The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

I'm sharing three of my favorite tools to use when 3D printing with K-5 students, and they might not be what you expect! From adding colorful details to finished prints without the hassle of multicolor printing to improving print bed adhesion, these simple, budget-friendly tools can make a big difference in your classroom. I'm also sharing a fun filament option that students absolutely love! Resou...

Want to try 3D printing with your students but aren't sure where to start? I'm sharing a fun, beginner-friendly 3D printing project that students can complete in just two class sessions—no previous 3D printing experience needed! I'll walk you through how my students created their own Halloween-inspired 3D printed keychains using Doodle 3D Transform, a free, easy-to-use design tool that doesn't req...

9Add a little glow to your spooky STEM lessons this Halloween season! In this episode, I'm sharing three fun, hands-on STEM activities that glow in the dark and are perfect for bringing a little extra excitement into your K-5 classroom. From building a glowing spooky house using just paper to experimenting with glow-in-the-dark slime and designing 3D-printed Halloween keychains. Plus, I'll share c...

I love themed STEM lessons, and I know you and your students will enjoy these October STEM activities. I put together a mix of robotics lessons, Makerspace, and even technology options to help bring Fall into your classroom. These five fall STEM activities to try are perfect for one-day lessons, sub plans, or even class parties, especially since they are low-prep challenges. Resources Mentioned Ap...

In this episode, I’m joined by four elementary STEAM teachers who worked together to build a brand-new K–4 STEAM program across their district: Kristina Lodes, Jenny Bradley, Miranda Berry, and Mary Linneman. We’re chatting about what that process actually looked like—from defining their roles and creating a curriculum to working with a budget, using materials they already had, and figuring out ho...

If you’re wondering how to manage tape in your STEM classroom, you’ve come to the right place. This is a HOT TOPIC among the STEM teacher community! When I posted about this on my Instagram, @naomimeredith_, I showed the most common ways you might have students use tape in the classroom. The responses to this post spanned across the board, and there were other strategies shared as well! Let’s dive...

Having a Growth Mindset isn't just something important for STEM classes; it's important as a life skill. I'll be sharing Growth Mindset STEM lessons for 3-5 that you can teach in a week. Each lesson has a growth mindset theme to start as the focus, a paired kid-friendly video, a picture book to read to the class, and a hands-on activity to apply the skill. These lessons not only work well in a STE...

Having a Growth Mindset isn't just something important for STEM classes; it's important as a life skill. I'll be sharing Growth Mindset STEM lessons for K-2 that you can teach in a week. Each lesson has a growth mindset theme to start as the focus, a paired kid-friendly video, a picture book to read to the class, and a hands-on activity to apply the skill. These lessons not only work well in a STE...

STEM Survival Camp is a great way to get kids outside and look at the world in new ways. Through these lessons, you can authentically teach the Engineering Design Process. After many years of teaching these lessons to students in my classes, here are some tips and tricks I learned along the way that can help you too! Resources Mentioned STEM Project Plan Rubric for Students (4 Star Plan) STEM Surv...

How do you authentically teach students how to use the Engineering Design Process in K-5? I'm chatting with K-5 STEAM teacher, Bre Smith and how she uses STEM Survival Camp to kick off the school year with her classes, and has even made it a tradition to start the Back to School Season. Resources Mentioned STEM Project Plan Rubric for Students (4 Star Plan) STEM Survival Camp Bundle: K-5 5th Grade...

Attending STEM teacher conferences can be such a blast, but also exhausting! You are gathering so much information within a few days, so how do you even implement it all? (Spoiler: you don't!) I'll be sharing my strategy on how I organize information I learn from these conferences in a meaningful way and actually use what I learned in the classroom. Resources Mentioned Beekle & Unimaginary Fri...

Have you wanted to 3D print with younger students but realized Tinkercad is too hard for them? Trust me, I've been there too! I love Tinkercad and prefer using it starting with 2nd graders. But for my younger students and one-day challenges, I prefer using Doodle 3D Transform. I'll be digging more into this app and sharing some lesson ideas along with tips when using it, including multi-color prin...

