The Play Make Learn Conference is a place for collaboration and discovery in the design, research and practice of playful learning, games for learning and positive social impact, making and makerspaces, STEAM education, and arts in education. PML creates an inspirational space for preK-12 educators, designers, developers, innovators, librarians, museum professionals, makers, and researchers to tinker together, share knowledge, and celebrate one another’s work.

Fifth graders in Donna Migdol's class work collaboratively to create a roller coaster with the longest ride so that a marble can get to end of the roller coaster without falling off. The class begins by "chiming," talking about their design ideas and building off of each other's thoughts. After discussing their plans, students construct individual sketches of their roller coasters. The groups then come together to discuss their ideas, construct group sketches, and make computer simulations of their roller coasters. After coming up with solid plans for their roller coasters, the groups construct their roller coasters using a variety of materials, testing and redesigning as necessary.

The Science Buddies website offers a lesson plan called the “Rubber Band Car Challenge” designed for grades 6-8. In this engaging engineering activity, students build rubber band-powered cars using readily available craft supplies. The challenge is to construct a car that can travel as far as possible while being mindful of the materials used. The lesson plan includes learning objectives related to designing devices based on specific criteria, evaluating competing design solutions, and understanding concepts like kinetic and potential energy, force, and friction. Students can enter their car designs in the 2024 Science Buddies Engineering Challenge for a chance to win a cash prize for their school. The lesson aligns with Next Generation Science Standards and encourages hands-on exploration of physics concepts. The materials allowed for building the cars include items like CDs, plastic bottle caps, paper, wooden pencils, straws, and rubber bands. Teachers can find detailed instructions and guidelines on the Science Buddies website

STEAM stands for "Science & Technology interpreted through Engineering & the Arts, all based in Mathematical elements," and aims to bring FUNctional literacy to students. Founder/teacher Georgette Yakman describes how her immigrant grandparents, brother with Asperger syndrome, and artistic stepfather led her to bring Arts into STEM.

This resource was developed by the Kent Career and Technical Center through seed funding from the CAAT and is a project-based curriculum that revolves around the construction of a working electric powered vehicle that will be entered into an Electrathon America race. This curriculum guides students through the design, build, and test process with their electric powered vehicle. Curriculum experiences include a combination of classroom, lab learning, on-site work experiences, and exposure to emerging green career pathways. The curriculum developed includes mathematics and science standards for Physics, P1-P4, with an emphasis on forces and motion, energy, and electricity for grades 9-12.

This course is design to support the development of foundational skills in workplace communication and mathematics that are used in various STEM careers. The course offers practice using workplace communication and math skills that are encountered in the workforce. The activities are designed to strengthen skills in preparation for entering a college program in a STEM career.

This course will focus on the intersection of STEM subjects and global competence and will feature a variety of resources, reflection activities, and testimonials from teachers across the United States. Global competence and global collaboration are essential to progress in the overlapping fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The interconnectedness of our world and the rise of new technologies demand that students be prepared to work across borders. To prepare for the jobs of tomorrow, students will need a set of specific skills that will enable them to fully participate, problem solve, and adapt in our changing world. The ability to engage with multiple perspectives in the pursuit of knowledge will be key to their success. Global competence in STEM requires today’s students to recognize their responsibilities to both the local and global communities and to develop and apply knowledge in culturally appropriate, relevant, and sustainable ways.

ORISE (Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education) provides valuable STEM resources for K-12 teachers, students, and parents.

STEM Learning Resources for Teachers:
Educators teaching K-12 grades can access a library of hands-on STEM lesson plans suitable for all ages.
They can also share their own original STEM lesson plans through ORISE lesson plan competitions.
These resources enhance classroom learning and foster curiosity and innovation in student education.
Online Activities for Students and Parents:
Parents and K-12 students can explore a selection of online games and activities.
These activities introduce students to various STEM subjects, including computer programming, environmental sciences, virtual reality, and coding.
By participating in these activities, students develop skills that lay the foundation for future STEM careers.
Competitive Educational Experiences:
Elementary to high school students have opportunities to gain competitive educational experiences through ORISE K-12 student competitions.
These experiences encourage engagement and excitement in STEM learning.
STEM Career Spotlights:
ORISE highlights various STEM careers, inspiring students to explore diverse paths.
Whether you’re interested in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, this resource provides insights into potential career trajectories.
Harnessed Atom Middle School STEM Curriculum:
Developed under a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy, the Harnessed Atom curriculum provides non-biased information on energy science and nuclear energy.
It engages students by covering essential principles related to energy and matter.

