I fell like the past couple of weeks has been crazy and draining for teachers and students with state testing taking place.  I remember way back when to when I took standardized tests in grade school and was always on edge because I would freeze and not score as well as my classroom grades.  And that was back when there wasn't as much riding on test scores as there is today.  Our students today are ROCKSTARS!  And each teacher is as well because they work so hard to prepare students for these tests and then have to sit and watch students try their best.  Sometimes I feel like it is so emotionally draining because you are reading the faces of the students working through problems, knowing when they hit a challenging question and then seeing the looks of accomplishment when they nail a question - it is a roller coaster ride for teachers!

To help give them a bit of brain break, for our weekly STEM time, we decided to do somehting a bit low-key and brought out the Perler beads.  As Friday was May 4th (Star Wars Day - May the 4th be With You!), we decided to give the students a choice in creating a Star Wars or Cinco de Mayo themed design.  Many of the students in my district observe Cinco de Mayo with their families, so the day holds a different importance to them than many others.  This was something they felt connected to and were excited to celebrate in school.  Many of the students were not as familiar with Star Wars, but hey, you can't win them all!  :)

You never would have guessed that today was a Friday and they were having a Cinco de Mayo party in the afternoon.  When the Perler beads came out for STEM time, there was definite excitement, but they quickly settled in to the activity and were working away quietly.  Like super quiet.  They were so focused in on what they were creating - it was such a relaxing time for them and for the teachers!

My experience with the Perler beads has been nothing but awesome.  If you are looking at incorporating them into your classroom for STEM/STEAM, some recommendations I would propose:

1. Buy the clear peg boards.  Students love to create their own designs and sometimes draw it out first and the clear ones allow them to follow their own designs.
2. Invest in some of the larger clear peg boards.  Not necessarily so the kids can create larger designs, but it gives them a larger workspace and I often see fewer "accidents" in boards getting knocked over.
3. Buy the tweezers for students to use.  Not only does it help them move faster in putting the beads on, but I have seen more intricate designs from those who use the tweezers.  This also helps with muscle dexterity in younger students and helps build confidence in what they are building.
4. The giant containers of beads are definitely cheaper, but they are not that accessible to students and creating takes much longer than if the colors were separated.  I would recommend buying the colors separately.

I also received some new stamps that I created on Zazzle, so we used a new one for when students were done cleaning up their tables and the classroom.  You can't go wrong with a llama!

Also, it isn't a Perler bead day until someone tips the large container of beads. :)  I prefer to keep the colors separated in 5.5oz plastic snack containers (similar to ones you would get condiments to go from a restaurant).  One of these days I will separate the larger container (or have some awesome students help me), but until then, I think there might be some more messes in the future!

I can't remember where I read it, but I read once on someone's blog that every Makerspace should have Perler beads.  So when I had to return a defective item from my Donorschoose project, I replaced it with various Perler bead items (peg boards, beads, iron, tweezers).  My daughter has been OBSESSED with these since about the age of 3, so I have ironed my fair share (and then some!) of bead creations. 

As my daughter is obsessed with these, she is usually scoping out the displays at craft stores and I help her look on Pinterest for seasonal designs.  As fall and Thanksgiving were approaching, she wanted to look for some designs for Thanksgiving in particular.  We were able to find some, but were surprised at how few user-created designs were shared on the popular social-sharing platform.  The lack of shared inspiration sparked an idea with me and I decided to bring the problem to my trusty 4th grade problem solvers.

As any well prepared educator, I forgot something <insert face palm>.  I had prepared some designs to share with them in case they had some designers block, but conveniently left them on my desk.  As it turns out, they didn't need them, but I thought I would share them here anyways!

Below are some of my favorite Thanksgiving designs that students created.  They had so much fun and couldn't wait to create another design after their first was ironed!

These were some of the other designs that students created.  I told everyone that their designs were so amazing, that I had to get a picture of each so that I could share them with others!

What was surprising to me was how quiet the room was when they were working on their designs.  Each of them had something to work on, but they were able to quietly chat with their neighbors and still keep on task.  It was amazing how focused some of the students were while working!  Some removed themselves from the larger tables and worked by themselves an others gathered at a table and shared their containers of beads.  Either way, it was a win!