Chalk In My Pocket

Love this activity from The STEAM Lab. Kicking off the year with a STEM challenge like this is fun, but also rewards a team centered mentality. Working together equals success!

The Cup Challenge Team Building activity is such a fun and meaningful way to develop essential STEM and teamwork skills! Through hands-on engineering and collaborative problem-solving, children practice observation, communication, critical thinking, and attention to detail while recreating cup structures.
How to Play the Cup Challenge Team Building Activity

Materials

* 12 plastic cups per team
* 6 index cards (optional, for team captain badges)
* A timer
* A teacher demonstration table

Setup

1. Divide the class into small teams.
2. Give each team 12 cups.
3. On the teacher's table, build a cup structure using 12 cups. Cover it until the game begins if desired.
4. Choose one student from each team to be the **Team Captain**.

How to Play

1. At the start of the round, only the Team Captains may come to the teacher's table.
2. Team Captains may **look only** at the cup structure. They may not touch the cups or take photos.
3. Allow Team Captains about **20–30 seconds** to carefully observe the structure before returning to their teams.
4. Team Captains explain what they observed, and work with team to Build a structure of their pills or stack to match as teachers. The team works together to recreate the exact cup structure.
5. In the first few rounds, children can come view only 5 times, however, their team captain identity cards along them are mandatory.
6.They go back to their tables and work as a team to Build a structure of their pills or stack to match as teachers.
7. Set a time limit of **8 minutes** for each round.
8. The first team to correctly match the teacher's cup structure, or the team with the most accurate structure when time ends, wins the round.
9. Create a new cup design for each round, starting with simple towers or pyramids and gradually increasing the difficulty.

Challenge Ideas

* Limit observation time to 10–15 seconds.
* Reduce the number of observation trips.
* Add more complex patterns or taller structures for older students.
* Require complete silence while building to encourage non-verbal communication.

Learning Outcomes

Students develop:

* Teamwork and collaboration
* Communication skills
* Observation and memory
* Engineering and design thinking
* Problem-solving and critical thinking
* Spatial awareness
* Pattern recognition
* Leadership and confidence
* Attention to detail
* Perseverance and resilience
* Fine motor skills

This activity demonstrates that every team member has an important role and that success comes from careful observation, effective communication, and working together toward a common goal.

This engaging challenge encourages students to work together, share ideas, and build confidence as they communicate with their teammates. It also provides wonderful opportunities for quieter students to step into leadership roles as team captains, guiding their groups toward success.

The activity is easy to set up using simple materials like cups, index cards, or even other classroom manipulatives, making it adaptable for different age groups and skill levels. Students learn that every team member plays an important role, that cooperation leads to success, and that both winning and learning from mistakes are valuable experiences.

A fantastic STEM team-building activity that promotes creativity, collaboration, problem-solving, and leadership while making learning exciting and memorable!

DIY squishies? Yes please! Packing tape, markers and some pillow fluff is all you need for the paper versions. I bet recycled poly-mailers would work really well too.

Always a popular one: Make your own SQUISHIES!! From the super fun Balloon Squishies, to a range of great paper squishies. Fun to make, great to squish! https://www.redtedart.com/how-to-make-homemade-squishies/

Nearly 10 years ago, I shared this photo on my page.

There was no research, no professional development, and no catchy acronym behind it—just pure instinct. My students were working through various coding challenges on Code.org, and I invited anyone who felt confident to put their name on the board.

No grades, no assignments—just students volunteering to be the classroom experts.

A decade later, I still remember the energy shift in that room. The students who wrote their names wanted to master their topics because they knew someone might need their help. Meanwhile, those asking questions learned directly from classmates who had just tackled the same challenges. It was a moment of focus and engagement for everyone involved.

Fast forward to 2024! I came across an article on Edutopia about peer-to-peer teaching. Researchers found that when students prepare to teach others, it deepens their understanding, boosts memory retention, and builds confidence.

I continue to teach this way. Almost every science lesson kicks off with a Think-Pair-Share. When I ask my students what they enjoy most about class, many mention those initial moments of testing ideas with a partner before we dive into group discussions—that’s where the real thinking happens!

As part of the Teacher Corps, I've been reflecting on how we prepare students for the future. STEM isn't just about science or coding; it's about learning to communicate ideas, ask meaningful questions, defend our thoughts with evidence, and appreciate everyone's contributions. Looking back at that old photo, I see more than just names on a whiteboard—I see children discovering their voices and the value of sharing.

Check out the article here: https://lnkd.in/en7FibYZ

🌟👩‍🏫💡

I’m starting a new adventure representing the state of New Jersey as part of the STEM Pioneers Teacher Corps! Over the next five years I’ll be working closely with 27 other teachers selected from the mid-Atlantic region to advance elementary education. This year is a big focus on energy — and I’m psyched to be learning so much about wind energy this week. How fitting to see this particular FB memory pop up when I made it home after an awesome workshop day at The College of New Jersey!

Teachers of Facebook - read this! Parents of Facebook - read this!

So after trying to turn my dog into a 3D cartoon and giving up (even glasses couldn't trick the App) we resorted to a second experiment: how many times could the filter run until it no longer recognized a face?

Guess how many times it ran! Creepy Coraline vibes here.

Came across this pic my teenager made when she was seven. What a fun springboard in for literary littles! Still cracking up over the “THIS IS FAKE” alert.

https://chalkinmypocket.com/2016/06/22/encouraging-young-writers/