Build It..and they will come!
They said STEAM.
They said kids will build in STEAM.
Build WHAT?
Has ANYONE seen the Kevin Costner Movie…
FIELD OF DREAMS?
Field of Dreams
On MY top 10 of ALL TIME GREATS!
Yes…I love baseball ( GO SF GIANTS! )
But
This is SOOOO much MORE!
It’s about never giving up.
Keep trying.
When others tell you that YOU are CRAZY…
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!
I LOVE THAT!
SO How do I give my 6-year-old FIRSTIES
a chance to EXPLORE their dreams?
To “think OUTSIDE the BOX”?
To go the extra mile?
Recently, I have been exploring STEAM.
30 minutes of FREE PLAY???
NO.
I don’t call it that!
( Even if it makes my OCD heart skip a beat!)
STEAM!
Now…this is NOT your
“Teacher KICKS BACK while kids DO WHATEVER THEY WANT!”
This is a structured time of the week
( ANY DAY WILL WORK…
add this to your lesson plans)
where kids get “tools” to BUILD!
They make a PLAN, they put their plan into action,
they learn from failures and their successes, and they do it again!
During STEAM, I tell them they are building a city.
We brainstorm
(chart with pictures – Lots of EL students )
ALL of the things WE want
in a PERFECT city!
(They want LOTS of PARKS…grass…Ice cream stores…etc )
And then I group them into groups of 4.
I switch them each week.
I get out their “TOOLS”…
Toy Blocks for kids to build STEAM cities.
Blocks…Garage Sale & “FRIENDS” donations
MArshmallows and toothpicks for ENGINEERS!
Their FAVORITE!
Toothpicks & marshmallows.
Engineers in ACTION!
Math Blocks for STEAM
Math Blocks…Want to learn about “sides”, “corners”, “flats”, “rolls” ?
Use them!
Lincoln Logs for STEAM
Oldie but a goodie!
They LOVE to follow the picture DIAGRAMS!
Math Manipulatives to use for STEAM
Get out your MATH Manipulatives…and let them PLAY!
NO! Not “PLAY” 🙂 …BUILD!
Build a CITY!
Cubes for STEAM
CUBES!
Legos for STEAM
And the ALL TIME FAVORITE…..
LEGOS!
Giant TUB!
I ask Parents to donate a small baggie of their “extras” from home.
We add them to the tub!
I may need a LARGER tub! 🙂
And so… don’t forget.
If you want to encourage kids to DREAM BIG!
We have to let them do it!
Create, problem-solve, share, plan, explore. STEAM
I hope the future leaders of our country can do ALL of it!
(Better start teaching them HOW!)
And remember…you need to be a part of it also.
I do.
We do.
You do.
WOW!
Excuse me.
I have some “creating” to do with those legos!
MAYBE…We can read a book on building, BUILD IT, and then WRITE about it!
INTEGRATE!
Here are some classroom resources to help
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I love Field of Dreams! It’s one of my favorite movies! Love the student-centered aspect of your lesson. Right on!!