Module 2: Animated Animals

Tinker. Iterate. Succeed.
SEL + STEM Adventures for Grades 1–4

SEL Focus: Problem Solving
STEM Focus: Anatomy of Movement

STEM projects for elementary students are more than hands-on fun—they build critical social-emotional skills.

Imagineerz@School’s Animated Animals module teaches key CASEL competencies through engaging, movement-themed engineering challenges, creating a well-rounded, holistic learning experience.

SEL Objectives

Take positive action to solve problems by utilizing these social-emotional strategies:

Take Small Steps to visualize the consequences of achieving and failing to achieve a goal
Push to Goal to break down a goal into a series of smaller steps
Tweak and Try to consider why something is not working and make a small change
Seek Input to reach out to others for new ideas

STEM Objectives

Assist animal explorers by incorporating these physical adaptations into their creations:

Add Spines to allow aquatic animals to move in water
Use Legs to allow land animals to walk and kick
Incorporate Arms/Wings to allow birds to fly through the air

Video Lessons

Materials

Materials Needed

8 Builders

20-30 pieces of Each Per Student for All 10 Lessons

Construction Paper
Jumbo Craft Sticks
Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil
Cut-Up Cereal Boxes or 22 pt. Chipboard (4×6)*
3 oz. Dixie Cups
Bendy Straws
Twine
Paper Towel Rolls (Optional)*

2 Tools

1 Per 2-3 Students for All 10 Lessons

.94 in. Masking Tape
Scissors*

Tester

1 Per Student

Ping Pong Balls

* = Not provided in kits

Ordering Materials

Click here to order materials on Amazon

The quantities on the Amazon list reflect what you will need for one classroom of 20-24 students. Please adjust quantities if ordering for more or fewer students.
Remember to ask classroom parents for donations of cereal boxes and paper towel rolls. All other materials can be ordered from the list above.

Best Practices

You do not need to give each student their own set of materials. Just lay out all the materials and let them select what they would like to use — the video will tell them how many they can use.
Spread materials throughout the classroom to avoid crowding.
In addition to cereal boxes and paper towel rolls, you can ask classroom parents for other recycled materials, like egg cartons, but we suggest you avoid the following:
- Styrofoam — Classroom forecast: Snow showers!
- Cardboard — You’ll spend all your time helping cut cardboard, rather than i-Can! coaching!
Request that classroom parents cut recycled cereal boxes in half, both lengthwise and crosswise.

Set Up and Tips

Quick and Easy!

1. Lay Out Our Standard Set of Materials:

- Students use the same communal materials across all 10 lessons, so you never need to assemble individual material kits!
- Simply lay out our standard set of materials before each lesson and replenish individual materials as needed.

2. Set Up Testing Stations (If Needed):

- A few lessons require additional set up, such as creating a square with blue tape to use as a target area.
- All special instructions are in the Set Up and Tips document below. Print this document and keep it handy to take a quick look before each lesson.

Set Up and Tips Document

Resources

Keep parents informed about Imagineerz

We’ve pre-written a series of emails that explain the core concepts from each lesson so families can reinforce them at home.

Parent Emails

Know a teacher who might enjoy Imagineerz?

We offer a $100 reward for classroom referrals and a $700 reward for school referrals!

Referral Rewards

So what did you think?

Help us improve our program by completing this short feedback form after each lesson.