December Newsletter: No-Prep Lesson Plans, an APES Bundle, and New Blogs
Happy Holidays, Switch family!
You’re so close to the end of the semester! With all the bustle this time of year brings, we’re keeping things easy, no-prep, and ready to use. We’ve packed this month’s update with new resources to help lighten your lesson-planning load. Here’s what you’ll find inside:
- New December Resources
- Our Brand New Holiday Lights Lesson
- NSTA Recap
- Shell Science Teaching Award
- Professional Development – Save the Date!
- Apply to Join Our Teacher Advisory Council
December Resource Drop: New Resources, Zero Prep Required
Between holiday shopping, decorating, and that stack of papers waiting to be graded, lesson planning can feel like one more thing. Our gift to you this season is new, ready-to-use resources designed to lighten your load and keep learning meaningful as you wrap up the semester.
- Home Electricity Audit: This one is perfect if you want something to send home over the break – especially during a season when energy consumption naturally increases.
- AP Environmental Science Collection: A complete bundle of all our APES-aligned resources – over 35 activities and lesson plans in one place.
Plus…check out our Holiday Lights Play-Doh Circuits lesson below!
You can always explore our full resource library for even more lessons on energy and the environment:
Featured Resource: Holiday Lights Play-Doh Circuits
Looking for a fun, festive lesson to wrap up the semester? Our Holiday Lights Play-Doh Circuits activity will be a hit! Students use Play-Doh and LEDs to recreate both old-school series holiday lights (the ones that went dark if a single bulb burned out!) and modern parallel strings that stay bright.
It’s hands-on, creative, and a great way to explore circuits during a season when lights are everywhere. This holiday spin-off of our Play-Doh Circuits lesson is easy to teach and easy to love…perfect for bringing some seasonal energy into your classroom.
Reflections from NSTA: Jillian’s Story
Last month, our team went to NSTA in Minneapolis to share Switch Classroom with educators across the country. Our Program Associate (and former high school STEM teacher), Jillian, reflects on what it was like to represent Switch Classroom at her first-ever NSTA!
Read her story here:
My First NSTA Conference: What I Learned, What Teachers Asked, and Why Switch Classroom Showed Up
Grant Opportunity: Shell Science Teaching Award
We love sharing opportunities for funding and teacher recognition! NSTA is partnering with Shell to give the 2026 Shell Science Teaching Award. Applicants must be classroom science teachers in the U.S. or Canada with at least eight years of experience.
Deadline: December 19th, 2025
Professional Development: Mark Your Calendars!
We’re taking a break for the holidays (so no PD sessions in December), but we’ll be back in January with two free, virtual sessions. Don’t miss our APES session next month, where we’ll be holding a Unit 6 Intensive.
Add these dates to your calendar so you don’t miss them!
- APES Unit 6 Intensive, January 7th, 7-8 PM CST
- Middle School Energy and Electricity, January 29th, 7-8 PM PST
Join the Team!
Calling all educators! Apply to join our Teacher Advisory Council and get paid to advise, share, and build content. We’re especially excited to welcome more middle school teachers; your expertise helps shape resources that really work in grades 6-8!
Stay connected with the latest updates, resources, and inspiring stories in the next edition of the Switch Classroom newsletter! If you know a colleague who might benefit from these resources, we’d love for you to pass them along.