AIMS online learning sessions engage educators in hands-on, interactive experiences that they can use with children and adults in their own contexts. Join us for an hour to engage, play, collaborate, and reflect!
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Springtime is always a wonderful time to think about seeds! Seeds have adapted a variety of ways to travel. Participants will examine different seeds and explore how they use different methods to travel from the parent plant.We will create, fold, and test different paper helicopter designs as a model of a fly seed.
Paper
Scissors
Pencil
Paper clips
Join us as we take a new, and historic, look at students using modeling clay. There are many connections to be made when learners get their hands into this material that is often ignored after primary grades. However, STEAM applications can be found across all areas at all ages.
General use clay, modeling clay, Play-Doh, or homemade modeling clay.
Various household items: pencil, toothpick, knife, craft stick, string, etc.
Techniques that incorporate folding and paper cutting can produce beautiful designs. Explore with us the ideas of symmetry and spatial reasoning in the playful artistic realm of making Mexican paper banners.
• Paper
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Single Hole Punch
• Pencil or Pen
Sewing has a rich history of creating space for making and artistry. We will explore simple ways to integrate this beautiful and creative tool in learning experiences that foster creativity and problem solving for learners of all ages
Participants will make sewing projects. They will explore fastening, creating a rounded shape and designing a simple picture.
Thick Paper (Index Card, Card Stock, Cereal Box, etc.)
Thread (Any Thickness)
Sewing or Embroidery Needles
Tag us on Twitter with #handsonlearning #STEAM
What do leaves, squares, trail mix, and computers all have in common? They can be used as a systematized code to create music and dance!Participants will play with basic materials to create sequences, patterns, musical phrases, and dance routines. These will be related to coding, from no-tech and low-tech to high-tech.
Tape
Toothpicks
Snacks
Various Other "Found" Items
Have you ever opened a pop-up book and been amazed at how the artist designed such a complicated visual scene out of a simple material like paper? Join us as we explore some engineering paper techniques that pop-up paper artists use and then apply some of the more simple techniques to make pop-up cards.
Pen/Pencil, Embellishments (Stickers, Markers, Crayons, Etc.)
Food is an important part of all cultures. Learning about and honoring cultures through their food can be a way to foster relationships and a deeper appreciation for the beautifully diverse world we inhabit. Cooking together also creates many opportunities for STEAM learning! In this webinar we'll cook with author Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young and talk about her experience with food, inter-generational cooking, and culture.
Materials Needed:See the full list of materials and ingredients HERE
Materials Needed:
See the full list of materials and ingredients HERE
Throughout history societies have been spaces for community making. Many indigenous groups used weaving as a means to solve problems whether that was weaving baskets to carry or blankets to stay warm. However, weaving is not just functional, it is a way to create art and use or reuse environmental materials. Join us as we explore weaving by making a simple circular woven ornament and think about ways that culture and STEAM are integrated.
Yarn
Paper Plate
Protractor
Pen/Pencil
Our ears receive an unbelievable amount of stimuli every second. Our brains have to make sense of the signals, filter out what we don’t need, and balance sound with other signals from sight, touch, smell, etc.
In this session, we will focus our brains back on these sound inputs, make some sense of what we hear, and playfully experiment with ways children can be made more mindful of this part of our world.
Soup Spoon
A Drinking Glass
Water
String
Children love to talk about their creations and tell stories! What would happen if those passions became teachable moments in their STEAM learning? In this webinar, we will talk about the intersection of stories and buildings with bricks.
DUPLO blocks
LEGO blocks
Other building materials
Do you remember simple checkerboard or basket weaving patterns from elementary school? Let’s take that up a few levels and make some really incredible designs with simple strips of paper.
Paper - different colors
Ruler
Pencil/Pen
Bubbles! From bath time to play time, bubbles are so much fun. Join us in some bubbly investigations into geometry, chemistry, art, and so much more.
Dish soap
Straws
Little bowls for mixing
Paint
Explore dimensionality, movement, and geometry through this simple, yet elegant design. We’ll use common materials to create a model that transforms from 2 dimensional shape to a 3 dimensional solid.
5-7 sheets of paper
Single hole punch
3-4 feet of string
Recycled cardboard box
Optional Embellishments: Markers, stickers, etc.
Discover the floating capacity of an aluminum boat. How many pennies will your boat hold before it goes under?
Squares of aluminum tin foil
Small objects to test buoyancy of your boat
Pennies
Marbles
Other similarly sized objects work well
You may need A LOT.
Plastic tub to hold water
Paper is a simple but fascinating medium to explore STEAM content. In this session, we will make two models using paper to explore patterns and 3D geometry, emphasizing wonder, curiosity, and visual arts.
2-3 square sheets of paper
Stickers or Marker
2-3 envelopes of various sizes
Pen or Pencil
Maybe you’ve seen marble races. This is sort of the opposite. How long can you make a marble take to roll across a table? What is the longest, slowest route?
Any flat surface (table, board, desk)
Marble (or any rolling ball)
Various household or classroom objects
Who doesn’t love rockets? Join us to learn how to create our own paper rockets from templates and observe how different rocket designs change the flight path and distance of flight.
MATERIALS NEEDEDPaperScissorsGlue2 Pens or pencils with slightly different diameters
MATERIALS NEEDED
PaperScissorsGlue2 Pens or pencils with slightly different diameters
Come learn how to build a simple catapult. Kids love to launch things, so why not harness that excitement for learning around STEAM concepts?
MATERIALS NEEDED12 pencils4-12 popsicle sticks, 20 rubber bands1 foot of thin rope/twine/ string4 plastic spoonssomething small to launch3 small cansduct tape
12 pencils4-12 popsicle sticks, 20 rubber bands1 foot of thin rope/twine/ string4 plastic spoonssomething small to launch3 small cansduct tape
What makes something spin? Children love to play with spinning toys, so let’s engage them in STEAM as we show them how they can make their own!
WATCH VIDEO ARCHIVE
MATERIALS NEEDEDMarker pensOld music CD or plastic lidPutty or play doughPaper
Marker pensOld music CD or plastic lidPutty or play doughPaper
Learning the concepts of geometry begins at a very young age. As children are introduced to the names of shapes, they should also be encouraged to recognize these figures in the world around them.
Materials NeededCereal boxPlastic wrapTapeScissorsPermanent marker
Materials Needed
Cereal box
Plastic wrap
Permanent marker
Aims Center for Math and Science Education
