Low Prep Halloween STEM Activities for Kids of All Ages

Halloween STEM Activities for Kids of All Ages

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays to celebrate with kids, and I don't even like spooky, horror, etc.! I think of it as a time of year to dress up or be playful, share candy with friends, and try out some fun Halloween-themed STEM challenges.

Try these STEM challenges with your kids and let me know how they went!

Create a Twirling Bat

All you need for this one is paper! Students can design their own paper bat, or you can find printable bat templates to test out. You can find templates in the Halloween STEM resource listed at the end of this post. Watch a video of a twirling bat in this video:

Create a Spooky Ghost Chain!

For this one you only need paper and tape (or staples). Using only one piece of paper, can your students create the longest ghost chain possible? To make this more challenging, have them see how much candy (like candy corn) the chain can support the weight of (they may need to rig up a paper cup or other basket-like device to hold the candy corn).

Design and Create a Candy "Bank"

While you can use real candies for this, I always avoid anything edible for STEM (it's just a personal preference). You can print out images of candy in different sizes and challenge your students to create a bank that the candy will fit in. It can have either one or multiple slots.

Create a SLIME Mold!

Slime is always popular for students to play with or work with. See if your kids can create a shape to contain the slime and then observe what happens as they fill it. You can specify a maximum size or challenge them to create specific shapes (circle, triangle, square, etc.). Use your favorite slime recipe and see what your students create!

Get the Resource!

 

If you would like to find even more low-prep Halloween STEM activities, I have put together a resource with 12 (!) - it includes teacher instructions, recording pages for each challenge, plus a poster you can display in your STEM Center or makerspace, or if you are having a Family STEM night for Halloween, you can hang the posters on each table for STEM stations.

 

 

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5 Ways to Celebrate Before Winter Break that DON'T Include Christmas

5 Ways to Celebrate Before Winter Break that DON'T Include Christmas

While I grew up celebrating Christmas both at home and in school, I also went to a Catholic school where almost everyone was also celebrating Christmas (and kids were there by parental choice). If you have a situation where every one of your students celebrates Christmas, or you are hosting a variety of winter holiday celebrations, then by all means celebrate Christmas...

BUT

if you are looking for ways to celebrate that don't exclude some of your students but are still TONS of fun for all involved, why not try some of these ideas?

Celebrate Solstice Instead with a Sundial Project

Winter solstice is nature's holiday this time of year! I just love celebrating solstice, and look forward to it every year. Why? It signals the end of the short daylight hours and the stretch of increasing daylight hours that I adore!

What better way to celebrate solstice than with SCIENCE (yes, I know I'm a big nerd)!

Here are some websites to get you started:

Scientific American Sundial 
15 Minute Papercraft Sundial
Explorable Sundial

While making a sundial, why not talk about what the solstice is and why we have it? Read a book or watch a video:

Books (Amazon affiliate links, read disclosure here).

The Shortest Day by Wendy Pfeffer
The Return of the Light by Carolyn Edwards
The Winter Solstice by Ellen Jackson
The Solstice Badger by Robin McFadden
The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper
Video
Crash Course Kids: Seasons and the Sun

Curriculum Connection: The solar system!

Celebrate Winter with Snowflakes

Even if you don't live in a region that gets snow, there are still a lot of ways to celebrate with snowflakes! One of my favorite things to do is to craft paper snowflakes but you can also make crystal borax snowflakes too, which are so pretty, especially hanging in a window so the light can catch them.

Curriculum connection: If you are studying symmetry this is the perfect tie-in!

Snowflake Creation Ideas

• Paper snowflakes
• Borax crystal snowflakes
• Geoboard rubberband snowflakes (obviously just don't use as ornaments)
• Popsicle stick snowflakes
• Pipe cleaner snowflakes
• Digital snowflakes

Get in my Belly!

This is just one way of fostering connection with kids: baking together! Not only can you sneak in measurement math without anyone noticing, you can create something together that you can all enjoy! Not possible due to food allergies? Why not ask for allergy-free recipes from families, or instead pop popcorn (chemical change! volume!).

Set up an exploration station where students can smell and taste small amounts of ingredients, such as salt, sugar, cinnamon, etc.


Working on sequencing? Have students instruct you how to make hot cocoa, s'mores, etc. and then follow their directions. They will talk about it for MONTHS. Watch this video of a dad making sandwiches instructed by his kids.

Curriculum connection: Sequencing, measurement, senses.

Cozy up with a Good Book

Once you have your baked goods, hot cocoa, etc. have a PJ day or "winter campfire" and read to your students. They might not have someone reading to them at home. Even middle schoolers and high schoolers will enjoy being read to (if it's the right book). Leave out those holiday stories and choose a book about kindness.

Picture Books About Kindness
7 Middle Grades Books that Teach Empathy
Books that Teach Empathy (all ages)

 Curriculum connection: literacy, community, character education.

Play Games

If you do choose to have a party, pick games that include all! Playing together is truly one of the greatest ways to form connections with your students. While some families play games at home, not all do and many kids get left out of this wonderful past time. We play a lot of games at home, but it helps that both my kids are close in age and there are a lot of games we all like to play as a family.

Indoor party game ideas from Red Tricycle.

Try pin the nose on the snowman.

Active Games

• If you are brave, have a snowball fight with cloth snowballs.
• Play musical chairs (leave out the Christmas music!)
• Capture the flag.

