The Conscious Classroom Simple, sustainable STEM ideas that reduce waste, spark curiosity, and inspire young minds. Hi Reader, When my daughter was little, one of our favorite summer traditions was heading to the library to sign up for the annual summer reading challenge. You know the one… Read a certain number of books.Track them on a paper log.Turn it in at the end of summer.Earn a prize. Honestly, it was never really about the prize. It was about the excitement of choosing books, making...
18 days ago • 1 min read
The Conscious Classroom Simple, sustainable STEM ideas that reduce waste, spark curiosity, and inspire young minds. Hi Reader, This week’s newsletter is all about seeing “waste” in a completely new way. I was paging through my son’s latest edition of The Week Junior magazine when I stumbled upon a fascinating article in the Science & Technology section. It was all about a company creating fiber from… wait for it… potatoes. Naturally, I had to learn more. A UK company called Fibe is...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
The Conscious Classroom Simple, sustainable STEM ideas that reduce waste, spark curiosity, and inspire young minds. Hi Reader, Did you know that May 17th is the very first National Little Free Library Day? It also kicks off Little Free Library Week (May 17–23), a celebration of community book sharing, literacy, and neighborhood connection. And honestly? It feels like the kind of simple, meaningful movement the world could use more of right now. A few fun facts about Little Free Libraries: •...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
The Conscious Classroom Simple, sustainable STEM ideas that reduce waste, spark curiosity, and inspire young minds. Hi Reader, I’ve been working on something behind the scenes that I’m so excited to finally share… If you know me, you know I’m always saving things like toilet paper rolls, cereal boxes, and shoeboxes for projects. But lately… that collection has grown exponentially. Friends and family have even started saving them for me too. But it’s all for a good reason. This July, I’ll be...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
The Conscious Classroom Simple, sustainable STEM ideas that reduce waste, spark curiosity, and inspire young minds. Hi Reader, Earth Day is tomorrow. Need a last-minute activity that’s free, science-focused, and uses just a few things you already have at home or in your classroom? Try this simple photosynthesis experiment. All you need:a leaf, water, a clear cup, a small rock, and sunlight. That’s it. Within minutes, kids can actually see photosynthesis happening—tiny oxygen bubbles forming...
2 months ago • 1 min read
The Conscious Classroom Simple, sustainable STEM ideas that reduce waste, spark curiosity, and inspire young minds. Hi Reader, With Earth Day right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to introduce one simple idea that can make a big impact: composting. If you’ve ever wondered how to explain composting to kids in a way that actually sticks, here’s an easy way to think about it: Composting is nature’s way of recycling. Instead of throwing food scraps and yard waste into the trash—where...
2 months ago • 2 min read
The Conscious Classroom Simple, sustainable STEM ideas that reduce waste, spark curiosity, and inspire young minds. Hello Reader,, My kids are home on spring break this week, so I’m keeping this short and sweet. We’re leaning into a low-key week over here—making fizzy eggs, running to horseback riding and lacrosse practices, and (much to my son’s excitement) heading to see the new Mario movie. And of course, we’re getting outside as much as this unpredictably Central PA weather allows. On the...
3 months ago • 1 min read
The Conscious Classroom Simple, sustainable STEM ideas that reduce waste, spark curiosity, and inspire young minds. Hi Reader, I had one of those “wait… this is bigger than I realized” moments this week. My friend Jen sent me a link to a podcast episode (if you’re curious, you can listen here): It talks about how the closing of the Strait of Hormuz impacts more than just the price we pay for gas. And that got me thinking… How do we explain this to our kids? Because while we might immediately...
3 months ago • 1 min read
The Conscious Classroom Simple, sustainable STEM ideas that reduce waste, spark curiosity, and inspire young minds. Hey Reader,, A couple of months ago, I mentioned that my son and I had started playing around with something called OffBits—and that I’d report back once we really had a chance to explore them. Well… we did. And I have so much to share. The tagline for OffBits is “the art of spare parts,” and honestly, that’s exactly what it feels like. It reminded me of those bins we all seem...
3 months ago • 1 min read