Let's Talk STEM & Oriental Trading's Learn 365

Can you believe it is almost November? This year is FLYING! I have such a sweet group of friends this year so i'm not wishing the days away. They are kind, respectful, and wonderful listeners. We have been able to do so many things this year! 

With the new Next Generation standards, it is even more important to include STEM activities throughout the day. In my previous post about this, I talked about how we use a 25 minute inquiry period to do STEM centers. My kids are loving it and learning SO much! 

Through October, most of our STEM activities were related to fall. Now that we are getting into November, we will be covering force and motion. Force and motion is a next generation standard and we will spend about two and a half weeks on it.  What are we planning?

The game pictured above is called kerplunk and it is so much fun! We have been playing this game as a play time choice and the kids are loving it. I will bust this out during force and motion, but my friends will also be designing and building their own marble runs! I did a lot of searching and wanted to find something that was inexpensive yet durable enough to survive the hands of kindergarteners for years to come. Learn 365 by Oriental Trading  has some really awesome STEM activities, including a marble run set! It came recently and the kids got a peak at it. They are SO EXCITED to use it. I love that it comes in so many pieces because I want my kids to engineer their own marble runs. You can grab it on the Learn 365 website HERE. 

Learning Resources is a go-to brand for me-- it's where our STEM robot mouse came from. I always find that their products are great quality. I grabbed the Learning Resources STEM force & motion set, which comes with handy activity cards! This set is going to be a center-- probably run by me. Ever since the day it arrived I have been looking forward to using it. The activities are hands on and a perfect way to teach kids about engineering! I can't wait to share all of the things we do with this kit! You can grab it HERE. 

We are all about building sets in our room. I have all different kinds of blocks, gears, etc. and I am always looking to add to our collection. I want my friends to think like engineers; I want them to plan and problem solve. When I came across this wheel shaped building set I had to order it. We have already used the set to help us build pumpkin stands and will be using it in our force and motion centers and throughout the year. Pick it up HERE. 

Using our "wheel shaped building set"! 

Sometimes when we talk about STEM we have the tendency to focus on engineering and forget about "science-y" things. Throughout the fall we have had science centers dedicated to pumpkin science, gourd science, and fall observations. I picked up a viewscope  from Learn 365 and it has been AWESOME! I even had one of my friends say "I feel like such a scientist when I use this!" There is no doubt that this will be used right up until the very end of our school year! It is a great tool, if you don't already have one head over HERE! 

Teacher friends, I know when new standards get pushed down our way it can be overwhelming. But... let me tell you, Next Generation is worth it. Your kids will learn to be thinkers, problem solvers, and gain incredible collaboration skills. Yes, the topics that are covered are important. But the overarching skills your small friends will learn from doing different STEM challenges are essential. 

If you are looking for some great STEM tools, Learn 365's STEM curriculum page is totally worth your time. 

Disclaimer: This post may contain sponsored content, affiliate links or review products. Regardless of this these are 100% my own opinion.