Poster 11: Critters, Careers, and Core Competencies: Play-Based STEM Challenge Supporting Academic, SEL, and CTE Skills

In this interactive workshop, participants will dive into the creation and impact of the Design-a-Zoo Challenge, a playful, standards-aligned STEM experience designed to build core academic knowledge, 21st-century skills, and early CTE awareness in elementary students. Led by educator Ayana Klein, this session begins with a behind-the-scenes look at how the challenge was developed and refined through a multi-site pilot study. Participants will explore how design thinking, cross-curricular integration, and storytelling transformed a hands-on building activity into a powerful learning experience. The study showed measurable growth in areas such as physical science, geometry, teamwork, and student engagement, especially among early learners. Then, attendees will put theory into action. You’ll put down your tablets and pick up real materials to experience the challenge firsthand, designing zoo environments using basic building supplies, simple machines, and creativity. Through this hands-on component, you’ll discover how multimodal learning taps into student voice, builds confidence, and connects STEM to real-world careers. You’ll leave with classroom-ready templates, facilitation guides, and strategies for implementing your own engaging, purpose-driven STEM project.