Mad Science Workshops in Action!

 

Our school has been offering students the opportunity to participate in Mad Science workshops. Mad Science is the leader in STEM and science enrichment and has been around for over 35 years. All their programs are created by a team of in-house scientists and then tested by their Kid Advisory Board to ensure the content is both fun and educational. They offer teachers workshops for students during the school day. Workshops cover a wide variety of different topics (depending on location) such as coding, the study of dinosaurs and understanding ecosystems. Some of the experiments kids do in the workshops include cleaning up a simulated oil spill, playing a circuit game, making a cast of a T-Rex tooth, and so much more! 

In this ever-changing Covid era, Mad Science has shifted to offer many of their services online. All of their programs - from birthday parties and after-school programs to workshops and assemblies - can be done virtually. This is especially great for teachers who may be seeing their students mostly online and require extra support for science education. Mad Science workshops can be taught virtually - to each student at home or to a screen(s) within a classroom. Contact your local Mad Science and they will work with you to create a customized science curriculum plan, to be executed based on your local restrictions.  I highly recommend you check them out here! 

I was thrilled when I got to see a Mad Science workshop in action!  All the materials were laid out so nicely to capture the students’ attention and activate their engagement.  It was the perfect balance of science materials, primary play and tools to ignite curiosity. Based on the supplies, it was evident we were about to enter the world of bugs!

To kick off the workshop, the Mad Science instructor started by introducing the topic and giving some important background information, as well as the learning objectives. She shared about insects’ fabulous flying abilities, their unique eyesight, and the way they defend themselves against predators. 

The kids and I were blown away by the instructor’s passion, knowledge and instructional delivery! I also commend the instructor for her classroom management techniques, and the way she encouraged students to help her set up and clean up materials. This promoted a student-centered classroom! After giving some facts, she allowed the students to explore bugs through hands-on primary play (with toy insects) and scientific observation (using microscopes and real insect exoskeletons). 

One of my favorite aspects of a Mad Science workshop is that students actually feel like real scientists. In many instances, this is the first time they get to use actual scientific tools and gadgets, like microscopes, lab coats, goggles and more! Not only did I hear them oohing and ahhing over what they could see through the lens, but also about their findings and noticings as they spun the magnification towards and away from the subject. 

After exploring insects’ body structures, the Mad Science instructor gave some important facts about their habitats. In order to bring the concept to life, she brought out wasp nests and real larvae cocoons for the students to touch and feel. Some students were eager to give it a try, while others were more hesitant. I love the way she made the students feel comfortable enough to give it a try together. 

The Mad Science instructor ended the workshop with a real showstopper! Students got the opportunity to see how camouflage works and see how chemicals combine to create the same reaction that makes fireflies glow in the dark! The students just couldn’t get enough! 

It amazed me how perfectly this workshop aligned with our school’s Plants and Animals Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) unit. It provided engaging ways to support how animals have structures and behaviors that help them to grow and survive! 

As if the workshop wasn’t enough, students even got a takeaway activity and experiment/exploration, which continues their excitement and bridges a family-to-workshop connection! 

Want to learn more about Mad Science Elementary workshops, virtual or on-person, that cover a broad range of subjects from engineering and physics to chemistry and biology? Check out this website! They’re designed for kids ages 5-12 and are perfect for every budding scientist!

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October Read Alouds

There are so many great books that bring the magic of October alive in the classroom, but I've picked 10 of my favorites to share with you today! A few of these don't make their way on my classroom bookshelf or into my library book bins for good reason! I typically put away the books I use for instruction until I read them to my class. Once I do, I'll place them on the shelf and into the eager hands of my students.

This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. 

Rather than just giving you a quick little blurb of each, I thought it would be more beneficial to explain how I use them in my classroom. While I'm aware there are so many restraints on the curriculum and schedules in schools today, I'm lucky enough to work in a district that supports my creativity and design to integrate these when possible. Be sure to keep that in mind when reading. :) When I can, I look at the teaching points in my monthly content and find away to make it work!

M A T H  &  S C I E N C E

Estimation and skip counting are such important skills in the primary grades! This book encompasses both skills in one great story! It inspires you to have your own hands-on pumpkin themed counting experiment. So... that's just what I do each year! One day in the month of October, parents come in for a pumpkin filled day of fun. We read this story in the morning, list ways to explain/show our thinking when counting and estimating. Then, we rotate through science and math centers (weighing, estimating/counting seeds, measuring height, sink/float, etc.).  It's lots of fun and is sure to surprise even your highest thinkers with the results!
You can find it on Amazon here.

F L U E N C Y

Our October Reader's Workshop unit is all about teaching into reading strategies. Many lessons focus on also using a "reader's voice." There are so many fun ways to teach fluency and one of my favorites is reading/singing along to Pete the Cat Five Little Pumpkins. A few years back my class taught me how their Kinder teachers taught them the match hand gestures, which I have since adopted. :)
You can find it on Amazon here.



Pumpkin Pumpkin is perfect when teaching into fluency because of the predictable structure of the text. Students can also use pictures for tricky words and focus on how to "read punctuation." It's even great for making text-to-text connections if you study the life cycle of a pumpkin!

You can find it here.


S C I E N C E  &  S O C I A L  S T U D I E S

Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie is an the perfect nonfiction book for all your readers. The images are eye catching and facts are fun filled! I love the way National Geographic KIDS engages it young reader by asking though provoking questions in the text. It also the perfect model when asking and answering questions about a topic.

You can find it here.

How Big Can Your Pumpkin Grow? might be my student's absolute FAVORITE of the bunch! It's a definite must read and purchase for your classroom. My first time reading the story, I followed along and simply loved the illustrations,  until I reached the end and I realized there was so much more to this book than I imagined. Each page features a state in the US and a specific event, place, tale or tradition! Now when I introduce the book, I'm sure to give it a big into! Then we take the time finding the different states featured in the book on a map.  (My students know the NJ page every time! ;) )
You can find it here.

R E A D I N G

The Littlest Pumpkin is such a heart warming tale of a little pumpkin that just wants to be made into a jack-o-lantern by Halloween. It's great for discussing the author's message and making text-to-self connections. I also love that it connects to the many "Littlest" books you can find now for every holiday.

You can find it here.


The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin is another great text for discussing the author's message and making text-to-self connections. We use it when identifying and describing story elements (the main character, setting, problem and solution). It's such a classic!


You can find it here.

I wish I could have been smart enough to come up with writing a book about an adorable little pumpkin seed! I use Little Boo in the classroom to teach the "somebody, wanted, but, so, then" retell strategy. After reading, I take student responses for each part of the strategy. Then students can do it in their own words independently. This book also has elements of the life cycle of a pumpkin infused too- more text-to-text connection opportunities.

You can find it here.

W R I T I N G

Our Writer's Workshop October unit of study is letter writing. I love immersing students in texts in which characters write notes or letters to familiarize students with the concept of why we write letters. The Click Clack series might not have all of the formal parts of a letter (we use The Day the Crayon Quit books for that), it does engage my class in how much fun it can be to write letters. Click Clack Boo is just another great book in the series!

You can find it here.

F U N

I picked one title just for FUN! Scaredy Cat Splat is just hysterical! Whenever I get a quick few minutes here or there, I do love a good read aloud that's just to "enjoy listening to a good book." Let's be real here, we all need a good brain break of a story sometimes. :)

You can find it here.

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