Students will be paired up in groups of three to explore emerging technologies. I wrote a grant and contacted local businesses to help offset the costs.

Based on the Scratch "Animate Your Name" tip tutorial, this mini-lesson has students showing their school spirit by animating their school mascot.  The step-by-step instructions assume that the teacher has a little exposure to the Scratch platform.

TECH CAREERS ARE RARELY LINEAR! Hear from the voices of Adam Cobb, (Kohl's), Dana Hart (Northwestern Mutual), Kedasha Kerr, (Northwestern Mutual) and moderator Efrem Powell (Northwestern Mutual). The following videos will give you a look into the variety of tech jobs and careers available to you and how you can prepare for them. Watch one - or all - and hear from experts who are doing these jobs today. As you watch the videos, download our workbook at https://bit.ly/MKEWorksheet to help you reflect on each career path and if that might be the right one for you some day!

Students will learn about what causes sounds in this lesson plan. They will learn they are caused by vibrations as well as build a fun musical instrument of their own.

Hear from Joe Poeschl (The Commons & FOR-M), Nicole Powley (UW-Milwaukee, Lubar Entrepreneurship Center), Matt Friedel (Milwaukee Venture Partners Angel Network) and moderator Aaron Davis (MKE Tech). The following videos will give you a look into the variety of tech jobs and careers available to you and how you can prepare for them. Watch one - or all - and hear from experts who are doing these jobs today. As you watch the videos, download our workbook at https://bit.ly/MKEWorksheet to help you reflect on each career path and if that might be the right one for you some day!

By first grade, many children already believe boys are more interested than girls in engineering, the study found. By third grade, children believe that gender-based interest is true of computer science as well. Interestingly, the research revealed that stereotypes about who is interested in STEM are stronger than stereotypes about STEM ability. The belief that girls find math and science less engaging was shown to have a greater impact on girls’ interest in STEM than the belief that they may not be good at it.

Explore what an earthquake might do to a house built on a landfill in this sweet STEM activity. Detailed instructions and the science behind the activity can...

In this project, students will assume the role of citizen scientists—helping researchers answer questions about how dandelions acquire beneficial symbiotic microbes from different soil types. Students will collect and transplant dandelions, conduct experiments on dandelion growth and microbe growth, and then submit data to scientists at the Genomics and Microbiology Research Lab at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. The researchers will use these data to supplement DNA and RNA sequencing efforts. Students will receive results from the genetic analyses from a limited set of classrooms whose dandelions had previously been sequenced. By maintaining a connection with researchers, students will have an active, hands-on role in current science. Besides aiding scientists with research, students will also create their own inquiries.

Meet the Virus Investigators—a team of scientists at the John W. and Jeanne M. Rowe Center for Research in Virology who study how viruses replicate and evolve so that we can better control them!

Resources available for learning about this lab include:
• Interactive cards designed to introduce students to scientists in a more personal way
• A video with a personal story that explains why the lab's research matters in real life
• Questions to consider that will spark connection, reflection, and conversation
• An interactive video experience where you can ask questions of scientists in the lab and learn about their research
• An inquiry-based activity that focuses on doing science, using some of the same science practices that the lab uses
• An educator guide with information about standards alignment, curriculum connections, and tips for using the media resources

These resources are part of Meet the Lab, a collection of educational resources for middle school science classrooms.

At some point, many children wish for a pet animal to play with and care for. But what does it take to keep an animal alive and healthy? In this engaging lesson plan, children will act out adopting a pet and shopping for items based on its needs. As they bring their items together, they will notice that every animal needs food, water, shelter, and air to survive.