The Importance of Routines in the Classroom

Give your students something to look forward to and the discipline to follow through.

Morning routines help get the day started out right. Students ease into projects because they’ve had time to fire up their brains, hold discussions about their discoveries, and prepare for harder tasks and projects that require greater involvement. How you choose to approach mornings in the classroom could very well set the tone for the learning environment you teach in.

Here are some of the things that are achieved through dedicated morning routines.

Students see value in familiarity.

Established morning routines save time and valuable resources. They give students a set of expectations to follow. Morning routines are initiated without much thought or persuasion, too. You don’t have to coax students into getting busy because they are already familiar with what to do and how to do it.

Procrastination goes by the wayside because students know what it takes to get started.

Even when new lessons are introduced, your class know who they’ve been partnered up with. They know where to find their supplies. They’re acquainted with how much time they must complete certain tasks. There isn’t a lot of wasted time first thing in the morning because your students are procrastinating completing tasks or projects.

Your class is taken care of while you are away.

In the event of your absence, you have fewer things to worry about. Your substitute can take advantage of the Morning Work book you’ve left for him or her to view. Your students are prepared because they’re doing similar work throughout the rest of the year, so they’re ready to help the sub as much as they can.

Your classroom benefits tremendously when following a morning routine. It prepares students for the day ahead of them especially in the event of your absence. It gives them time to mentally prepare for other subjects, projects, and tasks with greater ease. It also requires discipline because follow-through is required to complete the routine and move onto the next area of focus for the day.

How Magnetic Slime Teaches Kids About Science

This fun STEM activity can be created in large batches for classroom settings.

If you want a STEM activity to do in the classroom that appeals to your students, don’t overlook slime. It’s pliable so it can be squished and stretched repeatedly. It can also be made to be magnetic which ties into your science lesson about polarity. This activity is one that can be done relatively inexpensively but it does require advanced preparation so make sure to allow enough time in the school day to prep materials.

Ingredients Needed to Make Slime

The ingredients needed to make slime include liquid starch, Elmer’s Glue, Iron Oxide, a neodymium disc magnet also known as a rare earth magnet, disposable mixing bowls, wooden popsicle sticks for stirring, and a box of plastic gloves to keep children’s hands clean and safe.

To prepare the slime for use, you’ll need to do the following things:

·      Take out the bowls and give each student one along with a pair of gloves and a popsicle stick. Pour the liquid starch into a bowl. You’ll want to use ¼ of a cup per student.

·      Add the iron powder. Two tablespoons are enough per bowl. Get the kids to put their gloves on so you’ll have less mess to clean. Then, have the children stir it until it is mixed with liquid starch.

·      Put the glue in and mix. Students will need ¼ a cup of white glue each. They’ll need to continue stirring it because at first, it won’t look like anything.

·      Take the slime out and continue squishing and mixing it. This is where the gloves help most. They’ll keep your students’ hands from being stained by the experiment.

·      Pat the slime dry. Then pull out the magnets and start experimenting with the creation.

If you’re concerned about expense, you could easily have children work in groups to reduce the number of supplies needed for the STEM project.

What Students Learn from Experiments Involving Magnets

Students learn a lot from magnets. By making the slime magnetic, you accomplish two things. You teach children how to create their own science experiments using common household items, and you provide them with memorable lessons that they can share with others.

Slime is wildly popular among elementary-aged students and pre-teens. It’s easy to make and is magnetic when made according to the recipe featured on the Frugal Fun 4 Boys website. Although the recipe is intended to be made in small batches, it can easily be adapted to fit your unique classroom’s needs.

A Fun STEM Challenge for Kids Involving a Paper Plate and a Marble

When coming up with creative and fun STEM challenges for kids, you don’t have to look further than your closet at school for materials. All that is needed to create a mind-stimulating maze is a paper plate, construction paper, glue, scissors, and a marble. Kids today may not have any experience playing with pinball machines but after some simple instructions, they’ll be pros at paper plate pinball!

Here’s what needs to be done to make this project successful:

• Acquire all of the supplies needed for each student. If you don’t have these items on hand, see if any parents want to donate them. They may have a huge supply of paper plates leftover from their last barbecue and not know what to do with them. That’s great news for you as it ensures you have the supplies you need to carry out this project without a hitch.
• Demonstrate how to create simple arches and bumpers using construction paper. Create a sample paper plate pinball machine that can be used to demonstrate the process. You may want to experiment with different types of arches, bumpers, and obstacles so your students know what options await them.
• Assist your students in cutting out paper strips and adhering them to the plates. Depending on how late in the day you teach this STEM project determines whether the glue will be dry in time to try out the pinball machines. You may have to extend the project into a two-day time period to ensure that all arches and bumpers are secure on the plates.
• Have fun ‘scoring’ points with the marbles. Let your students explore their games by tilting them to try to get the marble into the proper slot. If your students wrote out scores for the different areas of the game, have them keep track of theirs so they can share it with the class later.

This STEM activity is easy to do. It requires little effort to execute and teaches students in a truly memorable way. It’s one way to incorporate fun and science in the classroom.