Past projects 6
Stock The Stem Lab!
Funded Nov 8, 2023Your generous donations have made such an impact on the students of in our school. The students were so excited to receive the materials and even more excited to put them to use. They were utilized by all of our students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade!
The fifth graders used the citric acid, baking soda, and timers in during their Chemical Engineering Unit. They were tasked with the problem, "Can you make the fizziest bath bomb?" They wrote three separate recipes with the baking soda, citric acid, and other ingredients in the classroom. They then used the timers you generously donated to collect data on the fizzing length of each recipe, so they could compare their results and determine the best recipe. They were also able to make some bath bombs to take home and share with their families!
The students in my kindergarten small learning group class for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder absolutely LOVED the hands on activities they were able to engage in things to your donations! They used the plastic hammers to pound golf tees into foam blocks. This really helped with their fine motor strength and hand-eye coordination. They had a great sensory experience when using the cookie cutters and playdough. It was also a great chance to practice spelling words in a fun way! The scoopers were another great fine motor activity as they used them to scoop up pompoms!
Students in all grades enjoyed building with the magnet cubes - whether they practiced patterns, 3-D shapes, or even volume!
My Creator's Club used the propellers to create "Super Turkey" flying toys right before Thanksgiving!
The first graders used the UV Pony Beads to create animals. Then they used their engineering skills to build shelters to protect them from the UV rays of the sun. To test out their shelters, they put their pony bead animals inside and then shone a UV light on top. They could easily see if they were successful or not depending on whether or not their beads changed colors!
The loop scissors have helped students who struggle with OT issues and/or weakened hand muscles. It ensures that all students can be independent in cutting and have the same engineering experiences in my class!
As you can see, your donations have been simply amazing and we will continue to use other materials as the year goes on and reuse these materials year after year! We truly appreciate your kindness and generosity!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Roberts
This classroom project was brought to life by General Motors & Young Sheldon on CBS and 5 other donors.Environmental Engineering in Elementary School
Funded May 17, 2023My students are making GREAT use of all of our amazing new materials!
The kindergarten students are working on some engineering challenges that include making a model of a plant that can stand alone in a windstorm and must include a stem, leaves, and flower; creating a nest to keep "eggs" safe in a tree; and butterfly nets to gently and safely catch "butterflies". The straws and cardstock are very helpful in these challenges.
My first grade students are learning how the UV Rays from the sun can be dangerous if we are over exposed to them. A hands-on project of building shelters to shade UV beads is helping them really build a meaningful understanding of the concept. The straws and cardstock are being put to use to build the structures. This project not only focuses on Environmental Engineering, but also Civil Engineering. They are also planting seeds as a culminating project in our unit on plants. They have learned about the importance of plants in the environment, their needs for survival, how each part (structure) of a plant has an important job (function), plant parts we eat, the life cycle of a plant, and the great importance of pollinators! Now we are using the pots you generously funded to grow our own plants!
The second graders are learning about wind and water erosion and building retaining walls that will keep soil in place while letting water out. The third graders are learning about animal adaptations and what happens when due to illness or injury an animal can't adapt to their environment. They are joining environmental engineering with biomedical engineering and 3-D printing prosthetics for model animals.
Fourth graders built their own wind turbines to harness the energy of the wind. This year, we used recycled materials for the project, but next year we are so excited to try the new wind turbine kits that your generous donation has brought to us! We are also excited to try our rubber band car kits as we think about alternative forms of clean renewable energy.
Finally, the fifth graders put those straws to good use as they designed and engineered models of rain water collection systems. We learned about the importance of limiting water usage and thinking of unique ways to recycle and reuse water we already have to help eliminate waste. We are currently working with electrical circuits and again are talking about how electricity can be conserved and created in ways that will do less damage to our planet. Our copper tape is going to be essential in this project.
We are truly so grateful to be able to have these rich real-life experiences as we learn and grow to be the future of engineering!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Roberts
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Foundation and 9 other donors.Building Creativity and Critical Thinking Skills Through Engineering
Funded Oct 21, 2022The students have already gained so much from the new resources you helped our classroom acquire! When we unboxed the materials, the students cheered with delight. They were so excited to get their hands on all of our new building materials.
In fifth grade, students used the instant snow and foam alive to experiment with polymers as an introduction to our chemical engineering unit. Now they are using the citric acid, and other ingredients, to optimize the recipe for bath bombs to create the fizziest recipe!
The laminating pouches and cardstock are being used for center work in my first grade ASD Science class, as well as for testing materials in other grades so that they may last year after year!
