Gifts that Develop Curiosity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math

At this time of year many people are thinking about the gifts that they are going to buy for the children in their lives. In the past I have always given books as gifts and though the children in my life don't always seem excited to receive them I often find out weeks or months later that those books are a staple in their household. The children want to re-read them all day and re-read them at night before bed.

Over the past couple of years my interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) has greatly increased. I always loved science when I was growing up and I want to pass that love along to my students and other children in my life. I have been doing a lot of research on integrating STEM principles and activities into my classroom and am also preparing to teach an afterschool Engineering Challenge class in January. My research has led me to some great resources that inspire curiosity and excitement about engineering and science, so I wanted to share some of the gifts I am buying this year, as well as some of the more popular STEM kits out there.

Please remember, science and technology isn't just for boys! Fewer and fewer women are making progress in the area of technology and science, so please encourage your girls to love and enjoy science and engineering as much as you can. Below are some pretty good articles on how adults can encourage the girls in their lives to stick with the sciences.

Article: "How Parents Can Get Girls Interested in Math and Science"
Mini Film Series: Encouraging Girls to get Involved with STEM

Awesome Gifts to Help Children Develop Curiosity in STEM

1. Snap Circuits, Jr. - Great for ages 4-8, They also have Snap Circuits for older children and a version that focuses on alternative energy sources 

2. Robot Turtles- A board game that develops early programming skills 

3. Goldie Blox: Builders Survival Kit- I like this better than the smaller sets because it allows for more freedom in designing and building. The other sets have specific tasks and not much else can be done with them.

4. Roominate Chateau- This is pretty awesome because kids can build and design their dream house over and over again. The kit even includes circuits so that the dream house can have working components like lights, elevators, windmills and carousels.

5. MagnaTiles- I have these in my classroom and my students build endlessly with them. They are so proud of their creations and always ask me to take pictures of their work to post on our class blog.

Here is a link to a great article on different S.T.E.M gifts with links and pictures included!

Modern Parents, Messy Kids Guide to Gifts

This is a fantastic list of books to get kids excited about engineering and inventing!

Kids Books for Inventors and Engineers

Have a happy and safe holiday season, and please check out my post from last December about "The December Dilemma."

Adventures in Teaching

In January I posted a video promoting myself for international teaching positions, and in early February I attended an International Recruiting Conference in Boston, Massachusetts. While at the recruiting conference my boyfriend (also a teacher) and I met and interviewed with 12 different schools from around the world. We had three job offers in three very different locations. We had less than 24 hours to make a decision that would drastically change our lives, so we weighed the pros and cons, decided how we wanted to live the next two years of our lives and decided to take teaching positions at...CAYMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands! We have spent the last few months preparing to leave our lives and schools in San Francisco, CA and finally arrived on the island on Sunday, August 3rd!

We are beyond excited to be here and have spent the last week settling into our the school. New faculty orientation is this Friday, August 15th and school starts on August 25th!new island lifestyle. We rented an apartment, bought a car, got a cell phone, met some friends (other teachers at CIS), saw our classrooms, met our administrators and explored the island.

Last Months at Burke's!

It has been a few months since I last updated this blog and I am hoping to get back to it. My final year at Burke's ended with a bang. We went on three more field trips, one of which was an overnight trip to the Marin Headlands. This trip definitely solidified my group of third graders as a strong community. There was laughter, hiking, sleeping in a room with 12 girls, and the creation of an educational song called, "What Does the Goby Say?" It went something like this:

"What does the Goby say?

I live in brackish water, 

I live in brackish water,

I like a mix of salty and fresh,

I like a mix of salty fresh."

There were more verses, that were highly relevant to the actual life of the endangered Goby living in the lagoon in the Marin Headlands, but I can save that for another day. :) It was a solid end to the school year and my time at Burke's. I will certainly miss the school, the community and the students, but I am on to my next adventure! Check out the photos below to see some of the amazing things we did in the last months of school!

Happy Lunar New Year!

This past Friday, January 31st we celebrated the Lunar New Year. It was a fun-filled and educational day for the third graders at Burke's. A group of mothers and daughters planned an afternoon of activities so that we could all ring The Year of The Wooden Horse together. The girls dressed in traditional clothing from their various cultures (Vietnamese, Chinese and Korean) and explained different traditions that they have. The girls rotated through three centers (making an origami horse, mandarin character writing and decorating a Year of the Horse themed picture frame). They also tried to guess their teachers' Chinese zodiac signs. They finally guessed the signs of the teachers and found out that they have a dog, rooster, ox and dragon. They were also given fortune cookies and sweet rice balls. It was a fantastic way to start the new year! We have been blessed with parents and family members who are deeply committed to our class this year. I look forward to seeing the other incredible celebrations and presentations they bring into the classroom this year.

GUNG HAY FAT CHOY!

A Very Exciting Couple of Weeks in Third Grade!

The past couple of weeks have been full of excitement for third grade. We have had many visitors to our classroom, a few special events and even a field trip to Chinatown. 2014 is off to great start and we are all so excited to see what the rest of this school year has to offer. 

On Friday January, 17th Simi and her parents came in to teach us about Sikhism. They shared a lot of important information with us and the girls asked many pertinent questions. It was a great learning experience for all of us and we came away with a greater understanding and appreciation of Simi's family life and culture.

 

On Wednesday, January 22nd three students from the 7th grade Mandarin class came to our classroom to teach the girls a little bit about Mandarin. The 7th graders led the girls in an exciting game of charades in Mandarin and taught them how to write some characters. They also learned how to say some words in Mandarin such has hello, goodbye, beautiful and happy new year.

 

The visit from our 7th grade big sisters was perfectly timed because the next day, January 23rd we went on a field trip to Chinatown. San Francisco's Chinatown has the largest population of Chinese outside of China, and Chinese immigrants have played a major role in the history of California and the United States. While in Chinatown the girls watched a performance at the Chinese Historical Society Museum, had an informational scavenger hunt, ate lunch at Brandy Ho's and had a walking tour of the neighborhood. They learned a lot about the experience of early Chinese immigrants and will continue to learn more in class as we continue with our studies.

 

 

2014 is going to be a BIG YEAR!

Sadly, this is going to be my last year teaching third grade at Burke's. I have had a great time working at this fantastic school. I have loved working with the amazing teachers and students in one of the most beautiful schools in San Francisco. Though I am sad to leave I am excited to begin my next adventure.

2014 is going to be a year full of many changes for me. I am in the process of applying for teaching jobs in the international community. I am looking forward to seeing what 2014 has in store!

The December Dilemma and the Holidays in the Classroom

Happy Holidays! This time of year can be especially difficult for families who do not celebrate Christmas as part of their family tradition or religion. There are many families that celebrate Christmas because it is an "American" tradition, but this is not true for all families. As teachers, it is important for us to remember that if we choose to include holidays in the classroom we need to include ALL holidays and traditions, regardless of the time of year. 

Dr. Maura Cullen, a well-known diversity and education trainer, suggests that education about religion does not have to wait for the holidays. It can begin in September by teaching students about the Jewish high holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur as well as the Islamic Ramadan festival Eid al-Fitr (when it lands in the fall). 

“By opening our hearts and minds to all religious traditions, we are serving the greater good and our connections with others grow deeper,” Cullen writes."

Below are some articles that I have read about celebrating religious holidays in the classroom and how we can make sure that our classrooms are safe and inclusive for all of our students. 


Teaching Tolerance- Religious Holidays in Schools
CNN Article about The December Dilemma
Webinar for Educators about The December Dilemma