The Conscious Classroom Simple, sustainable STEM ideas that reduce waste, spark curiosity, and inspire young minds. Hi Reader, If you need a simple, meaningful, zero-prep activity for this weekend — I’ve got one. Checking out the ducks at our local pond. Did you know the Great Backyard Bird Count is happening February 13–16? It’s completely free to participate, and it’s one of the easiest ways to turn your kids (or students!) into real-life citizen scientists. Hosted by the Cornell Lab of...
13 days ago • 1 min read
The Conscious Classroom Simple, sustainable STEM ideas that reduce waste, spark curiosity, and inspire young minds. Hi Reader, The 2026 Winter Olympics begin today, and if you’ve been around here for a while, you know our family loves the Olympic Games. My kids and I standing in front of the Olympic Jumping Complex in Lake Placid, NY A few years ago, we traveled to Lake Placid, NY — home of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics — and explored the training grounds where athletes once stood on the...
20 days ago • 2 min read
The Conscious Classroom Simple, sustainable STEM ideas that reduce waste, spark curiosity, and inspire young minds. Hi Reader, Valentine’s Day is almost here — and while I love a festive moment, I also love finding ways to make holidays meaningful, low-waste, and hands-on for kids. That’s exactly why I created the Valentine’s Day STEM Block Challenge — a 21-page printable activity that uses interlocking blocks you likely already have at home or in your classroom to teach real math and design...
24 days ago • 1 min read
The Conscious Classroom Simple, sustainable STEM ideas that reduce waste, spark curiosity, and inspire young minds. Hi Reader, Winter has us leaning into cozy routines, hands-on learning, and a few small things that are making family life a whole lot easier. Here’s what’s been on my mind this week: The Pennsylvania Farm Show If you’re anywhere near central PA, this is one winter tradition worth bundling up for. From goat snuggling and butterfly magic to milkshakes and meaningful learning...
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, Remember when I told you about the experience gift we gave our kids this Christmas — a winter weekend in New York City? Well, we’re back… and it turns out we accidentally planned a STEM trip. Lady Liberty in all her glory. There were no worksheets. No schedules packed down to the minute. No one saying, “Okay kids, now observe the engineering.” And yet, learning...
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, If you’re in that strange, quiet space between Christmas and New Year’s — where pajamas are acceptable all day and suddenly the kids’ rooms feel very full — you’re not alone. If LEGO bricks are part of your post-holiday cleanup plans, there’s a way to declutter that feels genuinely good. I just shared a new blog post all about LEGO Replay, a program that lets...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
The Conscious Classroom Simple, sustainable STEM projects that reduce waste, spark curiosity, and inspire young minds. Hi friends, If you’re looking for a simple, meaningful way to slow down this December and weave in some everyday sustainability with your kids, I made something just for you. Introducing the Thoughtfully Sustainable Advent Calendar — a set of two printable pages designed to help families shift the focus from “more stuff” to “more intention.” For $5.00, you’ll get: Printable...
3 months ago • 1 min read
The Conscious Classroom Simple, sustainable STEM projects that reduce waste, spark curiosity, and inspire young minds. Hi friends, As we head into gift-giving season, I’ve been thinking about the toys our kids actually return to over and over again. So many toys end up in the “play once and forget” category, but creativity-driven tools with long-term use are worth the upfront investment. One of the best examples in our home is our Toybox 3D printer. We’ve had it for four years, and my son...
3 months ago • 1 min read
The Conscious Classroom Simple, sustainable STEM projects that reduce waste, spark curiosity, and inspire young minds. Hi Reader, A few years ago, I was picking up a rainbow of Lego bricks scattered across our living room floor—one of those classic parenting moments where you question every life choice that led you to step on a brick. But then I noticed something funny: one of the bricks in my hand was mine. As in, from my childhood. Somehow it had survived decades, multiple moves, and now my...
3 months ago • 1 min read