Basswood Elementary TAG

Marji Olson, TAG Teacher

Challenge Activities

Check out this tasty math challenge for making 1,086 chocolate chip cookies!

Take your thinking to the limits. Complete each STEM challenge and record your thinking.

Click the link above to follow the process for becoming an inventor. What will you create? Use this link to the Inventor's Log Book. This is an optional tool for you to use.

Have you ever thought about what you eat each day? Explore the nutrition facts of some of your food. Click here for the directions and here for the spreadsheet you'll use to keep track of everything.

Learn about Rube Goldberg on the official website and/or here, and then create a contraption that gets a marble or other round object from one place to the other using simple machines. Enjoy watching some Rube Goldberg machines at these links:

Feeding the Dog

GMA shares family contraption

The Lemonade Machine

Honda Accord door closing

The Cake Server

How to Pass the Salt

The Dresser

The Cedar Creek Reservation in Blaine needs citizen scientists to help them identify the types of animals found on the reserve. Please go to this link and help classify some really amazing animals that can be found close to where you live!




Solve a breakout puzzle on your own or with your family! The challenge is now done for the school year, but you can still play past games.


2030, A day in the Life Of Tomorrow Kids. This is an adventure story for elementary readers. The reader will travel into the future with the main characters. Readers will enjoy the adventure of time traveling. This gives our students an opportunity for some improvement. They will have a chance to do some critical thinking, inventing and understanding of the problems of today. This is a great story for students to see how things can change.

Here is a video of the book needed: 2030, A day in the Life Of Tomorrow Kids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aae2jrrbBxU

Links to Brain Warm-ups

Non-verbal (visual/spatial)


Daily Set puzzle: http://www.setgame.com/set/daily_puzzle

Battleships puzzles: https://krazydad.com/tablet/battleships/

Masyu puzzles: http://krazydad.com/tablet/masyu/

Galaxy puzzles: http://krazydad.com/tablet/galaxies/

Slitherlink puzzles: https://krazydad.com/tablet/slitherlink/

Krazydad Star Battle puzzles: https://krazydad.com/tablet/starbattle/

Star Battle puzzles: https://www.puzzle-star-battle.com/

Stitches puzzles: https://www.puzzle-stitches.com/

Which One Doesn't Belong: https://wodb.ca/


Websites to Explore

The Kid Should See This: https://thekidshouldseethis.com/ Educational videos for curious kids of all ages.

Wonderopolis: http://wonderopolis.org/ - Read about interesting questions asked by students like you!

Colossal: https://www.thisiscolossal.com/ - Explore this art and visual culture blog. The site covers topics ranging from art, design, and photography, to visual aspects of science and general creativity.

TED-Ed: https://ed.ted.com/ TED's youth and education initiative — aims to spark and celebrate the ideas and knowledge-sharing of teachers and students around the world.

Mystery Doug: https://mysterydoug.com/ Short videos based on questions from real students.

National Geographic Kids: https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/category/discover/history/ Discover fascinating history facts from across the globe.

History for Kids: https://www.historyforkids.net/ Games and videos to explore history.

Junk Box Wars: https://sciencespot.net/Pages/junkboxprojects.html Try these science challenges using items from around the house.

Tinkercad: https://www.tinkercad.com/ Explore this 3D CAD design tool. What can you create?

Coding: www.code.org Learn how to code, or continue what you had begun in school.

Switchzoo: www.switchzoo.com - Mix and match animal parts to create a whole new animal! Learn about the animals you blend together.