooms? Here are our top 10 tips for classroom management for a STEM learning environment!
Football STEM Challenge!
It’s football season! Challenge your students to create a safer football helmet for their adorable “egg” players. Using the engineering design process, teams of students design, create, and test pint-sized football helmets. Your classroom will have a whole squad when this challenge is complete. But will all of their players make the cut?
Get Your STEM Classroom Ready for Back to School!
August is here, and that means back to school season! But don’t stress, we have you covered with our favorite STEM icebreakers, activities to introduce STEM to your students, and even classroom posters and freebies!
10 Simple Summer STEM Activities
Click for ten simple summer STEM activities! We have included links for lesson plans, videos, and instructions to get your students exploring, building, and learning! All activities can be modified to serve kids of all ages!
Understanding a Framework for P-12 Engineering Learning
Are you struggling to define a scope and sequence for your STEM or engineering classroom? Read on to learn about the current landscape of engineering education and take a closer look at the recently released Framework for P-12 Engineering Learning to help plan your engineering curriculum!
A Neuroscientist’s Top 5 STEM Activities for Kids and Families!
Do you have kids interested in life sciences? We asked Maria Garza, a graduate student in neurobiology at the University of Texas at San Antonio to share her favorite activities! Read on for some toys, apps, and games to delight your students followed by some Vivify STEM lessons!
Some background on our guest blogger: Maria works with animal models to study how molecular mechanisms in the brain impact behavior and cognition. As a scientist, wife, and mother, she hopes to encourage other women and girls interested in STEM. Maria is also the founder of Women In Neuroscience, a public platform where women share their experiences in neuroscience, in order to create an atmosphere of support.
Mission to the Moon: Virtual STEM Program
Are you looking for a low-prep STEM curriculum that supports distance learning, engages students, and involves engineering design and careers?
Vivify presents Mission to Moon, a hands-on STEM program delivered virtually for classroom or at-home learning. Your students will design robot hands, rovers, roller coasters, and more while learning about real-world STEM, meeting real STEM professionals, and connecting with schools across the world!