Winter STEM Activities for Building Bricks: STEM Mats
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My favorite lower elementary STEM center! These STEM tasks are designed for building bricks like LEGO ®. These challenge cards are easy to set up but highly rigorous. Not only will your students be working creatively to solve problems, they will be reading, writing, and using math skills. What You'lPrice $29.00Original Price $44.50Save $15.50
This bundle includes resources to keep your students actively engaged in STEM all year long. There are over 90 STEM activities included in this resource.Start with the STEM classroom pack and poster sets, then move on to the rest of the resources in the bundle. Holiday and seasonal STEM resources arPrice $109.00Original Price $202.00Save $93.00
If you have building bricks like Lego you need these mats! These STEM projects are mats that are heavy on critical thinking skills, but SO easy to set up in your classroom. Not only will your students be working creatively to solve problems, they will be reading, writing, and using math skills. ThiPrice $11.20Original Price $14.00Save $2.80
Elementary STEM teachers, this bundle has hundreds of activities (300+!) for your STEM classes! With a mix of quick STEM challenges, STEM center activities, and more in depth engineering design challenges, you will always have something new to do!This bundle includes everything in both the K-2 and 3Price $269.00Original Price $402.00Save $133.00
Description
Easy STEM activities for winter! These STEM projects use mats that are SO easy to set up in your classroom. If you were thinking of trying STEM Fridays or Maker Mondays, or you need something more engaging for your early finishers than worksheets or reading, this is the resource for you. Not only will your students be working creatively to solve problems, they will be reading, writing, and using math skills.
In addition to a winter theme, these STEM mats also include two mats each for Hanukkah and Kwanzaa!
What You'll Get
- Instructions and sample images
- Letter you can send home to parents, caregivers, and friends to ask for donations
- 6 winter themed STEM Mats
- 4 winter holiday mats (Hanukkah and Kwanzaa). For Christmas STEM mats, go here.
- Alternate STEM Mats for those outside the United States (metric measurements + UK English on the original mats)
- Bonus: posters to show helpful brick building terminology
- Recording sheet options - includes full and quarter page options, for pre-readers and beginning readers
- Sample mentor sentences to help the students complete their recording sheet
- Comparison sheet so students can alter the design and compare two designs
- Blank STEM Mats
- Sorting mats to break down the creation - by color or brick type
Learn More
For a detailed explanation of how to use STEM mats and to see some of the mats included in this resource, please visit this video. You can also download a free STEM Mat (the Supporting Document).
Want STEM Mats for the entire year?
STEM Mats for the Entire Year BUNDLE
Why use STEM Mats?
STEM Mats are easy to set up. There are hundreds of building challenge possibilities because each mat has design criteria spinners. A student can repeat the STEM mat challenge and end up with a totally different design. Not only does this make it different from other STEM challenges, but they also won't be comparing themselves to others.
What materials will I need?
You will need building bricks / building blocks. That does not mean you need to purchase expensive ones! I have found asking for donations works very well. You can even see if your local library has a building club and would be willing to lend you a bin of bricks. There are also numerous compatible bricks out there that are not made by the expensive brand. Check Target for deals on these types of bricks. Other than that you will only need paper and simple classroom supplies (pencils, paper clips, erasers, etc.)!
How can I differentiate these?
If you have advanced learners, you can take these to the next level. Ask your students to count the number of bricks used, or to complete the challenge wish as few bricks as possible. After all, materials cost money! If you have *very* high learners, you can even ask them to figure out how many possible combinations there are in the spinners!
*************************** Related Resources *************************
Engineering Design Process Posters
Engineering Disciplines Posters
STEM Activities - 10 STEM Challenges
STEM Activities - 10 STEM Challenges (Set 2)
STEM Challenges Classroom Pack (STEAM)
STEM Tales
ALL STEM Tales: Fairy tales with a STEM twist! Ideal for grades 1-3.
Digital / Paperless STEM
STEM Journal for use with ANY STEM Challenge
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