STEM Days of Creation

I recently had a request for STEM ideas to use in teaching the creation. I thought this may be useful for others who are teaching about space, animals, and more. Enjoy!

And please let me know if you have any ideas to add!

Judaic Info from https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/246605/jewish/Creation-of-the-World.htm

 

The Creation

The word of G‑d brought everything into being: heaven and earth, mountains and rivers, and every living thing. In the beginning, G‑d called into existence the heaven and earth. Within six days He shaped a world of order and beauty.

The First Day

On the first day, G‑d said, “Let there be Light” — and there was Light.

Books

Light Is All Around Us

Light Waves

Light Makes a Rainbow 

All About Light (Rookie Read-About Science: Physical Science: Previous Editions)

Oscar and the Moth: A Book About Light and Dark (Start with Science)

Activities:

 

TicTacToe Lights

 

•  Brainstorm lights you find in your home, school, and neighborhood. overhead lights, flashlights, LED lights on appliances, lights on cell phones, the sun and moon, street lights, camera flashes, candles, and more.

• Make a tic tac toe board and put one form of light in each space.

• Take a walk around your home/school/neighborhood and look for light sources. Mark off each light you find and see who gets three in a row and a full card.

 

 

Read with Flashlights

 

• Give students a flashlight and have them walk around the room looking for words. When you find a word, shine the light. Spell the word and say it.

• Have kids pick a favorite book and read by the light of the flashlight.

 

 

Suncatchers

 

• Shave crayons to create small pieces of colored wax.

• Place crayon shavings inside a folder piece of wax paper.

• Iron over the wax paper and melt the crayons.

• Hold the wax paper to the window and watch the sun through the colors.

 

The Second Day

On the second day G‑d made the sky, and called it Heaven.

Books: 

National Geographic Readers: Night Sky

How Do Clouds Form? (All About Clouds)

 

Activities:

Marshmallow Constellations

1. Look a https://stardate.org/nightsky/constellations 
2. Use marshmallows and toothpicks to create the constellations 

AND/OR

1. Print the patterns. Cut black construction paper into 4 squares. Use toothpicks or holepunches to poke holes in the paper to match the constellation pattern. Hold the paper to a light source and see the constellations shine through.

 

Clouds

1. Look over the types of clouds: https://nayturr.com/types-of-clouds/ 
2. Give students blue construction paper and cotton balls. 
3. Have students make two (or more) types of clouds. Label the clouds with their name.

 

The Third Day

On the third day, G‑d put the earth into good shape. At His command the waters of the earth gathered together at certain places. The waters formed seas and oceans, lakes and rivers, so that in other parts, the dry land became visible.

At G‑d’s further command, the earth was made to produce all kinds of plants, grass, and trees, shrubs and flowers. Each contained its own seed for further growth and reproduction.

 

Books: 

I Am the Rain: A Science Book for Kids about the Water Cycle and Change of Seasons (Includes STEM activities, water conservation tips, and more)

National Geographic Readers: Water

Lola Plants a Garden (Lola Reads)

Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt

 

Activities:

Rain in a bottle

1. Clean a 2 liter bottle and let air dry.
2. Add 2 cups of water. Drop in a few drops of blue food coloring.
3. Place the bottle in a window and watch for evaporation and condensation to happen.

 

Make a boat

1. Give each child a square of tin foil. Have them create a boat out of foil. (They may need more foil as they fold and create).
2. Test the boat in a tub of water to see if it floats. You can add marbles to the boats to see which boat holds the most marbles.

 

Plant life cycle

1. Get a lima bean seed, paper towel, and ziploc bag. Get the towel damp and put it and the seed inside the ziploc bag. Hand the bag in the window. 
2. Each day look at the bean and watch for changes. Draw the bean each day and write down the changes. 
3. After the bean sprouts, plant in a small cup and watch the continued growth.

 

Make a sponge garden

1. Buy fast growing seeds, like watercress, radishes, lettuce, alfalfa or mustard.
2. Rinse the sponge, squeeze to remove excess water, and put it on a plastic plate or aluminum pie plate.
3. Sprinkle the seeds on the sponge.
4. Put the sponge in a well lighted area.
5. Check the sponge daily, make sure it remains moist but do not over water. Add only 1 tablespoon at a time.

The Fourth Day

On the fourth day, G‑d made the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars, to shed light upon the earth. And so He set a time for day and a time for night, a time for the week, the month, and the year, and a time for each of the four seasons.

