{"id":12768,"date":"2018-05-03T11:10:51","date_gmt":"2018-05-03T15:10:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/?p=12768"},"modified":"2025-05-06T09:20:09","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T13:20:09","slug":"build-stem-skills-classroom-lesson-plans-using-brackitz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/build-stem-skills-classroom-lesson-plans-using-brackitz\/","title":{"rendered":"Build STEM Skills in the Classroom &#8211; Lesson Plans Using Brackitz"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12876\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/brackitz-stem-lessons-for-classroom1.jpg\" alt=\"brackitz stem lessons for classroom\" width=\"950\" height=\"607\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Spending time engaging with building toys, from blocks to Brackitz, has dozens of proven benefits both at home and in the classroom. According to early childhood experts at NAEYC, block play builds problem solving and strategic thinking skills; imagination and creativity; self-expression, language, and social skills; self-esteem and confidence; and so much more. But the learning doesn\u2019t stop with early childhood.<\/p>\n<p>Engineering sets like Brackitz take things one step further, introducing and providing hands-on experience with STEM skills, principles, and vocabulary including gravity, symmetry, balance, stability, measurement, units, addition, subtraction, and more.<\/p>\n<p>Plus, it\u2019s fun! Students of all ages love building and it\u2019s an easy activity to incorporate into any classroom schedule.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-size: 125%; text-align: center;\">Classroom Lesson Plan Ideas Using Brackitz<\/h2>\n<p>With class-sized sets including planks, connectors, pulleys, cranks, wheels, axles, gears, sprockets, and chains, and dozens of free lesson plans for grades pre-K through 5, all aligned to Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards, there\u2019s definitely a Brackitz set perfect for your classroom. Just imagine your kids working on hands-on learning activities like the ones below.<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"noborder aligncenter wp-image-12884 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/ssww-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/brackitz-lesson-plans-e1525360621952.png\" alt=\"brackitz lesson plans\" width=\"448\" height=\"215\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/brackitz-lesson-plans-e1525360621952.png 448w, https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/brackitz-lesson-plans-e1525360621952-300x144.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 448px) 100vw, 448px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-size: 115%; text-align: center;\">Creature Comforts<\/h2>\n<p>Considering the size of a gingerbread man cookie, students brainstorm, discuss, sketch, then build correctly-scaled objects for your yummy friend! Think houses, playgrounds, gardens, and furniture. Reflect on the builds and discuss what worked and what didn\u2019t and what changes students might make next time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Free Lesson Plans for this Activity:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1386\/9559\/files\/PreK_U1_Lesson4.pdf?16366373296086864258\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pre-K<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.commercev3.net\/cdn.teachersource.com\/downloads\/lesson_pdf\/K_Grade1Lesson4.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Grades K &amp; 1<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-12838\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/creature-comfort1.png\" alt=\"brackitz STEM classroom\" width=\"900\" height=\"232\" \/><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"font-size: 115%; text-align: center;\">Two Wheels on the Cart<\/h2>\n<p>Challenge your students to design their own two-wheeled vehicles, then build them and test them. Discuss the advantages of two wheels over one, three, or four (safety, stability, balance, etc). Discuss where and how this vehicle might be used. Then move on to three and four wheeled vehicle builds and discuss the pros and cons of each.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Free Lesson Plan for this Activity:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1386\/9559\/files\/GradeK1_Lesson3.pdf?6002259571485748692\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Grades K &amp;1<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-12837\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/two-wheel-activity1.png\" alt=\"brackitz STEM activity\" width=\"900\" height=\"232\" \/><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"font-size: 115%; text-align: center;\">From Here to There<\/h2>\n<p>Compare and contrast the effort required to move something by hand versus using a simple machine, like a pulley, with this interactive, hands-on science lesson wrapped around a fun, castle and moat theme.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Free Lesson Plan for this Activity:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1386\/9559\/files\/GradeK1_Lesson5_1b844ea1-5ec9-46cb-b1bc-162cc0e111c1.pdf?10232079724381846261\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Grades K &amp; 1<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-12839\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/from-here-to-there-STEM-activity1.png\" alt=\"STEM activity Brackitz\" width=\"900\" height=\"233\" \/><\/p>\n<p>You could also ramp up the fun with a simple machine challenge, test the stability of your student\u2019s builds with an earthquake shake test, or go cross-curricular with a Brackitz build to support a historical structure or geographical landmark lesson.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-size: 125%; text-align: center;\">When to Introduce STEM?<\/h2>\n<p>How soon is too soon to start students down the path to STEM? As early as possible, according to research! Recent studies suggest that block play as a part of early childhood education correlates with higher reading abilities and critical spatial skills and many schools around the country are working to make STEM a part of the core preschool curriculum. But we all know that wooden blocks, snap-together bricks, and building sets like Brackitz have been a part of early learning classrooms for years. Now it\u2019s time to extend the learning \u2013 and the fun \u2013 with Brackitz in elementary, middle, and high school classrooms, libraries, and after-school programs everywhere! View the video below to learn about even more benefits of Brackitz in schools.