• Home
  • About
    • Contact
    • Disclosure and Privacy Policy
    • Getting started with STEM
    • FAQs
    • Meet Our Team
      • Meredith Anderson
      • Brooke Brown
      • Carol Davis
      • Get Caught Engineering
      • Kerry Tracy
      • Sarah Lalonde
      • Science School Yard
      • Vivify STEM
      • Brittany Washburn
      • Sarah Wiggins
  • Posts
    • All Posts
    • STEM
    • Science
    • Technology
    • Engineering
    • Math
    • Teaching Tools
  • Free STEM Resources
    • Free STEM Resource Library
    • Free STEM Activities from our Authors
    • Upper Elementary Freebie
  • Best STEM Challenges
    • The Best STEM Challenges EVER
    • 60 Low Prep STEM Activities Bundle
STEM Activities for KidsSTEM Activities for Kids
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
    • Disclosure and Privacy Policy
    • Getting started with STEM
    • FAQs
    • Meet Our Team
      • Meredith Anderson
      • Brooke Brown
      • Carol Davis
      • Get Caught Engineering
      • Kerry Tracy
      • Sarah Lalonde
      • Science School Yard
      • Vivify STEM
      • Brittany Washburn
      • Sarah Wiggins
  • Posts
    • All Posts
    • STEM
    • Science
    • Technology
    • Engineering
    • Math
    • Teaching Tools
  • Free STEM Resources
    • Free STEM Resource Library
    • Free STEM Activities from our Authors
    • Upper Elementary Freebie
  • Best STEM Challenges
    • The Best STEM Challenges EVER
    • 60 Low Prep STEM Activities Bundle

Constructing Young STEM Engineers

Posted by Renee Heinrich Building, Lower Elementary, STEM No Comments

It’s Engineers week! STEM in our classrooms is a powerful way to help students learn how to think critically and learn to problem solve…two important life skills that will only help them as they get older.  Allowing even the youngest learner to engage in hands on learning through STEM will help them cope with the world around them as they learn to think outside of the box.

We are building on to our school. What a perfect time for my kindergarten and first graders to build with simple supplies such as paper and blocks, wheels from a kit, string, and straws. I love when my students draw their designs and learn how to modify as well as add technology. This is a way to tie it all together. Finding easy ways to add real world situations allows for students to make those connections. Whether it is the cold weather outside allowing them to build an easy shelter for a Beanie Baby or a book about airplanes that let students make their own flying objects…STEM can be easy to add…you just have to try it!

stempics

Our youngest of engineers are always finding creative ways to build with simple supplies that we make available to them. Often times this is done through sensory stations or bins. Setting up STEM opportunities does not need to cost a lot of money. Simple supplies whether math manipulatives, recyclable goods, or dollar store finds set the stage for hands on learning opportunities. By adding observing, exploring, questioning, and predicting to already existing stations they can now be exploratory STEM stations. This allows teachers to start constructing the foundation for science, technology, engineering, and math as a key component to their school day.

Young children need to be able to interact with real objects in their school and home environment in order to have learning take place naturally. That is why “constructing” STEM lessons develops solid reasoning, predicting, and problem solving early on.

stem website pic

Here are some great STEM benefits in your classroom…

  1. Science is about asking questions and predicting what might happen. This sets the stage for students to be creative thinkers.
  2. Integrating technology such as qr codes and iPads allow for early learners to create and connect to lessons beyond paper and pencil.
  3. Using simple materials that are readily available while connecting it to what you are already teaching allows for simple, yet effective STEM integration
  4. STEM allows for natural “playtime” to occur through observing, questioning, and exploring in a hands on way. It also shows students how to learn to modify and change through trial and error and use problem solving strategies.

Here is a (freebie pack) to help start “constructing” your STEM classroom with little learners and beyond!

STEM Early engine preview

Happy Engineer’s Week from the Science School Yard. Check out this fun iPad App to keep your kids building and moving… Kids Vehicles: Construction Lite it adds a great technology component for your STEM lessons and it’s free!

 

Be sure to check all of the other posts for National Engineers Week!

Tags: constructionNational Engineers WeekSTEM Classroom
No Comments
Share
2

About Renee Heinrich

Renee has been a teacher for 24 years. She is a K-5 Science Specialist who uses FOSS, NGSS, and STEM to teach in a hands-on way! The Science School Yard features simple science activity ideas, innovative resources, as well as STEM and NGSS lessons that will help any science classroom! You can also find Renee at her TPT store... the Science School Yard.

You also might be interested in

National Engineers Week Day 1

National Engineers Week KICK OFF

Feb 21, 2016

It is National Engineers Week! STEM Activities for Kids has[...]

Teaching The Engineering Design Process

Teaching The Engineering Design Process

Feb 22, 2016

There are a multitude of different types of engineers—from Aerospace[...]

STEM Without Sharing Materials

STEM Without Sharing Materials

Jul 16, 2020

One of the best things about STEM activities is the[...]

Leave a Reply

Your email is safe with us.
Cancel Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Categories

Tag Cloud

apps art Back To School building Christmas coding elementary engineering engineering freebies fun stuff Halloween STEM holidays holiday STEM homeschool hour of code kindergarten LEGOs lower elementary makerspace Middle School National Engineers Week paper airplanes preschool STEM problem solving programming science Science School Yard SCRATCH seasonal STEM simple STEM spring STEAM STEM STEM challenge STEM class STEM Classroom STEM Success STEM Teacher task cards technology towers toys upper elementary Valentine's Day Videos

Pinterest

Most Liked Posts

  • Simple STEAM Christmas Tasks By Sarah Wiggins on December 4, 2015 177
  • Create a Simple Tessellation By Meredith on October 8, 2019 148
  • Team Building for STEM Challenges By Carol on December 10, 2015 120

Recent Comments

  • sally sea on Winter STEM with Snowflakes love these!
  • Carol on Team Building for STEM Challenges What a fabulous idea! I will have to try this!…
  • marie girolamo on Critical-Thinking-STEM-Warm-Up-Bell-Ringer-Activities-2 Teaching a stem discovery class and these would be helpful....i…

Find us on

On Facebook at

Contact Us

Send us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can. Thank you!

Send Message
Science. Technology. Engineering. Mathematics. Get Started

Popular posts

  • Create a Simple Tessellation
  • Team Building for STEM Challenges
  • Simple STEAM Christmas Tasks
  • Two Easy STEM Tower Challenges!
  • 5 Easy STEM Challenges You Can Do with Paper Plates

Get started with STEM

Get started with STEM!

STEM Activities for Kids

Our goal is to provide STEM resources, ideas, and encouragement to teachers, parents, and students. Our team is made up of educators, parents, engineers, and lifelong learners; our common bond is that we are all STEM enthusiasts.

Contact Info

  • STEM Activities for Kids
  • info@stemactivitiesforkids.com
  • https://www.stemactivitiesforkids.com

© 2025 — STEM Activities for Kids

Prev Next