Books: 

National Geographic Kids Everything Space: Blast Off for a Universe of Photos, Facts, and Fun!

National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Space (National Geographic Little Kids First Big Books)

Space: Planets, Moons, Stars, and More! (Step into Reading)

 

Activities:

Cookie moon phase: https://sciencebob.com/oreo-cookie-moon-phases/ 

Fruit solar system: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/569564684097980672/

Model of the solar system

1. Give children playdough or fast dry clay
2. Assign each child a planet, star, or moon to create
3. Place the planets and moons in order and then place the stars around the solar system

Create an astronaut experience box: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/398779741981251345/

The Fifth Day

On the fifth day, G‑d filled the seas with fishes and other water animals. Into the air above the earth He put many birds of all kinds and colors and sizes.

 

Books

Ocean Animals for Kids: A Junior Scientist’s Guide to Whales, Sharks, and Other Marine Life

About Birds: A Guide for Children 

National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Birds (National Geographic Little Kids First Big Books)

Activities:

Birdwatching

Visit https://www.birds.cornell.edu/citizenscience/about-the-projects/ to find a Citizen Science project that your students can contribute to!

Jellyfish

1. Give each student a plastic bowl and have them paint the bowl.
2. Attach googly eyes
3. Give students yarn or crepe streamers to make the jellyfish tentacles,

 

Birds nests

1. Gather sticks, grass, yarn pieces
2. Make a nest and glue it to construction paper.
3. Trace student hands and cut out. Glue together to create a bird, add googly eyes.
4. Glue the bird in the nest.

 

Play the bird life cycle

1. Have kids make themselves small on the ground like an egg.
2. Break out of the egg
3. Flap wings and hop around
4. Soar!

 

The Sixth Day

On the sixth day, were created all the other animals, large and small, those that walk and those that creep or crawl on the earth. And towards the end of the sixth day, G‑d put a divine soul into a body which He made of earth and clay. This was the human. To the human G‑d granted high mental ability that one could think and reach one’s own conclusions. G‑d also gave the human the power of speech and He made humans superior to all other creatures of the earth. G‑d placed all the creatures of the earth and the powers of nature in the control of the human.

Books:

National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Animals

The Animal Book: A Visual Encyclopedia of Life on Earth

National Geographic Animal Encyclopedia: 2,500 Animals with Photos, Maps, and More!

DKfindout! Human Body 

Curious Toddler My First Word Book About Body Parts: A Human Body Picture Book for Kids

 

Activities:

Animal Experts

1. Research an animal the child loves using books and research websites for kids, like Ducksters.
2. Find five facts about the animal.
3. Create the life cycle using drawing and crafty items.
4. Make a habitat for the animal.
5. Make a video and teach others about the animal.

 

Take a neighborhood safari

1. Take a walk around your neighborhood.
2. Take pictures of animals you see on your walk.
3. Make a map of the neighborhood and label where you saw each animal.

 

Animal camouflage

1. Watch how animals blend in https://youtu.be/tG8556WuyDo
2. Create a picture with hidden animals

 

Animal actions

1. Whisper an animal name to a child.
2. Have the child act out the animal’s movements and sounds.
3. Let the other children guess what animal they are pretending to be.

The Seventh Day

By the seventh day, everything was created and put into shape and order. And G‑d rested on the seventh day and He glorified it as a day of rest. Therefore we should work for six days and rest on the Seventh day, Shabbat, which G‑d blessed and sanctified for all time to come. By observing the Shabbat day, we show that we believe in G‑d as the Creator of the world.

 

Books:

Sheep Go to Sleep

How Do Dinosaurs Go to Sleep?

How Animals Say Good Night: A Sweet Going to Bed Book about Animal Sleep Habits

“I DON’T WANT TO SLEEP”: Teaching Kids the Importance of Sleep. (Bedtimes sleep Children’s Picture Book Book 1)

Activities

Daniel Tiger Storytime about sleep

Bedtime storytime

1. Have kids bring their blankets and pillows to school
2. Tuck in students and read a book

 

Nighttime routine

1. Talk about your night time routine
2. Draw what you do each night
3. Put the actions in order from first to last

 

Music choices

1. Talk about restful sounds
2. Play different music sounds and have kids identify if it is fast music for moving or slow music for resting