Gingerbread STEM Activities - Classroom Appropriate for the Holidays

Gingerbread Man Activities and STEM Challenges

Do you love the holidays but aren't sure how to bring a learning experience into a fun topic? One way to celebrate the season is with all things gingerbread! Even though I have a soft spot in my heart for the jolly bearded fella, I know it's not always easy to use certain themes in the classroom.

Do you have fond childhood memories of books where you got to choose what happened? I know I do. I would go back and read through all the possible endings just to make sure I got the best one (admit it, you did too).

I was thinking how FUN and ENGAGING it would be to alter a classic tale and let students choose how it unfolds? This STEM adventure starts with the story of the gingerbread man and turns it into a Pick the Path STEMventure activity. The gingerbread man meets a fox...will he survive? That depends on your students' choices (**spoiler alert** - the gingerbread man always survives, but they won't know that while choosing their adventure):

In this short storybook, the gingerbread man may need a zip line transport across a canyon, or he could need a tent for the night to stay alive. Here is a gingerbread man crossing a river to get away from the fox:

When the story is complete there are even a couple of bonus STEM challenges to complete. The gingerbread man finds himself among more gingerbread people and is so excited to have finally found a safe place where he won't be eaten. The gingerbread people decide they want to pursue the circus life. What gingerbread man wouldn't want to get launched from a catapult or slingshot? Move over, Cirque du Soleil...

The easy to follow booklet includes the engineering design process.

All your students have to do is follow the story, fill in the pages for the challenges they pick, and continue on with the story. This is even a great activity to send home over winter break if you know families will get involved. Click the image below to go directly to the resource on Teachers pay Teachers (or on my site here):

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Gingerbread-Man-STEM-Activites-Pick-the-Path-3509634

Pin these ideas for later:

I need more gingerbread it my life. Read on, my friend.

My teacher friend Amy and I were chatting about all things gingerbread. Do you know Amy? Her forte is social studies and writing.You are going to LOVE these gingerbread resources she put together. You can head over to her blog, Teaching Ideas 4U, to find out more about them. Two I know you'll love are this non-fiction gingerbread book report and this writing resource for character development:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Gingerbread-House-Non-fiction-Craftivity-Book-Report-Project-Use-With-Any-Book-1565864?aref=ztzbh5ve&utm_source=Momgineer%20Blog&utm_campaign=Gingerbread%20Non%20Fiction%20Book%20Report%20and%20Craftivity

It wouldn't be a gingerbread post without some recipe links! Here are some to try out, depending on what floats your boat. Do you like cookies? To build gingerbread houses? Do you like your gingerbread spicy, crunchy, or chewy?

Gingerbread Recipe Links
Genius Kitchen Gingerbread Cookies
King Arthur Flour Gingerbread Cookies
Eileen's Spicy Gingerbread Men Recipe
Spiced Gingerbread Cookies
Gingerbread House Recipe

2 comments:

UnknownDecember 26, 2017 at 3:05 PM
We just finished a gingerbread geometry unit for K-6. All grades read "Ninjabread Man" and "Gingerbread Man Loose in the School" during library and then we sketched the gingerbread characters using geometric shapes. In grades K-2, students decorated their gingerbread kid cut-outs with a game where they rolled a die to determine the shape of each feature (1. eyes, 2. nose, 3. mouth, etc.). Grades 3-6 decorated their 2-d gingerbread house using at least five geometric shapes, folded them into a 3-d gingerbread house, and shared their design.
UnknownDecember 26, 2017 at 7:23 PM
That sounds like a great activity, Vicki! Thanks for sharing.