iExploreScience: STEM in Elem
iExploreScience: STEM in Elem is for upper elementary teachers — especially grades 3–5 —who want to make elementary science and math more engaging, without adding more prep or overwhelm to their day. If you’re looking for practical ways to bring STEM and hands-on learning into your classroom while still meeting standards like NGSS, this podcast is for you.
Each week, you’ll get (ideally) short, (always!) actionable episodes (about 15–30 minutes) filled with classroom-tested ideas you can actually use. From simple STEM challenges and low-prep science activities to math routines, lab management, and neurodivergent-friendly strategies, everything is designed to help you keep students thinking, moving, and engaged—especially during the most challenging times of the year.
You’ll also hear honest reflections from real classroom experiences, with a focus on what works (and what doesn’t) in my 5th grade science and math classroom — no perfection required.
I’m Nicole, and I share practical, hands-on science and math ideas designed specifically for upper elementary teachers who want engaging, rigorous lessons without the overwhelm.
iExploreScience: STEM in Elem
10 Take It Outside: 3 Easy Ideas for the Final Stretch
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Mud, leaves, and praying mantises on the side of the building. The schoolyard is more alive than your students expect — and getting outside in the final weeks of school is not a reward. It's science.
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Season 1 goes out the way it should — outside. In this episode Nicole shares three low-prep outdoor activities for the final stretch of the school year, makes the case for why getting kids into nature actually matters, and wraps up with a look at what's coming this summer on the podcast.
IN THIS EPISODE:
- Three outdoor activities that work for upper elementary
- How to run each activity on a spectrum — from totally open-ended fun to seriously academically rigorous
- The bigger argument: is getting kids outside just end-of-year filler? (NO! And listen to find out what to say if your admin asks!)
LINKS MENTIONED:
🌿 John Muir Laws Nature Journaling — free curriculum and downloadable resources: https://johnmuirlaws.com
📬 iExploreScience Substack — free weekly newsletter and resources for grades 3–5 teachers: https://iexplorescience.substack.com/
📬 Stay Connected
- 📰 Substack: https://iexplorescience.substack.com/
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- 💻 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolevantassel/