Engineering Curiosity with Strawbees

The heart of Randolph Elementary’s STEM learning initiative is “The Imaginarium,” a unique program that gives students time to innovate in both structured and unstructured settings throughout the week. Connie Ann explains, “Two days, they're with me (the students) in the STEM lab, which is more of a guided STEM challenge... They’ll have one day of a STEM challenge and one day which is completely free exploration.”

Strawbees play a pivotal role in both modes of learning. In the guided sessions, students begin by exploring how to use the connectors and straws effectively, learning important skills such as care, precision, and engineering basics.

From there, students are introduced to guided builds sourced from the Strawbees website (Strawbees Classroom), gradually gaining confidence to customize and innovate. In the makerspace section of the classroom, Strawbees are always available for free exploration, with students able to construct geometric shapes, towers, and other imaginative structures without restriction. This flexible, dual-approach method has encouraged students to take ownership of their learning, practice problem-solving, and express themselves creatively through STEM.

One of the most powerful applications of Strawbees came when Connie Ann connected engineering with empathy. Using the book ‘The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind’, she invited her fifth graders to reflect on how innovation can make a real-world impact, explaining that “We read that story, and then we wanted to explore with windmills. And I found an excellent windmill guide on the Strawbees website.”

Students followed the guide to create functioning windmills, adding their own materials to design the blades. When they saw their windmills turning in action, the classroom came alive with excitement. “It was amazing to see the students get excited when they saw that it was actually working.” Connie Ann reflects.

What followed was even more memorable, as students were encouraged to modify their designs, applying engineering principles to personalize their creations. Through this project, they didn’t just learn how wind power works; they learned that they, too, can be problem-solvers in the world.

Connie Ann Roussel’s use of Strawbees at Randolph Elementary School illustrates the power of hands-on learning that is both thoughtful and forward-looking.

By integrating reusable materials with an inquiry-based learning model, she is helping her students develop the key 21st-century skills of collaboration, critical thinking, communication, and creativity, which Connie Ann noted is only possible as “Strawbees are a reusable building system that uses straws and connectors to help our students explore STEM through hands-on learning in an infinite amount of ways.”

Her advice to educators is clear: Start small, think big, and invest in materials that last not just in durability, but in impact proclaiming “If you don't have the funds for a whole (Strawbees) classroom set, start by buying smaller sets, and you can grow your collection as time goes on.”