Brain Brigade
557 Followers
Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, United States
About the store
As an educator for the past 40 years and as Wisconsin’s 2003 Teacher of the Year I have languished over the lack of hands-on learning in our schools. In 2008, my daughter and I started Brain Brigade with the idea of bringing hands-on learning to every child particularly in the area of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).
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Programs & methods
Probability Fun & Games! Exploring fractions, decimals, percentages & more!
Probability Fun & Games reinforces the concepts of: addition, prediction, graphing, fractions, decimals, and percents through three fun activities. Your students will be on the fast track to learning basic math skills. The packet include three activities - Roll Them Bones, Trash Can Basketball and What Color is Your Candy.
Included in this download are:
• Note to teacher with tips on using lessons
• Three activities with instructions
• Discussion prompts
• Ready-made charts for students to fil
3rd - 8th
Decimals, Fractions, Graphing
Escape with the Pharaoh's Treasure! Ancient Egypt Team Challenge Activity
In this game, your students will seek to find and secure the king’s treasure before it can be stolen by grave robbers. The game is designed to help your students gain knowledge and understanding about Ancient Egypt, while solving riddles and clues to advance from chamber to chamber. Students use critical thinking and team building skills. This fun activity includes topics in history, math, science, and language arts and can be used to supplement a unit on Ancient Egypt or just as a fun classroom
4th - 8th
Ancient History, Math
Craft Stick Truss Bridge Tutorial | Maker Space, Make Activity, STEAM promoting
The Craft Stick Truss Bridge Tutorial will challenge your students while fostering creativity. This STEM activity turns out an impressive truss bridge for your students to experiment with! This project can be used for students from second to eighth grade. Explore engineering design with this project.
Included in this 8-page tutorial:
-Supply List
-(12) Step-by-step instructions
-(16) Full color photos that follow the step-by-step instructions
-Challenge page with activities to do with your fini
2nd - 8th
Engineering, Science
EASY! Create a Light Up Card | STEM, STEAM, LEDs Circuits, Maker Space Activity
This step-by-step tutorial walks you through the process of making a greeting card where the Christmas Tree actually glows along with your children's faces! Fill your classroom with these cards of joy and deLIGHT your students and their parents! This holiday greeting card is constructed using various math and science principles including measurement, metric system and parallel circuits. The project is a great introduction to working with circuits, copper tape and LEDs. Once your students grasp t
3rd - 9th
Basic Principles
Navigating the Night Sky | 16 Constellations flash cards & game STEM, Astronomy
These 16 constellation flash cards are designed to help your students master the constellations, major stars, and more astronomical facts. Explore STEM, STEAM, Astronomy, and Mythology. Play a challenging classroom game and become an interstellar travel guide where students must determine how long it would take to reach neighboring stars using applied math.
Wrap up this constellation unit by awarding Interstellar Navigator certificate where students earn their Master Navigator Award. Finally, h
4th - 9th
Applied Math, Astronomy, Basic Operations
The Buzz About Honeybees | Bee Biology Science NGSS & Literacy 3, 4, 5 grades
This honeybee unit for third, fourth and fifth grades contains an interactive powerpoint (68 slides), many hands-on lessons, games, formative and summative assessments, all while learning the science behind a beehive. Explore life cycles, insects, food chains, the environment and biology. Help students understand the relationship between our food and the insects that pollinate our food. Lesson, printable worksheets, games, activities, and assessments included.
This unit meets NGSS standards:
Gr
3rd - 5th
Biology, General Science, Poetry
Make a Windowsill Garden | Intro to Hydroponics | {STEM}, pH, Garden, Biology
Make a Windowsill Garden in your classroom! Your students will learn how to make their own windowsill hydroponic garden while learning about pH, plants, root development, metric measurement, and producing their own food. This guide introduces you to hydroponics in a step-by-step tutorial. We have included color photos, detailed directions, a comprehensive materials list, and even ways to recycle your k-cups! This project is perfect for science classes, Maker Labs, Maker Spaces, Tinker Corners, h
4th - 8th
Biology, General Science, Science
Designing a Maker Space & Implementing STEAM and STEM through Hands-On Learning
Brain Brigade's Designing a Maker Space is the ULTIMATE guide to establishing your own Maker Space written by Jerry Hoefs who has already done it - TWICE!
