Today, we read the book, Got to Get to Bear’s, an adorable story with SEL themes such as friendship, problem solving, and teamwork. In the story, the animals faced challenges that they had to work through as they made their journey to Bear’s house through the snow. Each animal showed how different strengths make a great team. In the end, they accomplished their goal and arrived at Bear’s just in time for a surprise birthday party.

After the story, students worked in groups to construct bridges to help animal friends get to Bear’s house. They took turns sharing ideas and working through challenges, discovering which materials would best support their animal friends. This activity ties to our force and motion unit in several ways: as students experimented with different materials, they learned about the strength and stability needed in bridge construction, which relates to force. Building a bridge also introduces the idea of motion, as students consider how their structures can accommodate movement, ensuring a safe path for their animal friends. After multiple modifications and re-designs, each team successfully completed this STEM activity, and all of their animals made it to Bear’s.