I have some really exciting stuff to talk to you about today. Why is it exciting? Well, first because it is about awesome STEM challenges and second because it will save you money! And who doesn’t love saving money, right?
You might have heard the old adage, “Teaching is the only profession where employees take things from home and bring them to work, instead of the other way around!”
Being a teacher, you know how much comes out of your pocket (and home) and goes into your classroom, so does it surprise you that 94% of US public school teachers spend their own money on school supplies?
According to a survey by AdoptAClassoom.org:
- Teachers spent an average of $745 on school supplies during the 2019/2020 school year.
- 45% of teachers said their spending has increased since distance learning began.
Luckily, I have several great options which allow you to get lots more bang for your buck! Jewel’s School Gems Club can help you bring collaboration, problem solving, and tons of engagement into your classroom with STEM challenges that will save you money and make your students, parents, and administrators smile.
A Year of STEM Challenges
When I first started doing STEM in the classroom, I remember the uncertainty I felt not knowing where to get the activities I needed to teach different concepts.
I found myself searching the Internet and Pinterest almost endlessly for ideas.
The difficulty I experienced looking for teaching resources eventually led me to create 50+ STEM challenges to implement throughout the entire school year.
To make planning easier, the challenges are broken down by the time of the year. There are activities based on the seasons and tons of activities for holidays, including ones that happen around the world. Not only will you be able to celebrate and have fun with your students, you’ll also be able to encourage them to practice their STEM skills, such as critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication.
With each STEM challenge, I made sure to include the following:
- detailed teacher notes
- the Next Generation Science Standards covered
- STEAM links for discussion and extension activities
- photos of possible finished products and suggested materials
- challenge cards with a way to modify the challenge
- planning, reflection, and vocabulary worksheets
Related: FREE STEM Activity, Anyone?
But wait! There’s more!
I also made four other items to make these STEM challenges more valuable:
- The Engineering Design Process Flipbook (comes in paper and digital versions) will inspire your students to think like an engineer and see that their dreams are possible with hard work and grit;
- For quick grading, I made STEM and STEAM Rubrics;
- Star Builder Certificates for students to receive and show off to their friends and families; and
- A Google Slides version of the student pages for each STEM challenge for your convenience, especially if online or hybrid learning becomes a part of your school life again.
Now you may be thinking, that sounds great, Jewel, but what about the materials?
There is nothing to fear! Everything has been developed with a teacher budget in mind. The needed materials are ones that can often be found around the house or are low-cost to purchase, such as craft sticks and paper.
These STEM challenges are going to help you create an engaging STEM environment in your classroom! Students will have a blast designing and building so many captivating structures. Furthermore, students are going to turn into problem solvers and know that nothing can stop them from overcoming obstacles.
Related: STEM: Not Just Another Craftivity
STEM Challenges with Jewel's School Gems Club
So many teachers and parents have told me about spending lots of money and hours trying to find or create new STEM resources and wishing for a place for extra STEM support. Guess what? I have come up with the solution for all of these concerns.
Jewel’s School Gems Club is an annual membership for teachers and homeschool parents. It is designed for those who are teaching STEM to children from Pre-K to 5th grade. For only $47 a year, implementing STEM will be stress-free and hands-on!
This low cost will provide unlimited access to hundreds of dollars worth of existing printable and digital teaching resources. Furthermore, there will be at least one new resource every week. That means at least 52 new resources will be yours each year. And, since support is awesome, the cost includes email support and a private Facebook group.
STEM challenges can greatly change students’ outlooks on school and their life. In terms of school, STEM provides an outlet to be creative and find a solution rather than be given one. For life, STEM provides opportunities to explore possible job paths that might have not been known before.
Related: WHAT IS STEM? The Best STEM Explanations from 8 Pioneering Professionals
STEM Challenge Resources
These 50+ STEM Challenges and BONUSES are ready to go for you! Students, whether in class or at home, are going to love learning through STEM! Join Jewel’s School Gems Club and start downloading the resources below TODAY.
