Make STEM Drawers to Keep Materials Together

I’ve been working on revamping my daughter’s playroom into more of an art/tinkering space for a while now, and I have a feeling I’m going to be stealing this super smart idea from Pocket of Preschool for making STEM drawers and bins.

Hers are in a classroom, of course, but the same idea can be used at home with plastic drawers filled with items for construction, engineering and exploration.

The trouble with doing STEM at home is that you end up with so much stuff it can be hard to know what you have and how to store it, so this makes the whole process that much easier, both because you have a limit to what you can store and because you — and your kids — know right where everything goes.

Whenever they can help themselves get the supplies they need and know how to clean up, that’s a huge win in my book.

She also has a great collection of building challenge cards, mini books, charts, even labels for the drawers on her Teachers Pay Teachers site, or you can DIY your own.

How to do you organize STEM stuff at home or in the classroom? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

[Photo: Pocket of Preschool.]

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Easy Sensory Activities for Valentine's Day

If you want to teach kids the basics of Hanukkah in the classroom or at home, the picture book Hanukkah by Lesléa Newman and illustrated by Rotem Teplow is a nice place to start.

The book explores the Jewish holiday through the eyes of Lior, a boy whose name means “my light” in Hebrew, which is appropriate for talking about the Festival of Lights.

The book goes through all the preparations the family does, including cleaning, setting the table and cleaning the menorah. It talks about what the menorah symbolizes and the Hanukkah story of the oil in the Holy Temple of Jerusalem lasting for eight days when it should have only been a one-day supply.

The meaning of the letters on the dreidel are also explored, in that when you are in Israel they have a different fourth word (the letters symbolize the Hebrew letters for “a great miracle happened there” or, in Israel, “a great miracle happened here”).

Because the story of Hanukkah involves oil, a lot of the foods that are eaten during the celebration are fried in oil, such as latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (fried jelly doughnuts). Other foods mentioned include challah, noodle kugel and sour cream and applesauce, which are served with the latkes. Family and friends drop by to share their food, light their menorahs together and play dreidel (the game is explained in the story). It also talks about how the candles are lit through the eight days and what happens at the end of Hanukkah.

The book includes Hanukkah blessings in English and Hebrew and talks about the lunar cycle of the Hebrew calendar, which is why Hanukkah is sometimes celebrated in November and sometimes in December. It also talks about why Jewish holidays are celebrated beginning at sunset rather than in the morning.

Other topics covered include Hanukkah greetings; how to spell Hanukkah; how to make an edible menorah and an tzedakah box (to collect money for charity); recipes for latkes and applesauce; and a more detailed story of Hanukkah than is included within the story of the book. There’s also a quiz to see how well you were paying attention.

This sweet little book is a quick read and a cute overview of the basics of Hanukkah and what the symbols, foods and games mean. It’s a great book for classrooms or at home for sharing basic knowledge.

About the book: 48 pages, hardcover. Published 2024 by words & pictures, suggested retail price $14.99.

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