Blog Posts

How to create an engaging summer camp using hands-on STEM

Posted by Abi Dreyer on March 01, 2024

Looking to create an unforgettable summer camp experience packed with hands-on STEM activities? Look no further! Our 2024 Summer Camps Solution Guide is here to simplify your planning process. This solution is chock-full of all the fan favorite Pitsco products we have to offer. With tons of simple materials in ready-to-go kits, your summer camp will be the easiest event yet. Easy doesn’t mean boring either! These featured kits are anything but ordinary. They include engaging, hands-on materials that are sure to make your summer program stand out! Let’s check out some of the exciting, unique STEM solutions offered in our guide.

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Topics: BEYOND THE CLASSROOM, IDEAS & INSPIRATION, ROBOTICS, Camps, Teacher Resources, Collaborations, STEM, Resources, Engineering, Coding, Activities, Hands-on Learning, STEAM, innovate, Art, 3-D Printing

Make your camp/summer learning program planning easy

Posted by Admin on May 03, 2022

Summer is on the way! And that means camps are right around the corner. When we think of a summer camp, we picture pitching a tent or sitting around a campfire roasting s’mores or maybe kayaking across the lake. But, what about learning? Just because the school year is over, that doesn’t mean learning must come to an end too.  

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Topics: Middle School, BEYOND THE CLASSROOM, Camps, STEM, Hands-on Learning

The science behind the perfect pie dough

Posted by Corinne Pachl on January 20, 2022

Pie! It’s my favorite dessert to eat, and, as an amateur baker, it’s my favorite dessert to make from scratch. Nothing is more comforting than the scent of an apple pie baking in the oven, especially on a cool, cozy day!

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Topics: BEYOND THE CLASSROOM, STEM, Activities, Hands-on Learning, Physics, Inquiry-based Learning

Making spirits bright with the science of Christmas lights

Posted by Admin on December 20, 2021

My favorite part in the movie National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is when Clark Griswold’s 250 strands of lights on his house finally turn on. If you haven’t seen Christmas Vacation, Clark decorates his entire house – and I mean the ENTIRE house – with Christmas lights. He brings out his whole family to see the lights all turn on at once. But, as he brings the two power cords together to turn it on, nothing happens. Later, after his wife flips the correct switch, all the lights flicker on, lighting up basically the whole city. A Christmas miracle!

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Topics: BEYOND THE CLASSROOM, IDEAS & INSPIRATION, Science, Technology, STEM, Engineering, Activities, Hands-on Learning, Art

Using Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to grow as a teacher

Posted by Admin on December 06, 2021

(Authored by Jim Brown and James Jones, members of The Ambassador Group for Pitsco.)

Teachers of all grade levels face challenges on a daily basis, from elementary teachers tasked with teaching young students to read and recognize shapes and sounds to middle school teachers working with students who are beginning to gain more independence and figuring out their place in the world to high school teachers trying to prepare burgeoning adults for the real world.

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Topics: Middle School, Elementary School, High School, BEYOND THE CLASSROOM, IDEAS & INSPIRATION, Teacher Resources, Collaborations, Resources, Careers, Teacher Development, Professional Development, Conferences