<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wistia_embed\" title=\"Wistia video player\" src=\"https:\/\/fast.wistia.net\/embed\/iframe\/8rqpzhep3v\" name=\"wistia_embed\" width=\"550\" height=\"375\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>Want to get Brackitz for your classroom or program and try these activities? View our selection of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/search\/index.php?q=brackitz\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Brackitz sets here<\/strong>,<\/a>\u00a0including the\u00a0Inventor 100-Piece Set,\u00a0Education Center which is great for classrooms, camps, and museum exhibits, and the\u00a0Driver Set for early engineer to\u00a0design and build machines that spin!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-12827 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/STEM-skills-classroom-Brackitz1.png\" alt=\"STEM skills classroom Brackitz\" width=\"650\" height=\"501\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>About Brackitz:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-12826\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Brackitz1.png\" alt=\"Brackitz\" width=\"300\" height=\"116\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<div>The Brackitz award-winning collection of hands-on construction kits puts real-life art, math, science, architectural, and engineering principles into play. Open-ended and flexible for learners Prek-8 and beyond, Brackitz encourages imagination, creativity and discovery. Brackitz\u2019 large planks and connecting hubs are simple enough for young learners and engaging enough to captivate older learners as they imagine and design more complex creations. Website:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/constructiveplaythings.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/brackitz.com\/<\/a><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Spending time engaging with building toys, from blocks to Brackitz, has dozens of proven benefits both at home and in the classroom. According to early childhood experts at NAEYC, block play builds problem solving and strategic thinking skills; imagination and &hellip; <a class=\"read-more-btn\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/build-stem-skills-classroom-lesson-plans-using-brackitz\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":12876,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[177,32,205],"tags":[664,1996,1997,475,37,1414,148,100,251],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v16.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Build STEM Skills in the Classroom - Lesson Plans Using Brackitz - S&amp;S Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/build-stem-skills-classroom-lesson-plans-using-brackitz\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Build STEM Skills in the Classroom - Lesson Plans Using Brackitz - S&amp;S Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Spending time engaging with building toys, from blocks to Brackitz, has dozens of proven benefits both at home and in the classroom. According to early childhood experts at NAEYC, block play builds problem solving and strategic thinking skills; imagination and &hellip; Read More\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/build-stem-skills-classroom-lesson-plans-using-brackitz\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"S&amp;S Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SSWorldwideCatalog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-05-03T15:10:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-06T13:20:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/brackitz-stem-lessons-for-classroom.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"950\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"607\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ssworldwide\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ssworldwide\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"S&amp;S Worldwide\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"S&amp;S Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/build-stem-skills-classroom-lesson-plans-using-brackitz\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/brackitz-stem-lessons-for-classroom.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/brackitz-stem-lessons-for-classroom.jpg\",\"width\":950,\"height\":607,\"caption\":\"brackitz stem lessons for classroom\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/build-stem-skills-classroom-lesson-plans-using-brackitz\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/build-stem-skills-classroom-lesson-plans-using-brackitz\/\",\"name\":\"Build STEM Skills in the Classroom - Lesson Plans Using Brackitz - S&amp;S Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/build-stem-skills-classroom-lesson-plans-using-brackitz\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2018-05-03T15:10:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-06T13:20:09+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/12b4fa1eca646ce50f8cdbfdccb2f1dc\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/build-stem-skills-classroom-lesson-plans-using-brackitz\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/build-stem-skills-classroom-lesson-plans-using-brackitz\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/build-stem-skills-classroom-lesson-plans-using-brackitz\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Build STEM Skills in the Classroom &#8211; Lesson Plans Using Brackitz\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/12b4fa1eca646ce50f8cdbfdccb2f1dc\",\"name\":\"S&amp;S Worldwide\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/13fddae63d6f28c29294df0528274b24?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/13fddae63d6f28c29294df0528274b24?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"caption\":\"S&amp;S Worldwide\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Build STEM Skills in the Classroom - Lesson Plans Using Brackitz - S&amp;S Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/build-stem-skills-classroom-lesson-plans-using-brackitz\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Build STEM Skills in the Classroom - Lesson Plans Using Brackitz - S&amp;S Blog","og_description":"Spending time engaging with building toys, from blocks to Brackitz, has dozens of proven benefits both at home and in the classroom. 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