The craft sticks and foam sheets are being used by my fourth graders who are creating shelters to protect "people" from volcanic eruptions! They are also being used by my kindergarteners as they engineer safe beds for the Five Little Monkeys.
My first graders had a blast creating castles with both the wooden and foam blocks, as well as homemade fidget spinners with the plastic interlocking star shapes.
The third graders were truly grateful for all the tape, as they are building wrecking balls to investigate force and motion, and we had run out of tape to hold everything together!
I cannot express my gratitude for your kindness and generosity enough!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Roberts
This classroom project was brought to life by The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation and 4 other donors.Bringing Engineering Opportunities To All Learners
Funded Sep 24, 2022My students are absolutely thrilled with our new materials. They literally cheered when I showed them everything that came in our order! They are so excited to get their hands on these new materials and make their creations come alive!!
It is hard to describe the opportunities that supplies like this offer my students. They come to STEM Lab and they become engineers. We do not simply play with building toys - we follow the steps of the Engineering Design Process to truly experience the many fields of engineering. They grow skills in so many areas as they are fully immersed and engaged in engineering. They learn to have a growth mindset - because in engineering things will inevitably go wrong - mistakes will be made - creations will fail. Although these may sound like negatives, they are essential in growing as a learner. Being willing to think outside the box and take risks is the only way to truly learn and understand concepts. My students will grow in their critical thinking skills, their creativity, their ability to collaborate with peers, and their communication skills. They will believe that they ARE ENGINEERS and that this is a field that they can pursue as a future career if they find it interesting and fulfilling. STEM Lab opens doors to students for today and for the future.
I can't thank you enough for the impact your donation makes! My students have already begun to practice their civil engineering skills by creating bridges, houses, and towers with the Duplo Blocks, Magnetiles, Magnet balls and rods, and other building sets. Soon we will be learning about the properties of light and as a culminating activity, we will use the black lights to have a glow party where we can observe and experiment with different types of lighting!
Thank you for your generosity! It means the world to us!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Roberts
We Are Enginers!
Funded Sep 17, 2022My students are absolutely thrilled with our new materials. They literally cheered when I showed them everything that came in our order! They are so excited to get their hands on these new materials and make their creations come alive!!
It is hard to describe the opportunities that supplies like this offer my students. They come to STEM Lab and they become engineers. We do not simply play with building toys - we follow the steps of the Engineering Design Process to truly experience the many fields of engineering. They grow skills in so many areas as they are fully immersed and engaged in engineering. They learn to have a growth mindset - because in engineering things will inevitably go wrong - mistakes will be made - creations will fail. Although these may sound like negatives, they are essential in growing as a learner. Being willing to think outside the box and take risks is the only way to truly learn and understand concepts. My students will grow in their critical thinking skills, their creativity, their ability to collaborate with peers, and their communication skills. They will believe that they ARE ENGINEERS and that this is a field that they can pursue as a future career if they find it interesting and fulfilling. STEM Lab opens doors to students for today and for the future.
I can't thank you enough for the impact your donation makes! My kindergarten students have already used the Keva Planks to build bridges. The tape dispensers (although they may seem non-essential) have been an absolute life-saver in all classes - as tape is an essential building material in STEM Lab! Soon my third graders will be using the wheels in their "Force and Motion" wind powered car builds. My fourth and fifth graders are looking forward to starting Electrical and Mechanical engineering with all of our motors, battery packs, and electrical equipment. Even our first grades will be electrical engineers with the Squishy Circuits. All classes will be awed and intrigued when we light our black lights and experiments with different materials and their reactions to different types of light!
Thank you for your generosity! It means the world to us!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Roberts
Cross-Curricular STEM Experiences
Funded Aug 23, 2021The books my classroom received have been an invaluable resource in STEM Lab. We have shared stories about perseverance, creativity, fostering and feeding ideas, working through problems and set-backs, and the importance of the Engineering Design Process in every project we undertake. It has been so rewarding to share true stories of engineers who come from similar backgrounds and cultures as my students, so they are able to see themselves reflected in the world of engineering.
Starting a unit with a read aloud is an excellent way to ground the learning, exploring, and creating which will be taking place within our unit. It offers students a shared background knowledge as well as a common starting point which they can refer back to while working through the Engineering Design Process.
All of the students are really enjoying the books and we are all so grateful to have such a wonderful library stocked with current, relevant, and engaging literature!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Roberts
This classroom project was brought to life by Kleenex® Brand and 5 other donors.