Create a classroom environment that enhances STEAM and STEM activities through hands-on learning. People also call Maker Spaces: Maker Labs, FAB Labs, Tinker Labs, Hack Centers. This concept is spreading like wildfire across the globe!
This guide will help you get a Maker Space started in your school. Whether you have a small corner in your
PreK - 12th
Applied Math, Basic Principles
Guide to Rockets & Space Flight | Maker Space, Make Activities, STEAM promoting
Make four rockets with this STEM activity. Explore basic rocket history and Newton's Third Law of Motion. Students will also use a grid to re-size a scale drawing of the Saturn V rocket, the largest rocket America has ever launched!
This resource can be adapted for grades 3 to 8.
Included in this download are:
-Balloon Rockets
-Straw Rockets (with template)
-Film Canister Rockets (with template)
-Saturn V Scale Drawing Activity using Grid Method
-Discussion of Newton's Third Law of Motion
-Tea
3rd - 8th
Basic Principles, General Science, Science
Craft Stick Arch Bridge Tutorial | Maker Space, Make Activity, STEAM, STEM
Foster creativity and challenge your students to make a craft stick arch bridge This hands-on activity turns out an impressive arch bridge for your students to experiment with! Use STEM and Engineering Design principles to create and possibly alter the structure. This project can be used for students from second to eighth grade.
Included in this 9-page tutorial:
-Supply List
-Step-by-step instructions
-Full color photos that coordinate with the step-by-step instructions
-Challenge page with act
2nd - 8th
Engineering, Science
Bernoulli's Principle | Three Air Pressure Demonstrations & Experiments STEM
Engage your students with these three simple, but impressive, demonstrations of Bernoulli's Principle using a few inexpensive materials. Your students may not be able to see air, but they will begin to understand the effect that air has on airplanes flying! Illustrate the principles of flight and air pressure using these experiments. You will also demonstrate the movement of liquids and gasses over different surfaces.
The three demonstrations have full color photos, detailed instructions and ta
2nd - 8th
Basic Principles, Physics, Science
Light Up Washington Monument Activity | STEM, Social Studies, Science, Circuits
Make and light up a 3D Washington Monument! This is an easy way to incorporate a hands-on project for history, social studies, President’s Day, or the Fourth of July with science applications. It also is useful in the science classroom while studying electricity or circuits! This 3D Washington Monument is a great STEM project for your Maker Space or Makers Lab. This download is a very easy 3D model and simple series circuit that will challenge your students and provide a great take home project
3rd - 10th
General Science, U.S. History
Escape the Launch Pad - Race to the Moon! Team Challenge Activity
This interactive cross curricular game about the space program is a series of riddles and clues that will transport your class back to each of the launches in the Space Race in America's journey to the Moon. Students use critical thinking and team building skills to explore topics including NASA and astronauts. This fun activity includes topics in history, math, science, and language arts and can be used to supplement a unit on space or space travel or just as a fun classroom challenge. It can a
5th - 9th
U.S. History
Playground Planetarium: The Solar System | STEAM STEM Astronomy and Math
Make a scale model solar system! This hands-on dynamic activity will give your students a sense of the vastness of our solar system and just how tiny our planet is in the whole scope of things. This activity reinforces STEAM/STEM concepts as well as division and estimation in mathematics. Get your kids out of their seats and outside to walk off the distances between the sun and the planets. If you have a smaller playground, you can scale this down to your needs.
