Resources for creating a love of STEM on a budget

Close your eyes. Picture yourself in the ultimate STEM classroom. What do you see?

Maybe you envision a bunch of tables with plenty of room for making and building. Or perhaps you see a row of machines dedicated to fabrication and innovation, things like 3D printers, laser cutters, and screen printers. Along another wall you picture a giant greenscreen and video equipment. And of course, there would be a wall filled with bins, each neatly labeled and filled to overflowing with every type of tool and material a kid would need to create the ideas in their mind.

Okay, now open your eyes. 

STEM education isn’t about what we have: it’s about what we do with what we have.

Our kids need a view of STEM education (and education in general) that problems are solved with creativity, not just fancy tools. When I challenge my students to create or make or design or engineer, I try to leave the options as open as possible.

Design and build a shoe.

Figure out the best size for a cereal box.

Make something amazing that solves a problem in your home.

When we give our students authentic challenges and the freedom to use whatever materials you happen to have on hand, kids pay more attention to creating and less attention to finishing and turning in and getting a good grade. 

So, what are some simple ways to provide your students an opportunity to create without all of those typical STEM resources that require grants?

Cardboard and recyclables

No STEM or maker experience is complete without cheap and versatile building materials. Cardboard and recyclables are easy to collect (just make sure they’re germ-free), easy to use, and perfect for innovating and iterating. If you have any trouble finding enough resources, just ask your students to start collecting materials at home to bring to the classroom (as a bonus, they’ll take ownership of a reuse-and-recycle mindset). 

To make cardboard storage easier, pre-cut boxes into flat pieces and store in bins based on size. Try using a magazine rack for storing thinner cardboard from food packaging. For recyclables, find a clean garbage can or large bin so kids can rummage through to find the perfect raw material for their project. And if kids are stuck wondering what to make, check out Darrell Wakelam’s great website for ideas to challenge any kid.

Paper

If cardboard is the ultimate building material, paper is the all-important design material. When we let kids skip directly to the ‘build’ stage, they miss out on the ‘planning’ stage that helps them avoid design problems (which lead to wasted resources). 

Provide students with a variety of papers for every STEM activity. Plain white paper. Colored paper. Construction paper. Origami paper. Cardstock. You can even give kids the white crayons that never get used, and a sheet of blue paper to make their own ‘blueprints’. 

One of my favorite types of paper is isometric dot paper. Dots are arranged in a way to make the illusion of three dimensions when they’re connected. It’s like Minecraft, but with paper and pencil. And don’t forget to let kids make paper airplanes or specialty boxes.

Online simulators

Sometimes the best way to prepare students for high-tech careers is to let them use some high-tech simulators. Gear simulators. Gear and pulley simulators. A virtual Spirograph. A Bee-Bot simulator. Science and Math simulations from PhET. Google’s Chrome Music Lab for simulating musical instruments. Or maybe you just need a website that has every type of manipulative necessary for hands-on Math learning. 

There are so many resources available, and they’re all great practice for when our kids grow up and have to learn how to quickly and effectively use digital design tools at their jobs. 

Home-based creating

One important, and often overlooked, aspect of a STEM learning culture is encouraging STEM learning at home. Families know that they should read with their kids, but are we encouraging them to do STEM with their kids? Parents don’t have to be rocket scientists or software designers to do STEM with kids at home. Cooking dinner is filled with STEM connections. 

Building a bird feeder, planting a garden, or setting up recycling bins at home can enhance the STEM learning in the classroom. If families are looking for ideas, I’ve made lists of simple STEM ideas families can do together. The website Instructables also has thousands of searchable ideas, from crafts to costumes to cooking to electronics and more. 

Building the culture

We can build a great STEM class or STEM lab in our school, but we must find ways to build a STEM culture. Ensuring that every kid has access to creation tools should be a top priority when we are designing the STEM curriculum and content for our classrooms. Don’t wait until you have all the expensive tools, let your kids use what you’ve already got. Turn them loose and see what they create!

Chris Woods
Chris Woods is a teacher, speaker, podcaster, author, and an all around STEM nerd. When he’s not sharing great STEM resources on his website dailystem.com or @dailystem on social media, he’s inspiring the kids in his classroom and home to try new STEM challenges.
@dailystem