While this show is all about elementary STEM, some of you teach beyond K-5 and even dive into preschool. What are some ways you can effectively plan preschool STEM lessons and keep them engaged? I'll share with you my strategies and a lesson topic that you can adapt for your classroom. Thanks to Laural S. for sending in this question! Send me your STEM questions, big or small, and you can be featu...

Welcome back to another year of the podcast! Excited to be back with this new podcast refresh! We are chatting all about easy and helpful ways to get STEM Professional Development for elementary teachers that you'll actually use! Likewise, you can access all of this in the comfort of your own home or school; no need to travel anywhere! Get credit for listening to the podcast! Download the free pod...

3D Printing with kids can be intimidating, especially if you don't have any outside experience to teach them. I felt the same way, and I almost wanted to give up on 3D printing. In fact, 3D printing is a STEM lesson I enjoy teaching and continue to learn about! In this episode, I'll be answering these common questions I get from teachers about 3D printing. What printer should I get? How do kids de...

Spooky season is coming to a close, so what are you going to teach in STEM now? These pumpkin STEM stations aren't Halloween specific, so they can work in November! What I like about them is that they can be adapted for all grade levels, K-5, and are low-prep. Once you have all the materials prepped, you are ready to go for a couple of weeks! Here is a snapshot of the stations: Science: Build and...

You've spent the first part of your teaching career as a general education teacher, and now you are stepping into the elementary STEM space. It's equal parts exciting, but also overwhelming. What types of supports are out there to support you in this new-to-you role? Well, you are definitely going to enjoy today's interview! I am chatting with CEO of SmartLab, Dr. Jennifer Berry. The company's phi...

Have you been on the fence about starting video school-wide news? Maybe you think you don’t have the right equipment, you need to go live each day, or that it’s too complicated. Whatever your hang-ups are about getting started, I was there too. However, I still got this started at my school, and it was such a success! But don’t just take it from me.  In this guest interview, I am chatting wit...

If you wanted to dedicate a week to teaching students what each letter of STEM was, where do you even begin? You want the lessons to be simple enough to last for one class session, but still engaging. This is Part 2 of a 2 part series where I will be giving you a week of lesson plans for Kinder-2nd grades on how to teach each letter of STEM in a week. Grab the free PDF with the lesson plans here:...

If you wanted to dedicate a week to teaching students what each letter of STEM was, where do you even begin? You want the lessons to be simple enough to last for one class session, but still engaging. This is Part 1 of a 2 part series where I will be giving you a week of lesson plans for 3rd-5th grades on how to teach each letter of STEM in a week. Grab the free PDF with the lesson plans here: htt...

As you are setting up your STEM classroom, what are things you can decorate with but still connect with what you are teaching? A word wall, or vocabulary wall, can be a great asset to your units to help students make connections across content themes. I'll be sharing practical ways you can set up a word wall that you can use throughout the school year and with all grade levels, K-5. Resources Ment...

If you were to ask your students what the word "STEM" actually means, could they answer you correctly? And if they do know that "STEM" represents Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, do they know what THAT means? In this episode, I'll be sharing practical and easy ways you can explain what STEM means to your students that doesn't take a lot of time, but will still build a foundation for all...

If you have a low or no budget going into your STEM classroom but are wondering what lessons to teach kids, my go-to is Makerspace lessons.  There is some prep work to gather supplies to make it happen, but it’s one of the best ways to have hands-on lessons in your classroom that are still engaging.  I’ll be sharing my top three favorite themes when teaching Makerspace to students in K-5...

We are back at it with some fun interviews this summer! I took a little break from interviewing, but missed it, and I had so much fun with who I talked with for today’s interview.  I chatted with Kara Houston, who is a proud member of SelfCAD. If you haven’t heard of SelfCAD before, it is a cloud-based CAD modeling (or computer-aided design) that allows students to model, sculpt, slice, and p...

If you're in back-to-school mode and starting to set up your classroom, this quick tip will help you think through how to organize your Makerspace or STEM supplies for the year. In this mini-episode is a clip from Episode 150, and I’m sharing how I set up my supplies to stay organized all year long, without constantly resetting things for every lesson. Whether you have a full Makerspace or just a...