Hollyglen Elementary School

Strawbees Builders: Fun with Animals

For Grades 1-2
Monday from February 24, 2025 to May 12, 2025 at 3:05 PM - 4:05 PM
No Class Dates: 3/31/25, 4/14/25, 4/21/25

Join Strawbees Builders on a wildlife adventure, where students delve into the fascinating world of animals and their habitats.

In this course, students will explore the biomes animals inhabit and mimic how these creatures move and function using Strawbees. Each session promotes creativity, teamwork, and biological understanding as students construct models that reflect animal behaviors and adaptations. Through hands-on activities, they'll learn about biomechanics and environmental diversity in an interactive and captivating manner.

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About Strawbees Builders: Fun with Animals
Strawbees Builders: Hands-on Invention is designed in alignment with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), ensuring a comprehensive and balanced approach to STEM education. This course invites young learners to explore the realms of construction and engineering through engaging, hands-on activities that blend creativity and critical thinking.

Our curriculum seamlessly integrates STEM principles with English Language Arts (ELA) crossovers, fostering both scientific inquiry and literacy skills. By building various structures using Strawbees kits, students enhance their technical abilities while developing problem-solving and communication skills. Each lesson is thoughtfully structured to include a mix of construction exercises and interactive projects, promoting a balance between theoretical learning and practical application.
Focus Areas
A Journey through Shapes: Students dive into the fascinating world of geometric shapes. Using Strawbees kits, kids will learn to build and use various shapes in creative and competitive games. This course enhances their understanding of engineering principles, spatial awareness, and teamwork, fostering strategic thinking and creativity as they design and construct inventive structures.

Fun with Animals: Students explore the wonders of animal biomes and movements. By constructing models that mimic wildlife, kids gain insights into biology and biomechanics. This course promotes creativity, teamwork, and a deeper understanding of the natural world as students build and learn about the habitats and behaviors of different animals.

Simple Machines: Students will learn about fundamental devices like levers, planes, and pulleys, and then combine them to create complex contraptions. Through hands-on activities, kids will enhance their problem-solving skills and creativity, gaining a practical understanding of mechanical principles and how simple machines make work easier.

Learning Outcomes

Engineering Foundations
Students will gain proficiency in understanding and constructing geometric shapes, applying these skills to design sturdy and functional structures.
Understanding Nature
Students will explore animal biomechanics and habitats, constructing models that demonstrate how different species adapt to their environments.
Complex Solutions
Kids will learn to identify and use simple machines, advancing to build more sophisticated mechanical contraptions that integrate these elements, fostering innovation and complex problem-solving skills.

Sample Lessons

These lessons offer a glimpse into the vibrant and dynamic world of Strawbees Builders: Hands-on Invention, showcasing how students can transform their creativity through exciting building projects, problem-solving activities, and imaginative explorations. By engaging with Strawbees kits, students embark on an enriching educational journey that enhances their problem-solving skills, fosters innovation, and ignites their passion for STEM and hands-on learning.

Shape Shifters - Exploring Geometry

Become a Shape Shifter and explore the world of geometry! In this lesson, students will use Strawbees kits to build various geometric shapes. They will learn about the properties and uses of different shapes through fun, hands-on activities that enhance their understanding of engineering principles and spatial awareness.

Animal Architects - Building Wildlife Habitats

Step into the role of an Animal Architect! This lesson takes students on a journey to build models of animal habitats using Strawbees. They will explore different biomes and learn how animals adapt to their environments, fostering creativity and biological understanding through interactive construction.

Machines in Motion - Creating Simple Machines

Discover the power of simple machines in Machines in Motion! Students will learn about levers, pulleys, and inclined planes, and then use Strawbees kits to build and test these fundamental devices. This lesson enhances problem-solving skills and mechanical understanding through engaging, hands-on experiments.

Wildlife in Action - Mimicking Animal Movements

Join Wildlife in Action and bring animals to life! Students will use Strawbees to create models that mimic the movements of various animals. This lesson combines biology and engineering, teaching kids about biomechanics and the functionality of animal movements in a fun and creative way.

Engineering Extravaganza - Combining Simple Machines

Take on the Engineering Extravaganza challenge! In this lesson, students will combine simple machines they’ve learned about to create complex contraptions. Using Strawbees kits, they will design and build innovative structures, enhancing their creativity, problem-solving skills, and understanding of mechanical principles.

Course Format

Our curriculum is designed to blend the dynamic structure of afterschool programs with the proven 5E instructional model—Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate.

Each phase is crafted to captivate and retain student interest, fostering a seamless and enriched learning experience.

Engage Phase: We spark curiosity with captivating STEM visuals and thought-provoking prompts to draw students into the subject matter.

Explore Phase: Students embark on their educational journey with clear STEM objectives, supported by an environment that encourages experimentation and learning from mistakes.

Explain Phase: Foundational STEM knowledge is delivered, often integrating concepts from various disciplines to provide a holistic understanding.

Elaborate Phase: Students participate in hands-on STEM projects and activities, reinforcing their learning through practical application and critical thinking exercises.

Evaluate Phase: The journey culminates in reflection, where students assess their achievements and connect their learning to real-world STEM applications.

This structured yet flexible approach ensures every student benefits from a comprehensive, engaging, and reflective STEM educational experience.

Our Instructors Are Our Top Asset

At BAM!, our vision for innovative K-8 education extends beyond just curriculum; it encompasses the educators who bring that curriculum to life. Selecting & training our educators is a continuous and meticulous process, ensuring they are not just equipped with subject matter expertise but also the skills to inspire and connect with students on a personal level.

100% adult educators recruited from prestigious universities ( No CITs at BAM!)
Highly refined interview and background check process
Extensive training that goes well beyond curriculum & classroom management
Ongoing year-round opportunities to teach in our summer camp. After-school, and structured recess programs.

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Strawbees Builders: Fun with Animals