KEVA Planks, or KEVA Blocks, are wooden building blocks that can be used to create structures, art, and more. They are a single rectangular shape made from 100% natural, recyclable wood. They don't require glue or connectors, so builders can explore, build, and rebuild. KEVA Planks can be used to build bridges, castles, letters, ramps, mazes, and more. They can be used to create pathways for Ping-Pong balls, allowing the students to create rollercoaster design projects. The Kindergarteners and 1st Graders are using them as an introduction to engineering and design projects.

Strawbees are a construction system that helps students develop engineering STEM skills through hands-on learning. The main components are multi-colored straws, of variable lengths, and flexible, lightweight connectors made of color-coded plastic. The connectors are designed to be bent into varying shapes to accommodate different 3D designs.  Designs can be connected through the 1, 2, 3, or 5 point connectors, slotted through the center of the connectors, or combined to create more advanced shapes. Kindergarten and 1st Grade will be the first students to use the Strawbees, but they will be part of projects in all grade levels as we move through the year.

In our first week of STEM, everyone from Kindergarten to 5th Grade was able to use the Indi robots. For our youngest students, it was a chance to explore how different colors can make Indi react in different ways. For our older students, it was a chance to explore the concept of Productive Struggle as they worked to determine what motion response Indi had to each color as they worked to build a virtual maze with the robot.

Tinkercad is a free, online 3D design tool that's easy to use and is good for beginners. It's a Computer Aided Design (CAD) program that works on our students' Chromebooks without any extra device requirements. Using Tinkercad, our students will be able to create 3D prototypes, using common 3D shapes as their building blocks, that can then be printed on our 3D printers.  Currently, our 2nd through 5th Graders are learning to use Tinkercad so that they will be able to use the 3D printers for class projects.