First week with a brand-new class and you need an activity that gets them working together instead of bouncing off the walls? These back to school STEM challenges drop your 3rd-5th students into 16 hands-on coding and 3D design projects, collaborating and problem-solving from day one.

What's inside: 16 challenges total (8 Scratch Coding + 8 Tinkercad 3D Modeling), 49 slides, digital journals for student reflection, both color and B&W printable versions, menu-board OR single-project delivery formats.

Why teachers love it:

- Aligned to NGSS engineering design standards (K-12 ETS1)

- Works with limited tech (1-to-many) OR full computer lab

- Self-paced: students explore the tools and discover solutions

- Differentiates naturally: menu board lets students choose, OR teach whole-class one project at a time

- Built-in tutorials (Scratch and Tinkercad both walk students through their tools)

- Print version included for paper journals if you prefer

How it works in your classroom: Share the file with students, and they choose a project from the menu board or follow the whole-class plan you set. Each project includes a digital journal slide for reflection and sharing. Students can present their final work to the class or do a gallery-walk viewing.