STEM Tuesday

Happy New Year from the STEM Tuesday Team! The 2026 Light Bulb.
December 30, 2025 by STEM Tuesday

The 2026 Light Bulb New inventions are often built on previous inventions through the power of trial and error. The light bulb, as we know it today, is truly an invention built on inventions. It was a combined effort across many decades and experimental prototypes and is a shining example of how science moves forward on the shoulders of previous discovery. Thomas Edison gets most of the credit for inventing the light bulb, but, in reality, his contribution was mainly to tweak existing inventions to make a commercially viable light bulb. The bulk of the early steps forward to invent the light bulb came from British inventor Joseph Swan, who built upon the work of Warren de la Rue of using metal filaments encased in vacuum tubes. Swan patented his version of the light bulb in early 1879 after almost 30 years of work. Edison bought the rights to an 1874 patented light bulb invention by two Canadian scientists, Henry...
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STEM Tuesday– Electricity — Writing Tips and Resources
December 16, 2025 by STEM Tuesday

Writing tips & more! Electricity Activities with electricity can be dangerous, of course, but there is the old standby – static electricity. While under some circumstances, static electricity can be extremely hazardous, small amounts are fun for kid activities. Many people will remember rubbing a balloon on your head and then watching your hair stand up straight. Static Electricity Static electricity is an imbalance of electric charges within or on the surface of a material. The charge remains until it can move away as an electric current or by electrical discharge. The word “static” is used to differentiate it from current electricity, where an electric charge flows through an electrical conductor. (from Wikipedia) For youngsters, there is nothing like music to make learning a concept exciting. Composer Sherri Boekweg is a singer/songwriter from Utah, and this video gives a great and catchy explanation. From the Minnesota Children’s Museum comes Three...
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STEM Tuesday– Electricity — In the Classroom
December 9, 2025 by STEM Tuesday

See what kind of spark grows in your students’ minds from these interesting classroom activities about electricity—this month’s theme for STEM Tuesday! Hidden Systems: Water, Electricity, the Internet, and the Secrets Behind the Systems We Use Every Day by Dan Nott This graphic novel makes incredible use of the comic format to break down complex systems and abstract concepts into bite-sized explanations. Nott not only explains the science behind our electricity, water, and internet systems, but also illuminates how these systems have encoded and perpetuated some of our human biases…sometimes with devastating consequences. This eye-opening book is sure to make you think differently about the technology you use everyday! Activity Have students pick one of the systems covered in the book: internet, power grid, or waterworks. Tell them to research a famous inventor who was important to the development of that system. Ask them to create presentations about the...
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STEM Tuesday– Electricity — Book List
December 2, 2025 by STEM Tuesday

December 2025: It’s Electric! With a mix of scientific information, historical perspectives, and plenty of hands-on projects, this month’s book list illuminates the world of circuits and electrical energy. Get ready to power up and be electrified! Science Comics: Electricity: Energy in Action written and illustrated by Andy Hirsch A dynamic graphic-nonfiction dive into volts, current, and power plants, wrapped in a monster-vs-mech storyline. Vibrant visuals and plenty of detail engage middle-grade readers (ages 9–13), though some heft in the science may require careful reading. A charged mix of education and adventure. Electricity: Circuits, Static, and Electromagnets with Hands-On Science Activities for Kids written by Carmella Van Vleet and illustrated by Micah Rauch A lively and practical introduction to electricity for ages 8–12, this book pairs clear, engaging text with bold illustrations and true hands-on STEM activities. Static, currents,...
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