Another day in the STEM Lab with our wonderful STEM teacher. The students love going to STEM and becoming miniature scientists. The STEM lab teacher is so fantastic with my kids, and they get so into their science lessons. Today, she held a STEM Lab Mexican Jumping Beans experiment.
She is very good at involving the students 4 C’s…
- Creativity
- Collaboration
- Critical Thinking
- Communication
For this experiment, I must admit… I was intrigued, too! I love walking around the STEM lab while they’re working to watch. Today, the students observed beans that were supposed to jump. Their goal is to see IF these Mexican Jumping Beans actually jumped and what caused them to jump.
The Experiment
Students began this STEM Lab Mexican Jumping Beans experiment by observing. They were each given a cup of four Mexican Jumping Beans which they took back to their tables with a magnifying glass. Then, she asked them to observe and wonder as they watched these mysterious beans.
After their observing and wondering steps, students needed to record what they saw at their desks. They made a mini folded book. On the left side, they recorded what they saw when the beans were at their desks. Then, the STEM Lab teacher had students put their cups on the window sill. While they sat on the window sill, we read Lucas and His Loco Beans.
Lucas and Loco Beans Text
(Amazon Affiliate Link to Lucas and His Loco Beans)
Once we had finished the story, the beans had warmed up, which is what causes them to jump or twitch. The students got their cups and brought them back over to their desks. Then, they used their magnifying glasses and recording booklets to watch the popping beans and record what they saw. It was a fun trip to the STEM Lab today!
STEM Lab Mexican Jumping Beans Experiment Freebie
For more STEM Lab experiment ideas, check out this one where we used M&M’s!
