Have a Heart
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, this workshop not only involved the hands-on experience of observing real hearts from a cow and a chicken, but also involved activities in which students build their own internal organs using #STEMontheCheap materials. From observation to drawing and communication, the skills gained when teaching about the body are both important and lots of fun. The picture books My Body and My Body: Head to Toe were a part of the STEMAZing Kits provided to immediately engage our youngest learners. (NOTE: Cow and chicken hearts were not provided to each participant but all were encouraged to be brave and bring this STEMAZing experience to their students.)
Workshop Resources
Beats Per Minute Counter
Using this website, students simply press a button on the keyboard in time with their pulse to get a beats per minute count. You can also have students try to match the heart rates for ...
Body Bag
Create a model of the internal organs using a paper bag and other #STEMontheCheap supplies ...
Homemade Stethoscope
Use a paper towel roll, some tape, and a funnel to create a simple stethoscope so children can hear the lub-dub of each other's hearts ...
How Your Heart Works
From HowStuffWorks.com, an article explaining in more depth just how this important pump works ...
My Body, by Angela Royston and Sally Hewitt
A great book for teaching about the body. Check Barnes & Noble's marketplace sellers for a good used price ...
My Body: All About Me Head to Toe
This book by Lisa Bullard was used during the workshop. Look for it at Scholastic.com for the best price ...
Seeing Your Pulse
We did this using a straw instead of a toothpick. We also tried it by lying on the ground and placing the Play-Doh where you find your pulse on your neck ...
Seven Essential Life Skills
From the Mind in the Making book, these are the essential life skills we want students to develop ...
STEMAZing Journal Hack
Make graph paper STEMAZing journals that require no staples or tape using an old bookbinding trick ...