mindMESA
32 Followers
Cañon City, Colorado, United States
About the store
The Expertise Behind the Innovation: With over 14 years of experience in the trenches of STEM education, we've led everything from all-female engineering cohorts to district-wide science initiatives. Our background isn't just in teaching science—it’s in advancing it through accessible technology. We’ve integrated programmable drones, CAD design, micro:bits, and 3D printing into curriculum that meets standards while capturing imaginations.
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Air Car STEM Challenge: Propeller Car Engineering Design Project (NGSS)
🚗 Air Car STEM Challenge: Build a Propeller-Powered Vehicle! Engineering Design Project | NGSS-Aligned | Grades 5–10 Turn your classroom into an engineering lab with this fast-paced, high-engagement STEM challenge where students design, build, and improve a battery-powered air car. The Goal: Create a propeller-driven vehicle that moves efficiently using thrust from a spinning fan. Students don’t just build—they test, analyze, and iterate, just like real engineers. ⚡ Why This Activity Work
5th - 10th
Basic Principles, Engineering, Physics
Digestive System Modeling Lab — Simulate Digestion & Absorption
Title: 🍽️ Modeling the Digestive System: From Food to Fuel Summary: In this lab, students simulate the human digestive system to observe mechanical digestion, chemical digestion, absorption, and water removal. Using materials like mortar and pestle, zip-top bags, mesh/pantyhose, and food samples, they crush food (oral cavity), mix with water and vinegar to form chyme (stomach), model nutrient absorption in the small intestine, and remove water to form feces (large intestine). Observations are r
6th - 10th
Biology
Also included in: Human Body Systems Bundle
Homeostasis & Osmosis Lab — Carrots & Grapes in Salt vs. Fresh Water
Title: ♻️ Homeostasis & Osmosis Lab: Kidneys, Water Balance, and Osmotic Pressure Summary: In this lab, students explore how osmosis helps maintain homeostasis by modeling water movement in carrot matchsticks and grape halves placed in tap water (hypotonic) and salt water (hypertonic). They observe how cells gain or lose water, complete cloze notes and diagrams illustrating hypotonic vs. hypertonic solutions, and answer video-based questions about the kidneys’ role in regulating water and salt.
6th - 10th
Biology, Chemistry, Environment
Also included in: Human Body Systems Bundle
Nature's Cleanup Crew Lab — Isopods & Decomposers in Soil Ecosystems
Title: Nature’s Cleanup Crew — Isopod Ecosystem Lab & Decomposer Investigation Summary: In this hands-on ecosystem investigation, students explore how consumers and decomposers work together to recycle nutrients in soil ecosystems. By observing organisms such as isopods, earthworms, and springtails, students identify their ecological roles and document how these “cleanup crew” organisms break down leaf litter and support nutrient cycling. Students complete observational drawings, analyze the rol
5th - 9th
Biology, Earth Sciences, Environment
Also included in: Ecosystems & Ecology Labs Bundle
Submarine Engineering Challenge — Buoyancy & Ballast Tank Design
Title: 🌊 Density Exploration Lab — Build a Submarine Summary: In this hands-on engineering lab, students design and test a simple submarine to explore how density and buoyancy control floating and sinking. Using plastic cups, a balloon, tubing, and a syringe, teams adjust the submarine’s density by inflating or deflating the balloon, mimicking how real submarines use ballast tanks. Students observe how adding or removing air affects displacement and buoyant force, record results, and draw thei
5th - 10th
Engineering, Physical Science
Also included in: Scientific Method and Measurement Skill Labs Bundle
Matter in Motion Lab — PhET Simulation & Ice Cream Energy Lab
Title: Matter in Motion — Energy & Particle Behavior Summary: In this lab, students investigate how energy affects particle motion and states of matter. Using simulations, demonstrations, and hands-on activities, students observe how adding energy causes particles to move faster, spread farther apart, and change state, while removing energy slows particles, brings them closer, and can induce freezing or condensation. Activities include a PhET States of Matter simulation, a penny heating demonst
5th - 8th
Chemistry, Physical Science
Also included in: States of Matter and Phase Changes Labs Bundle
STEM Investigation – Falling Cones & Aerodynamics
Title: 💡 STEM Investigation – Falling Cones Summary: Students explore how mass and cone shape affect falling speed by dropping paper circles and cones from a consistent height. They test flat circles, standard cones (~100°), double cones, and cones with wide (~20°) and narrow (~260°) angles. Observations show that flat circles fall slowest due to high air resistance, standard cones fall faster, double cones fall fastest due to increased mass, and cone angle affects drag—narrow cones fall quick
6th - 10th
Engineering, Physical Science, Physics
Also included in: Forces, Motion, and Newton's Laws Labs Bundle
Light Wave Interactions Lab — Diffraction, Refraction & Reflection
