S.T.E.A.M. for education

                                     Ozobot station at Family S.T.E.A.M. Night, 1-19-2017 

S.T.E.A.M. = science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics

As S.T.E.A.M. coordinator for our district, I am often asked by parents what sort of things they should get for their kids. Here is a short list of items we have bought for our own kids, what I have in my classroom and school science inventory, and will also bring on the boat. While my own kids will be using these in addition to their regular school curriculum, I will also incorporate them into S.T.E.A.M. education abroad (as guest teacher & related programs in other countries):

1.Ozobots are great little robots that you code using color and various color patterns. These are so popular in my classroom and our after school classes. We recently had a family S.T.E.A.M. night and the Ozobot station was packed! The best part about the Ozobots, is that they can be used with both paper and markers or an ipad as well. Coding in these different formats is a great introduction to the world of coding!

2.Osmo Wonder Kit is used with an ipad and has a lot of different apps! Included in this kit are: the Osmo base and reflector tool, Tangrams, Numbers, Words, and Coding. This kit (we have 3 at school) was another packed station at our Family S.T.E.A.M. night and is a popular center in my classroom. I bought a kit for my own kids to take on board, as it provides lots of educational benefits such as math games, spelling, reading, and coding. There are a few apps that don't require a game kit, which provides lot of interactive fun as well. Masterpiece is a cool drawing app and Newton is an engineering/design app.

3.Sphero SPRK+ STEAM Educational Robot is a water-proof spherical robot that allows for a variety of coding and programming opportunities. This was a birthday gift for Matthew last year and we also made a station for it at Family S.T.E.A.M. night. Again, it was a HUGE hit. I love that it is made from a polycarbonate shell (kid-proof) and can go underwater! How cool is that?!

4.3Doodler 3D Printing Pen: Since I cant' bring my desktop 3D Printer on board, I am taking one of these along. The kids can make 3D drawings come to life and enjoy some creative drawing time outside of the usual art materials. There are two versions of the 3Doodler: one for younger kids and one for older kids/adults. The younger child version doesn't clog up as bad as the pen for older kids. Trust me, I have 24 of the original 3Doodler and their latest Create version.
*I wrote a unit on 3D Printing for the classroom. It has lesson plans, step-by-step instructions for creating a variety of projects, vocabulary task cards, and more.

5.Apple iPad Mini and protective case are great for some tech time and educational apps. Each of our kids will have their own to use during boat school time or while on a long passage. We will store them in a safe, so the kids don't have access 24/7. There are many other things they can do with their time, like fishing and just enjoying the outdoors! =)

6. Chibitronics  is a cool way to teach circuits using adhesive copper tape, LED light stickers, and a coin cell battery. Their starter kit comes stocked with a book, supplies, and there are also tutorial videos online. I use this in my classroom each year to teach the basic of circuits. We also create light-up water-color art. I'll create a separate post on this lesson soon (my students are in the middle of it right now).

7. CircuitScribe  another cool way to teach about circuits using DRAWING! The kit comes with a book with lessons, special silver conductive ink pen, battery, and all the accessories. This is also incorporated into my circuits unit in my classroom.

8. View-Master Virtual Reality Glasses allow for field trips to anywhere in the world from your seat! I recently wrote and received a grant for 40 of these AWESOME VR glasses for my school. So far, my class has walked on the moon, explored a space shuttle, traveled through Venice, Italy, and rode roller coasters! We are going to visit colonial plantations next week and then the kids will tie in other social studies and current events locations to create a list of places we should visit virtually.

That's the short list for now. More educational posts to come! =)
If you have any questions or want my lesson plans for the 3D printing, circuits unit, robotics, or other S.T.E.A.M. activities, just let me know.

In no way am I affiliated with any of these companies. These opinions are my own from a classroom teacher and parent point of view. =)