Included in this download:
-Mate
4th - 9th
Astronomy, Decimals, Measurement
Escape Vesuvius - Flee to the Sea | A Collaborative Game to Study Volcanoes
In this game, your students will seek to find and secure life saving supplies before Mount Vesuvius erupts. The game is designed to help your students gain knowledge and understanding about Ancient Rome and volcanoes, while solving riddles and clues to earn supplies. Students use critical thinking and team building skills. This fun activity includes topics in maps, history, math, science, and music and can be used to supplement a unit on Ancient Rome or Volcanoes or just as a fun classroom chall
4th - 8th
Ancient History, Earth Sciences
EASY! LED Spring Card | STEM, Science, STEAM, Circuits | Maker Space Activity
Light up your classroom (and your children’s faces) with this radiant lighted card project! LEDs are a great hands-on exercise in exploring circuits. This is a BEGINNER LEVEL LED activity. An introduction to SMD LEDs and circuits. This simple tutorial will help your students become familiar with parallel circuits and LEDs. We provide links for the items you need on our materials listed on page 3 - they’re inexpensive and they ship quickly. Fill your classroom with these cards of joy! DeLIGHT you
3rd - 8th
General Science
EASY Rudolph's Glowing Nose Holiday Christmas Card | LEDs Circuits Maker Space
Beginner Level 1 Circuit - Easy, Impressive, we provide links for all the items you need (cheap & they ship very quickly!). Fill your classroom with these cards of joy! DeLIGHT your children and their parents! Light up your classroom (and your children’s faces) with this radiant Rudolph holiday card! This step-by-step tutorial walks you through the process of making a greeting card where Rudolph's nose actually glows red! This greeting card is constructed using various math and science princip
3rd - 9th
Basic Principles
Diaper Dissection Activity | Chemistry, metric measurement, volume, math
Diaper Dissection is a hands-on activity to understanding how sodium polyacrylate works in a diaper. Your students will use scales, measuring and solving equations building upon basic science and math concepts in relation to finding the mass. Students will explore metric measurement, volume, math, and chemistry.
Included in this guide:
-Materials list
-Step-by-step instructions with color photos
-Diaper dissection equation worksheet
-Teachers notes
My students have so much fun doing this exper
3rd - 8th
Basic Operations, General Science, Science
Roller Coaster Challenge | Potential & Kinetic Energy, STEM Activity, Budgeting
Help your students get creative with this STEM activity. Rev up their imaginations by creating classroom roller coasters that demonstrate the concepts of potential energy, kinetic energy, motion, friction and momentum using inexpensive materials. Take it up a notch and give your students a budget to manage when creating their coasters. Strengthen math concepts of addition, subtraction and budgeting. Will your passengers make it off your roller coaster alive?
Included in this activity:
-Material
2nd - 8th
Basic Operations, Engineering, Science
CCSS - Strike It Rich Stock Market Activity from Brain Brigade
In this Brain Brigade classroom learning center students will manage a $1000 inheritance in an attempt to parlay it into riches. Strike It Rich uses Common Core State Standards to help students learn graphing, calculating a balance, subtraction, and multiplication of decimals.
The learning center’s goals:
-To improve student ability at calculating with decimals, graphing, and record keeping on a daily basis.
-To show students just how difficult it is to make a profit in the market.
-To be u
5th - 8th
Decimals, Graphing, Math
Showing 1-20 of 64 results
About the store
Experience
As an educator for the past 40 years and as Wisconsin’s 2003 Teacher of the Year I have languished over the lack of hands-on learning in our schools. In 2008, my daughter and I started Brain Brigade with the idea of bringing hands-on learning to every child particularly in the area of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).
Teaching style
I believe that we need to get children and teachers out of their comfort zones by providing novel learning activities that challenge them and are applicable to real life. As teachers we need to awaken a child’s curiosity by providing dynamic learning experiences. There is nothing more fulfilling than seeing the eyes of a child sparkle after launching a rocket. This is what all learning should be about; children, who having a spark ignite a fire within, seek to discover more on their own.
Awards & shining teacher moments
2003 Wisconsin Teacher of the Year
2002 Herb Kohl Fellowship Recipient
2001 Teacher of the Year, Neosho School, Neosho, WI
1993 Taught a graduate course, Lego® Logo, University of Wisconsin, Madison
1990 Developed and taught a graduate course, Integrating Environmental
Education into the Curriculum, Aurora University
1988 Safari Club International Award Awarded tuition grant for outdoor education seminar,
Jackson Hole, WY
1980 Developed and coordinated Outdoor Education Program-Neosho Middle School, Neosho, WI
My own education history
Master of Education - National College of Education Evanston, IL
B.A. Elementary Education – 1973 Concordia Teacher’s College Seward, NE
A.A. - Concordia College Milwaukee, WI
Additional biographical information
As a newly retired teacher I have been cataloging my classroom resources designed to bring hands-on learning to every student and sharing them here with you. I also lead after school programs, tutoring and summer camps. We blog at BrainBrigade.org.
I spend my spare time with my wonderful wife, four daughters, three sons-in-law, five grandchildren, and even more grand-dogs. I love gardening and traveling. My wife and I are always up for an adventure! Whether walking 70 miles in a weekend or piling our grandkids into our car and taking them for a road trip – we are up for the challenge!
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