Title: 💡 Wave Interactions Lab – Light Waves Summary: Students investigate how light interacts with materials through diffraction, refraction, absorption, and reflection. They use lasers, LEDs, lenses, diffraction glasses, mirrors, and color filters to observe light bending, spreading, being absorbed, or bouncing. Observations include laser patterns on CDs (diffraction), magnified or reduced text through convex/concave lenses (refraction), filtered colored light (absorption), and light bouncing
6th - 10th
Physical Science, Physics
Populations & Survival – Rabbit Simulation & Ecosystem Lab
Title: Populations & Survival – Rabbit Simulation & Ecosystem Lab Summary: In this interactive lab, students explore how populations grow and fluctuate under different conditions. Using cloze notes, real-life examples, and the PhET Rabbit Population & Survival simulation, students investigate how resources, limiting factors, predation, and environmental conditions affect survival. Activities include vocabulary practice, guided observations, and reflection questions that help students connect
6th - 10th
Biology, Environment
Also included in: Evolution and Natural Selection Bundle
Weather vs. Climate Investigation — Graph Climatographs & Compare
Title: 💡 Weather vs Climate Investigation Summary: Students explore the difference between weather and climate. Weather is short-term atmospheric conditions (temperature, precipitation, wind, clouds, humidity), while climate is the long-term pattern of weather in a location. Students gather current weather data for two contrasting locations, create climate graphs, and analyze differences in temperature, precipitation, and extremes. The investigation reinforces that weather changes quickly, cli
6th - 10th
Environment, Physical Science
From Trash to Treasure: Making Recycled Paper – Sustainability Lab
Title: From Trash to Treasure: Making Recycled Paper – Sustainability Lab Summary: In this hands-on sustainability lab, students recycle used paper to create brand-new sheets of paper. By blending scrap paper into pulp and forming it with a mold and deckle, students explore how recycling and reuse reduce waste and conserve natural resources. The activity introduces key concepts such as recycling, reuse, and sustainability, while encouraging observation, reflection, and real-world connections t
5th - 9th
Earth Sciences, Environment, Physical Science
Also included in: Mixtures, Solutions, and Separation Chemistry Labs Bundle
Solar System Mobile Project — Planet Types & Characteristics
Title: 🪐 Solar System Mobile Project — Planet Types & Characteristics Summary: Students create a tiered mobile of the solar system to compare planets by size, distance from the Sun, composition, and moons. Each student contributes research and builds scaled planet cutouts with labeled scientific facts. The activity reinforces patterns between inner and outer planets, relative scales, and space visualization. A simple rubric and peer review form are included to assess accuracy, scale, comm
6th - 10th
Earth Sciences, Environment
Also included in: Earth and Space Science: Geology & Earth’s Systems Bundle
Weather Map Lab – Surface Pressure & Temperature
Title: 💡 Weather Map Lab – Surface Pressure & Temperature Summary: Students practice reading and interpreting weather maps by creating surface air pressure and air temperature maps. They draw isobars to connect equal pressure values, label highs (“H”) and lows (“L”), indicate likely weather, and show wind directions around pressure systems. For temperature, they draw isotherms, shade warm and cold regions, identify air masses, and use interpolation to estimate values between stations. The
6th - 10th
Earth Sciences, Environment, Physical Science
Pirate Rigging Pulley Lab — Fixed, Movable & Compound Systems
Title: 💡 Pirate Rigging Lab: How Do Pulleys Help Pirates Lift Treasure? Summary: Students explore how pulleys affect lifting force and rope distance. They test no pulley, fixed, movable, and compound systems, measure force and rope pulled, and calculate work (W = F × d). Results show fixed pulleys change direction only, movable pulleys reduce force but increase rope distance, and compound pulleys reduce force most. Total work stays roughly constant, demonstrating the force–distance tradeoff. T
6th - 10th
Physical Science, Physics
Also included in: Forces, Motion, and Newton's Laws Labs Bundle
Balanced & Unbalanced Forces Lab — Free Body Diagrams + PhET Sim
Title: 💡 Forces & Motion – Student Handout + Worksheet Practice Summary: Students explore how forces affect motion, including balanced and unbalanced forces. They define key terms such as force, motion, net force, and magnitude, and complete cloze notes to reinforce concepts. Using the PHET Net Force simulation, students observe how varying force magnitude and direction affects an object's movement and draw free-body diagrams. Finally, students practice their skills with free body diagrams by
6th - 10th
Physical Science, Physics
Also included in: Forces, Motion, and Newton's Laws Labs Bundle
Food Web Mobile Project — Build a Hanging Energy Flow Model
Title: Ecosystem Food Web Mobile Project — Visualizing Energy Flow & Matter Cycling Summary: In this collaborative project, students research an assigned ecosystem and create a hanging mobile that visually demonstrates how energy and matter move through a food chain and food web. Working in small groups, students identify producers, consumers, and decomposers, and arrange them vertically to show energy flow from sunlight to producers and up through consumers. The activity emphasizes trophic leve
