stem electives

STEM Electives: What We Wish Educators Knew

Rebecca Gray Courses, Education, Homeschooling, Teachers, Tech

How Can Your School Think Outside The Box When It Comes to Taking Full Advantage of STEM Electives? STEM learning has exploded to the forefront of education as the reality sets in that our nation’s workforce has a STEM gap.  There aren’t enough STEM graduates to fill the number of open positions that require a STEM degree.  In an increasingly …

classroom

The Importance of Learning Loss and Why It Needs to Be Addressed

Rebecca Gray About Thimble, Education, Homeschooling, Parents, Teachers

The word learning loss is being tossed around by teachers, administrators, and even the federal government.  Rounds of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds have been steadily flowing from Washington DC to every qualifying school in the nation.  These funds are intended to prepare schools for safe re-entry, but also to combat learning loss through summer programming, materials, technology …

curriculum pilot 1

Why A Curriculum Pilot Is Your Best Friend

Rebecca Gray Education, Homeschooling, Parents, Teachers

A 6 Step Guide to Pilot Testing of K-12 Curriculum We’ve spent countless hours carefully developing a STEM curriculum for middle and high school students. We’ve spoken with thousands of educators, administrators, and curriculum directors in our time in the education field. Over the years, we have been lucky enough to pick their experienced brains about best practices regarding the …

Stem Education Conferences

STEM Education Conferences for Teachers to Attend in 2021-22

Rebecca Gray Education, Events, Homeschooling, Teachers

It’s inevitable that teachers, like other professions, sometimes lose their edge over time.  Policies, parents, and standardized testing can dull the excitement that launched you from your college graduation into a fresh classroom.  STEM education conferences are like the energy drink of your teaching career.  Reigniting your passion for the classroom can be difficult, but these gatherings, conventions and symposiums …

project based learning

Project Based Learning for Every Age: Why PBL Works, and How You Can Bring It To Your Classroom

Rebecca Gray Homeschooling, Parents, Pillar Post, Teachers

What IS project based learning?  The formal definition of project based learning, according to PBLWorks is: “Project based learning is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging and complex question, problem or challenge.” PBLWorks In real-people speak:  Project based learning is …

student soldering a project at home

STEM Homeschool Curriculum: What’s Best for your Child?

Joe Wolf Homeschooling

Homeschooling isn’t a thing of the past. In 2019, 2.5 million children were homeschooled in the United States. Today, that number has nearly doubled. Pandemic or no pandemic, there’s an avid interest in alternative forms of education. While homeschooling offers plenty of advantages, building strong homeschool lessons can feel overwhelming. To help, we’ve put together this comprehensive guide to incorporating effective STEM teaching into your student’s at-home …