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Whether your school year is just getting started or your students have finally started to get their routines down, we’ve got some great STEM activities to get your students engaged and learning early in the school year.
See below for national days in September that make for great STEM activities in your classroom.
September 12: National Video Game Day
National video game day is a great opportunity to introduce students to how video games are built including the rules and logic that go into them. Kodable Creator, the latest app from Kodable Education, is a great way to celebrate this holiday by having your students code their own custom game!
Here’s how to bring this activity into your classroom:
Before you start, have a conversation with your students about what their favorite video games are and how they think video games work.
1. Get your class setup on Kodable Creator! Create your own account for free and have your students login online and select Kodable Creator.
2. When Kodable Creator loads, have students select the High Flyer course to get started.
3. As students progress through this course, they’ll be assisted by CatBot who will help them fix their game that’s been overtaken by bugs.
4. As students fix their game, they’ll learn how to use code to build and customize their own game!
5. If students need additional help along the way they can ask the AI-powered CatBot for more assistance!
6. Once students finish fixing and updating their game, they can share it with their fellow classmates to see who can get the highest score!
Kodable Creator is just one of Kodable’s learning apps that you can use in your classroom to teach elementary students foundational computer science concepts! Create your free teacher account today to bring this and more coding activities into your classroom this year.
September 19: National Coding Week
There’s never a bad time to introduce your students to coding and National Coding Week is a great place to start.
Because there are so many different coding activities available, here are two great resources to get you started:
You can also help your students understand how computers work by playing a conditionals board game that introduces students to if, then logic that computers and code run on.
September 28: Ask a "Stupid" Question Day
There’s no such thing as a stupid question and helping students understand this can empower them to not be afraid to ask questions to further their understanding in and out of the classroom.
Activity: Science Mystery Box
Materials Needed:
Small boxes or containers (one for each student or group), assorted everyday objects (small toys, kitchen utensils, office supplies, etc.), blindfolds (optional)
Instructions:
1. Begin by discussing the idea that sometimes questions that seem "stupid" can lead to interesting discoveries in science. Encourage students to embrace their curiosity and ask any questions that come to mind.
2. Prepare the mystery boxes by placing different objects inside each box. The objects should be varied and tactile, but not immediately recognizable through touch alone.
3. Arrange students in pairs or small groups and give each group a mystery box.
4. Explain that their task is to explore the contents of the mystery box without looking inside. They can touch, shake, and manipulate the box to gather information about what's inside.
5. Encourage students to ask "stupid" questions during the exploration process. For example, they might wonder: "Is it soft or hard?" "Does it make a sound when I shake it?" "Can I feel any moving parts?"
6. After a set amount of time, allow each group to share their observations and questions with the class.
7. Open the mystery boxes and reveal the objects. Have a discussion about how asking seemingly simple or "stupid" questions led to a better understanding of the objects.
8. Challenge students to think about how asking questions and investigating the unknown are important parts of scientific exploration.
This activity encourages students to approach learning with a sense of curiosity and open-mindedness, embracing the idea that questions, no matter how simple they may seem, are valuable tools for exploring and understanding the world around them.
Looking for more STEM activities?
Learn more about Kodable's suite of learning apps to see which activities are right for your classroom!