6th - 10th
Biology, Environment
Also included in: Ecosystems & Ecology Labs Bundle
Plant Adaptations Field Lab — Observe Local Plants & Survival Traits
Title: Local Plant Adaptations Lab: Survival in Action 🌵 Summary: In this hands-on lab, students observe native desert plants such as prickly pear, cholla, agave, and yucca to identify adaptations that help plants survive and reproduce. Students record how traits like spines, thick leaves, and narrow foliage help access resources, avoid herbivory, and conserve water. The activity connects adaptations to population survival, resource availability, and carrying capacity, and includes an observ
5th - 10th
Biology, Environment
Also included in: Evolution and Natural Selection Bundle
Ecosystem Diorama Project — Model Biotic & Abiotic Interactions
Title: Ecosystem Diorama Project – Biotic & Abiotic Interactions Summary: In this hands-on project, students create a 3-D diorama of an ecosystem to explore how living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) components interact. Students model an ecosystem of their choice—forest, desert, grassland, freshwater, marine, or tundra—by including producers, consumers, decomposers, and abiotic factors. The project emphasizes energy flow, food webs, predator–prey relationships, populations, and niches. Inclu
5th - 9th
Biology, Environment
Also included in: Ecosystems & Ecology Labs Bundle
Nature’s Cleanup Crew: Isopod Ecosystem Lab
Title: Nature’s Cleanup Crew: Isopod Ecosystem Lab Summary: In this hands-on ecosystem investigation, students explore the tiny organisms that act as nature’s “cleanup crew.” By observing isopods, worms, springtails, and evidence of fungi and bacteria, students learn to identify biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems, classify organisms as producers or consumers, and understand how decomposers recycle nutrients in soil systems. The lab includes observation prompts, scientific drawing spa
6th - 10th
Earth Sciences, Environment
Also included in: Ecosystems & Ecology Labs Bundle
Electromagnetic Spectrum Lab — From Radio Waves to X-Rays
Title: 🌈 Beyond What We Can See – Electromagnetic Spectrum Lab Summary: Students explore the electromagnetic spectrum through hands-on stations covering radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, and X-rays. They observe wavelength, frequency, and energy differences and record how each wave interacts with matter: long-wavelength radio waves require large antennas, microwaves heat water molecules, infrared shows heat signatures, visible light mixes RGB colors, UV reveals invi
6th - 10th
Physical Science, Physics
Showing 1-20 of 259 results
About the store
Experience
The Expertise Behind the Innovation: With over 14 years of experience in the trenches of STEM education, we've led everything from all-female engineering cohorts to district-wide science initiatives. Our background isn't just in teaching science—it’s in advancing it through accessible technology. We’ve integrated programmable drones, CAD design, micro:bits, and 3D printing into curriculum that meets standards while capturing imaginations.
Teaching style
Our Classroom Philosophy: We energize the learning environment with a blend of "maker" spirit and pedagogical expertise. Our style is experiential, hands-on, and deeply relevant. We don’t want students to just read about a concept; we want them to hold it in their hands. By bringing 3D design and cutting-edge tech into the classroom, we foster a space where students transition from being consumers of information to innovators and problem-solvers.
Beyond the Bells: Our commitment to the "educational frontier" extends to leadership and advocacy. We have successfully spearheaded mentoring initiatives and secured significant funding through DonorsChoose to revitalize science departments. At mindMESA, we aren't just selling files or prints—we are sharing a philosophy of collaborative, tech-forward, and joyful learning.
Awards & shining teacher moments
Georgia Tech STEM Educators Network Member, 2024
DeKalb PATH Academy Impact Teacher Award, 2021
U.S. Army Garrison, Fort Carson, CO, Mountain Mover Award, 2012
My own education history
Our educational journey is the DNA of mindMESA. With a Docctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Curriculum and Leadership from Columbus State University, where we specialized in how 3D printing and engineering interventions shape the way students see the world. Our 'E' and 'M' (Engineering and Math) come from a Master of Science in Biosystems Engineering Technology from the University of Tennessee, where we researched the physics of vehicle-terrain interaction. The 'S' (Science) was born at Berry College, where I earned a B.S. in Environmental Science, concentrating in Biology with a minor in Geology. Every print we make is backed by a lifetime of scientific inquiry.
Additional biographical information
Our journey reflects a deep commitment to innovation, collaboration, and educational excellence, with a clear vision to make a lasting impact on the field of STEAM education.
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