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
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
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
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
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
Makeover My Classroom! Exploring area, measurement, calculation and cost.
Makeover My Classroom! is a great activity to teach area, measurement, calculation, cost, and organization.
For this activity, students will need a pencil and paper, a 25 foot tape measure for each group of 3 students, calculation sheets and lots of time.
This is a great exercise in logical problem solving and will provide many humorous moments in watching children solve these problems. For example, children will attempt to measure the height of the walls with the tape measure and the tape wil
4th - 8th
Basic Operations, Math, Measurement
Air Pressure IV: The BIG Can Crush | Demonstration of Area, Volume & PSI
My former administrator has a saying that I try to implement as often as I can. “Think Big. Now, Think Bigger”. With that in mind, I have tweaked this impressive, old experiment and implemented connections to math for use in your science/math classroom. You will explore area, volume, air pressure, and surface area in this air pressure demonstration.
If you have tried the can crusher (Air Pressure I), this is a take-off on that experiment, but it ratchets it up a bit.
We include a step-by-step
3rd - 8th
Basic Principles, Geometry, Science
How Much Does Your Teacher's Car Weigh?|Applied & Practical Math with worksheet
In this math activity: "How Much Does My Car Weigh? ...And How Much Does My Teacher Weigh?" your students will enjoy using simple, but multiple-step equations to solve two challenging dilemmas!
Included in this download:
-Materials list
-Step-by-step instructions and full color photos
-TWO activities (Figuring out how much the car weighs and how much the teacher weighs)
-Calculation worksheet
-Discussion points
This activity will get your students up out of their seats and solving these multi-
4th - 8th
Basic Operations, Math, Measurement
Showing 1-17 of 17 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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