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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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
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
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
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
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
Apollo 13 | Hands-on activity for Beginning of the Year
Apollo 13 is a classroom activity designed to help your students learn giving and listening to exact instructions, and team building skills. Apollo 13 has language arts, science and math applications. Your students will replicate the REAL Apollo 13 mission by playing roles of Mission Control and Astronaut. Using a barrier, Mission Control will walk the Astronaut through building a machine to save his life. Students learn that precise use of language is critical in many situations. It is an enjoy
2nd - 8th
English Language Arts, Math
Variables, Rockets & Scientific Method | Make and Launch Rockets using STEM
This hands-on activity will give your students a great idea of the principles of Scientific Method, independent, dependent, and controlled variables. Use this activity to help students understand Scientific Method before a science fair or as a supplement to a classroom unit in rocketry. Students will build and launch paper rockets in a low cost and easy method. After launching, students will measure, record and graph data.
Included in this download:
*Six printable paper rocket patterns
*Step-by
3rd - 9th
Basic Principles, Measurement, Physical Science
21 Chips | Beginning of the Year Classroom Activity
21 Chips is a fun classroom game where players alternate turns using strategy to be the last to take chips.
I use 21 Chips it at the end of the day or end of the class as a challenge.
I, of course, claim that I’m just lucky when I win every time, but the kids don’t believe it and are motivated to look for the solution.
Play this game with students while waiting in line for the bus or at recess. Your students will be looking for the pattern but it will take some time, days, maybe even weeks
3rd - 8th
Applied Math, Basic Operations, Math
Playground Planetarium: The Constellations | STEAM STEM Astronomy and Math
Make a constellation star map on your playground! Playground Planetarium: The Constellations is a hands-on activity designed to be used across the curriculum by incorporating STEAM / STEM in the classroom. Get your kids out of their desks and learning the relative positions of constellations in the sky along with the main stars in the sky. Explore astronomy, stars, and math.
Included in this download:
*Ideas on how to use constellations in math, science and english
*16 constellation key cards
*
4th - 9th
Astronomy, Geometry, Measurement
Rocket Math | Geometry, Protractor, Averaging, Measurement STEM
Rocket Math includes step-by-step instructions to building and launching foam rockets. Your students collect, average and analyze the data to find the optimum launch angle. Included are a graphing template so that the instructor can enrich the lesson by graphing variables. Students will explore measurement, angles, averaging, recording data, geometric terms, scientific method using variables, and graphing. Included in the Rocket Math download: *Step-by-step instructions with photos for building
3rd - 8th
Geometry, Graphing, Measurement
Hamburger Shack | Real Life Classroom Simulation for Math and Change Making
Bring the best burger shop in town to your classroom!
Brain Brigade's Hamburger Shack is a fun way for your students to practice basic math. Teach change-making to your students through this classroom simulation, too!
The customer (one student) completes their order form and adds the items before going to the Hamburger Shack. Once at the Shack, the Cashier (another student) take the order and adds it up. If both students get it right - they earn a point! Make it more complicated by adding an a
4th - 8th
Basic Operations, Business, Math
Pi Day Spectacular! Activities Diameter, Circumference, Radius, Circles and Math
Welcome to the Pi Day Spectacular!
My students love celebrating Pi Day. Best of all, they never see it coming...calculating everything from Diameter, Radius, Circumference, Area and Volume of a Cylinder and under the ruse of fun!
Pi Day is often celebrated on March 14 (3/14 or 3.14, you know like π = 3.14 ...bear with our humor!). However, these activities are fun year round and can be used in your curriculum at any point during the school year that best fits your schedule.
We’ve included:
-A
5th - 8th
Algebra, Applied Math, Geometry
The Ultimate Math Games & Classroom Simulations Bundle with 2 FREE Math Products
This is The ULTIMATE Math Games & Classroom Simulation Bundle from Brain Brigade! FIVE fun and interactive concepts from games to classroom simulations. Your kids will be begging to do math (without even knowing it!). With this bundle, we throw in TWO FREE math products for a total of seven products in this math bundle.
We include:
-TOP SELLER Probability Fun and Games - Exploring Fractions, Decimals, Percentages and More!
-Mental Math - Multiplying by 10, 100, 1,000, 11, 12 and More!
-Makeover
4th - 8th
Basic Operations, Math, Mental Math
Engine 65: Get to the Fire! | Fire Safety & Prevention Game, Activities, Crafts
Engine 65: Get to the Fire! is an engaging and hands-on game for students in K, 1, and 2. Your students will be challenged to solve problems so they may receive equipment cards to place on their fire engine. The game and activities provide experiences in math, literacy, and problem solving for young children. There are additional craft activities and a bulletin board template included. This ready-made unit on fire prevention and safety is downloadable and ready to go! Simply print and play.
Inc
K - 2nd
Basic Operations, English Language Arts, Vocabulary
Mental Math - Multiplying by 10, 100, 1,000, 11, 12, and More!
Teach your students how to do mental math multiplication using this guide designed for students in grades 4-8. Included in this learning activity are step-by-step instructions and practice examples with an answer key for each practice set.
Inside you will find easy to teach lessons on:
-Multiplying by 10, 100, 1,000
-Multiplying by 11
-Multiplying by 12 (and above!)
-Squaring numbers that end in 5
-Multiplying numbers that end in Zero
-Multiplying equally spaced numbers
-Multiplying non-equally
4th - 8th
Math, Mental Math
Veintiuno | Classroom Activity | Math Game
Veintiuno is a challenging game that can be used in English or Spanish. Students need to problem solve and determine the pattern to win the game. It’s a difficult game because the kids must figure out the pattern in their minds without seeing any concrete objects. I use it at the end of the day or end of the class as a challenge. I, of course, claim that I’m just lucky when I win every time, but the kids don’t believe it and are motivated to look for the solution.
Play this game with students
3rd - 8th
Math, Spanish
Climate Change: Crossroad for Humanity | Exploring Scientific Data
Explore Climate Change and global warming with this fact-based resource. Climate Change: Crossroad for Humanity seeks to shed a scientific light on climate change using multiple graphs, charts and videos from reliable sources. Topics include the Greenhouse Effect, fossil fuels, rising temperatures, ice melt, coral reefs, impacts on animals and plants, desertification, severe weather events and scientific consensus. The instructor is given information on additional resources, and enrichment act
6th - 9th
Earth Sciences, Environment, Graphing
NGSS
MS-ESS3-2
, MS-ESS3-5
, HS-ESS3-1
+4
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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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