Here’s exactly how I organized a vendor-driven STEM Day that ran like clockwork!
The idea of schoolwide STEM Day was sparked by my previous profession as an education and outreach professional who participated in hundreds of STEM Days. As a teacher, I knew that I wanted to find a way to bring real STEM professionals to the school to show students that what they’re learning in class can really translate into the real world. What’s more, choosing local professionals helped the students learn about STEM events and opportunities happening in their own community.
Last month, my school hosted our first schoolwide STEM day, which was both memorable and rewarding for the students. Instead of stations being run by teachers or student leaders, I invited community STEM vendors to partner with us!
Every student group met with our vendors for about 5 minutes, then rotated. They were able to connect with real professionals in a high-impact, fun way.
In this post, I’m breaking down exactly how I planned the schoolwide STEM Day, how I ran the day, and the lessons learned so your school can do it too! Also, even if you’re not in a formal school setting, I’ve attending these with a homeschool coop, and it still works well!
Why I chose a Vendor STEM Day
I chose a vendor STEM day because I wanted students to hear real voices from STEM fields. I didn’t just want them to learn what STEM stood for, I wanted to see it happening in the realworld. Our school is pre-k through 12th grade, so it was important that our STEM Day was highly engaging and varied for multiple age groups. I didn’t want the kids waiting in long lines or being bored, so we structured the day to be broken into short, five minute rotations to keep everyone’s energy high.
As a teacher, I also looked at this event from my perspective. Although we always love to have opportunities for our students, we don’t necessarily want extra work in order to participate. I made sure that this was a guiding principle while I was planning the schoolwide STEM Day.
I asked for permission to plan this event from my admin about 14-20 weeks before I planned to have the actual schoolwide STEM Day. My administration allowed me to lead the planning and run the event with periodic update meetings throughout the planning process.
Choosing Vendors
In full transparency, I have been in the STEM field in my community for over 10 so I already had a lot of built-in contacts. However, I wanted to make sure I had a wide-range of vendors to peak various student interests.
First, research! This is your brainstorming stage.
When you’re looking for vendors, make a list of all the vendors you want to invite. Check their website, social media, and if possible, fill out their vendor request form. For each potential vendor, write their name, contact number, contact email, and the contact person’s name.
For your first schoolwide STEM Day, double the number of vendors you want to attend. My goal for this schoolwide STEM day was 10 vendors. I reached out to 20 vendors and received confirmation from 11 vendors.
What To Say To Vendors
My first form of contact for each of the vendors was email. This was easiest for me to reach out to a large number of people at one time. Later, some vendors set up a phone call with me to brainstorm and talk about details, but initially, I reached out via e-mail.
At this stage, I didn’t have a lot of details to send about the event. My goal here was to make sure interested vendors saved the date and reserved their calendar to attend. At this stage, you still have time to plan the details.
Suggested Timeline: Send an email request for vendors 8-10 weeks before the event. Here is my sample e-mail.
Subject: STEM Day Invitation + Date
Hello!
My name is [Teach Go Green] and I am a ]middle and high school science teacher] at [insert school]. Our [school/co op] is excited to expand STEM opporuntities for our students in order to deepend their undersanding of how science, technology, energineering, and mathmateics connect to the real world. We are especially intersted in helping students learn STEM career paths in our local community. On [insert date], we are our hosting our first STEM Day and would love for you to host a table.
Our students are [insert adjectives: curious, engaged] and always excited about new opportunties like this! STEM Day will be a schoolwide event designed to reach [grades] in hands-on STEM experiences with organiations like you!
Please SAVE THE DATE for [school name] STEM Day on [date] and [time].
An exact schedule and number of students, along with more details will be forthcoming as the event gets closer. Snacks will be served during a “vendor break” as well as a catered lunch provided at the end of the event.
Please RSVP no later than COB [date]. Suggestion: 4-5 weeks before event date.
We hope you can join us on [date]!
Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Planning the Details of the Schoolwide STEM Day
This is the meat and potatoes of the event. In my opinion, this is my favorite part because I love details. For me, the more details, the better.
I planned out the day based on my goal number of vendors I wanted to attend the event. Once I received confirmations from the vendors, I was able to make mild adjustments according to my actual numbers.
- I divided our students by grade level.
- I assigned each group a starting vendor station
- Timed out each rotation for 5 minutes.
Here is what my rotation system looked like:
Communication with Vendors, Staff, and Students
Communication is so important!
Throughout this process, I kept an active Google Document with my admin so they could see any updates in real time. This helped keep them informed if they needed additional information. I also set up a meeting with the admin once a month to give updates and ask any logistical questions I had at the time
For teachers, we sent out a flyer with all the information teachers needed to know, including times and location. They were also made aware of their roles and student expectations.
Communication with Vendors
For vendors, I sent out an email with the schedule, objectives, and answers to questions they may have had.
Email to vendors one month before – please customize for your event specifics.
Subject: [school/coop name] STEM DAY DETAILS: [date of event]
Hello, and thank you so much for signing up for our STEM Day!
We are incredibly excited to have you visit next month. Below you will find additional information for the day. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or need further information.
Event Details: On [date], students will enter by grade level starting at [time] and rotate every 5 minutes to a different table. Students will have a bingo card to get stamped, marking that they have visited your table. During your 5 minutes with each group, please provide a hands-on engagement activity related to STEM and your organization. There will be a short break between elementary students (Pre-K – 5th) and middle/high school students (6th – 12th), where we will provide snacks and give you time to reset. We have chairs for everyone, but please bring your own table*. If you do not have a table, let me know.
Address: [insert address here]
Set Up Time: *insert time here. We allowed set up 1 hour before the event
Catered lunch served at: *insert time here. We opted for a catered lunch as a thank you to our vendors. This, of course, is optional.
Additional notes: [include event specifics and day of contact name and phone number]
Roles for Vendors, Staff, and Students
Vendor Roles
Ensure vendors know to bring hands-on activities. I told the vendors our students love activities that are messy, uses technology, is a competition or game, and anything helps them think of everyday items in a new way. Make sure to find out if your vendors need electricity or access to water, and whether they need a table and chairs or if they will bring their own. Vendors received a “stamp“/dot marker to mark the sheet of each of the students who came to their table to count as attendance for the student. I left a welcome sheet and a schedule of the day on each table.
Staff Roles
I created signs for staff to keep their students together in groups. The teachers were responsible for making sure the students were broken up into groups before they came to the gym for the schoolwide STEM day.
Student Roles
The students received a STEM bingo card. They were required to have each vendor stamp their name on the bingo card. On the back of the bingo card are reflection questions that their teacher can use with them in class after the event.
Lessons learned
Now that our first schoolwide STEM Day is done, I will incorporate an FAQ. This will help answer questions before they’re asked outloud. I will also add some sample questions for the students to ask the vendors. This will help the students stay engaged while at each of the vendor tables. I will also do a morning huddle with the vendors and staff before the event to make sure everyone knows how the day is going to go.
Integrating real STEM careers into a schoolwide STEM Day elevated student learning in ways that felt authentic, exciting, and unique. The 5-minute rotation worked so well because it kept the energy high for every class.
Whether you’re in a small school district, a large school district, or a local homeschool coop, I encourage you to plan a schoolwide STEM Day. This model is adaptable for any size.
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Check out these guest speaker worksheets for your next career day event or guest speaker presentation! Keep your students engaged with these activities to pique their interest, encourage critical thinking, and prepare them to make the most of the guest speaker’s insights.
