Friday, July 29, 2016

Friday's Five Fabulous Finds (on Pinterest)

This week has been so hot!  I am working summer camp and we have two more weeks.  When August first comes I will start thinking about my Back to School ideas!  Why does summer go by so fast!!!
Love the Buttons
Great Design for Timeline Project
STEM race car lesson
Parent Night
My husband made the bar

Saturday, July 23, 2016

Start Your Engines: STEM race cars


Our school system has an amazing STEM program for students in grades 6-12.  Next year, we are going to STEAM.  The arts will become part of the curriculum and it will start in fifth grade.  I am beyond excited.  We kicked off STEAM with a week of school wide activities.  

Vel O'City showed up to teach science.  My student love when I dress up and even come up with ideas for me.  I ordered a black men's work jumpsuit from Amazon and striped it with checkered duct tape.  Cheaper than buying a costume.

The kids had a list of items that each had money values.  I gave them a budget and they had to design their car with their team.  Keep your groups no more than three!
I used the sheet from this amazing website, Teach Engineering.  It has the lesson, powerpoint and sheets.  The only thing I would change is add a little more money in the suggested budget.  I had some kids drop cars and break all their lifesaver wheels.  

Do not use Elmer's glue.  Use a glue gun.
Link
Here are my students creating their designs.
We brainstormed how this lesson is STEAM.  We created the poster before we started.  I am so impressed with their knowledge.
The next day we started building.
Here are kids testing and redesigning.
I forgot to take pictures on race day.  It was a little crazy the last week of school...LOL!

Here are a few videos from last year.  My husband made my tracks out of coil stock for siding houses.  The website suggests gutters.  


Now it is time to start your engines!

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Show and Tell Tuesday July 2016

I am linking up with Forever in 5th Grades Monthly Linky Party called Show and Tell Tuesday.  
Here are a few things that I'd like Show and Tell!
My family took our first trip to Portland, Maine.  We visited several breweries and wineries.  Love having children who planned the day for me.  (It was the first)
I am attracted to pirates!!!  And breweries!
Here is a project that we worked on the last few weeks of school.  They designed mini-golf courses with four holes and a list of geometry criteria.

Summer is the time to get back on track...I literally mean the track
Getting steps in is a challenge when we are not in school!
Love my new sneakers.
They had these cute mugs at Target, perfect gift card holder
for my assistant.


Please visit Forever in Fifth Grade!