Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Fidget Sinners...SIGH....


I know most of us are over the fidget spinners.  Right?  So, I decided to take some of the fun out of them by turning it into a project!  I had my kids examine their fidget spinners and discuss the various parts.  Why does it spin so long?  How can we make something similar using only the supplies we have in the classroom?  We made several different versions.  (I forgot to take pics of the failures.) . This was one project that the kids didn't mind going through the design/test process repeatedly!  They really wanted to make a fidget spinner that worked especially my kids who didn't own a spinner.




Here's how we made it.  We cut a large craft stick almost in half and used a fingernail file to smooth out the corners.  Then we used a pair of scissors (teacher only job) to make a round hole in the center.  Add a straw with a bit of hot glue to hold it in place.  We snipped the end of the plastic ink tube (from inside the pen).  We added a dot of glue to each thumbtack and attached it all together.  We experimented with different weights, but pennies were the only weight we had handy in the classroom that could be easily attached to the spinners.




The kids loved this project and kept them busy on one of the last days of school!

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Friday, May 26, 2017

Rainforest Adventure




If your kids are anything like mine, they are done with school, but unfortunately, school is not over. How do you keep them busy learning and entertained?  The answer is STEM, PBL, and research.  My kids loved my Rainforest Adventure unit that we did the last month of school.  It is so fun, the kids beg to work.  Here's a quick overview:

QR codes to make research a snap!


6 PBL questions to give your kids choice and a reason to research.

9 Awesome STEM activities with a great backstory.  All STEM projects are related.
Students are taking an imaginary field trip to fly over the Amazon Rainforest.  The plane has some serious issues and crashes with the class in the middle of the rainforest.  Everyone is fine, but how do they survive until help arrives?

1.  Build a shelter
2. Improve shelter


3. Build a parachute that will drop fruit from high in the trees safely to the ground


4. Make a waterproof food storage container


5. Cork launcher to protect yourself from the wild animals


6. Zip line so you can move quickly through the trees




7. Flare (sling shot) to signal the plane flying overhead


8. Boat to float down the river to find help
9.  Improved boat with all supplies

We also looked up how tall a rainforest tree is and measured the entire length of our building to discover that the trees are as long as our building.  We also created a scale drawing of ourselves next to a rainforest tree.

We made dioramas to take home so we could share our learning with our parents.


The unit has a ton of other ideas to keep kids busy and learning until the last day of school!  You can find it {HERE} 
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Monday, May 8, 2017

Erin Condren and $130 TpT Giveaway





Some of my favorite special ed teachers got together for this great giveaway!  Good luck!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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