Need September STEM that ties into your apple and back-to-school units without extra prep? These 16 hands-on coding and 3D design challenges for 3rd-5th — themed around apples, Johnny Appleseed, Labor Day, and careers — drop right into your fall lineup and keep students building, not just filling out worksheets.
What's inside: 16 challenges total (8 Scratch Coding + 8 Tinkercad 3D Modeling), 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)
- Themes match September classroom units: apples, harvest, Johnny Appleseed, Labor Day careers
- 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 in Scratch and Tinkercad walk students through their tools
- Print version included for paper journals
How it works in your classroom: Share the file, students choose a project from the menu OR follow the whole-class plan you set. Each project includes a digital journal slide for reflection. Students present their final work to the class or do a gallery-walk viewing.
Save with the bundle: Also part of Monthly Digital STEM Challenges HOLIDAYS bundle — 12 months of seasonal STEM for one price.