February 22, 2019
By Chris Herald
NSTA STEM Teacher Ambassador 2017
I always love when Spring arrives because we start physics topics in my eighth grade physical science class! Don’t get me wrong—my first love is chemistry and I have a Master’s degree to prove it—but there’s just something about physics in the Spring. My students delve into the topics of speed and momentum with great gusto. Two highlights? Rolling marbles down a ruler and designing their own Hot Wheels experiment. Not only are these students exploring some key physics topics, they are ALSO getting a chance to dabble in engineering: a great combination!
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College level, construction, Elementary level, energy, engineering, High School level, Middle School level, Physics, STEM | Tagged: construction, DIY, Educational Innovations, engineering, experiments, hands-on activity, homeschool, parent friendly, PBL, phenomenon based learning, phenomenon-based science, Physics, science, STEM, variables | 
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Posted by Natalie Carnazza
August 25, 2017
By Cathy Byrne
This is one of my favorite team-building, icebreaker activities. It’s also a great way to introduce your students to engineering! It can be done with students at many different grade levels. At the beginning of class, I start by welcoming my students to the staff of [Insert-the-name-of-your-school-here] Engineering Company.
I split the class into small groups and tell them: your team has been tasked with constructing the tallest free-standing tower you can build with the materials provided. I give each team a bag containing 20 pipe cleaners and I let them dive right in. It doesn’t take long for the teams to figure out that they need a strong base to hold the flimsy pipe cleaners.
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2 Comments | College level, Elementary level, experiments, High School level, Middle School level, STEM | Tagged: Educational Innovations, engineering, experiments, fun experiments, hands-on activity, homeschool, parent friendly, PBL, PhBL, PhenoBL, phenomenon based learning, science, STEM, variables | Permalink
Posted by Donna Giachetti
January 27, 2016
by Ted Beyer
Bots in a Name?
Brushbots, bristlebots, scooterbots, and any other cleverly named bots have been around for years. You know—the toothbrush head (or something similar) paired with a tiny vibrating motor and a battery. For years, classroom teachers and homeschool parents have been using them to introduce even young students to the principles of engineering and robotics.
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Leave a Comment » | College level, electricity, Elementary level, energy, experiments, High School level, Middle School level, Physics | Tagged: bristlebot, brushbot, Educational Innovations, electricity, engineering, experiments, fun experiments, hands-on activity, hands-on science, homeschool, homeschool activity, parent friendly, PBL, phenomenon based learning, phenomenon-based science, science, science fair project, STEM, variables, vibration | Permalink
Posted by Donna Giachetti