If you want something the whole class can play without getting too out of hand, try Winter BINGO.

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Christmas STEM and STEAM Activities

Christmas STEM Activities for Kids

Ho, ho, ho! Try out these Christmas STEM activities this holiday season to keep students engaged all the way until holiday break. I have created twelve fun AND differentiated STEM and STEAM activities that range from simple towers to moving conveyors!

Get started with Christmas STEM

Jump right in with peppermint candy and have students create either a tower or a bridge. Don't forget to follow the engineering design process! While you don't need to spend a lot of time on each step, it is important to follow the process. Kids will want to start building right away! One way to avoid this is to hold off on building material distribution until after a design sketch has been completed.

Then move on to a gingerbread house! If you are working with upper elementary or middle school kids, create the house with cardboard and have them add a simple circuit to light up their house.

STEM Strength Challenge - Support the Weight of the Stocking Goodies!

An empty stocking is not that difficult to support, but what about all of the goodies Santa leaves? Students will need to design a counterbalance system to keep the stocking from falling. This is a great activity to practice the testing phase of an engineering design challenge. It's also important to make sure that your testing set-up is safe so that no toes are injured when the stockings inevitably fall!

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Design and create a jingle bell for Christmas! Use metal objects to create a jingling bell.

Once the bell design is complete, change up the challenge by having students create a way to silence the jingle bell.

Help the Elves in the Workshop

Moving gifts around in the workshop is no easy task! Help the elves by designing and creating a conveyor belt! This challenge is perfect for showing how rotational motion can be converted into translational motion.

Find these and more activities in the 12 Christmas STEM Challenges Activity pack! Not only will you find more detailed instructions for the above challenges, but each challenge comes with a colorful poster and engineering design recording page!

CONTENTS of the Christmas STEM Resource

• Suggested Material List
• STEM Challenge Tips: General tips for any STEM challenge.
• Teacher Notes: includes terminology and differentiation ideas.
• Christmas STEM decor
• Poster and dedicated recording page for each of the 12 main STEM challenges that guide the students through the engineering design process. Some of the challenges have an additional recording page for added difficulty, or to include metric measurements.
• Challenges
  • Christmas Tree
  • Parachute Gift Drop
  • Workshop Conveyor Belt
  • Snowball Launcher
  • Stocking Holder
  • Candy Structures
  • Reindeer Shelter
  • Jingle Bell
  • Gingerbread House
  • Elf Zip Line
  • Sleigh for Santa
  • Christmas Maze
   

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St. Patrick's Day STEM with a Leprechaun

Fun STEM Activities for Elementary Students on St. Patrick's Day

STEM That is Easy to Implement

This is the fourth installment of the "Pick the Path STEMventure" series. I wrote a short story about a leprechaun called Larry for St. Patrick's Day. No, we are not trapping the leprechaun! That has been done enough. In the story, Larry the leprechaun gets the opportunity to earn gold coins on St. Patrick's day by successfully completing various STEM challenges. Students choose how they want the story to progress; in completing the story students will complete 3-4 challenges. The story not only guides them through the engineering design process, it includes design constraints and areas for them to fill in their thoughts, plans, and testing data.

A Few of the Challenges Included 

Up first, is a rainbow challenge. If you are studying light, this is a great time to do this challenge. In addition to the stories requiring students to design and test structures, they will be exposed to various science and technology concepts, such as dimensional constraints, malware, and the color spectrum.

Another St. Patrick's Day STEM Challenge - Unplugged Coding

Not all kids love coding, but it is still great to expose them to simple logic problems that are the basis of coding. Creating a path is a simple way to have kids think ahead and plan out a set of directions.

This challenge has two versions, plus I included extension options in the digital download for additional challenges. The other challenges include:

• a slide
• a musical instrument
• a bank that holds gold coins
• two bonus challenges, including a gold coin flipping device!

You can do several of the challenges mentioned above (aside from the coding one) without the resource I created, though if you would like it for the story and guided design process, keep reading. Here is an example of the slide challenge:

Watch a Video Overview of St. Patrick's Day STEM

Find this STEM Resource on Teachers pay Teachers

If you would like to use the story and printables I've created, you can find them on Teachers pay Teachers at this link St. Patrick's Day STEM:

or save these ideas for later by pinning this on Pinterest:

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):

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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:

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

Get crafty with a Thanksgiving turkey or bookmark!

Turkey Craft for Thanksgiving and Thankful Bookmark

A Thanksgiving turkey craft or a thankful bookmark are two fun hands-on ways to celebrate the holiday this season. I have created simple templates that are great for practicing fine motor skills.

The turkey thanksgiving craft includes everything you need to put together this gobble gobble cutie! Why not use it on your Thanksgiving kids' table as a centerpiece? If you have craft feathers, feel free to use them as well.

I have outlined all the steps with photos so that you know exactly how to put it together.

Students Can Be Thankful this Thanksgiving

This is the perfect time of year to reflect on the things we are thankful for. It's a good habit for kids to get in as well, but it can feel overwhelming if they don't know where to start. I created this Thankful Craftivity Bookmark as a guided way for kids to explore who and what they are thankful for. It makes a perfect bookmark!

Not only does the Thanksgiving Activity Bundle include the above activities, it includes so many fun and cross-curricular activities for kids in K-2. Label the turkey, do math and ELA activities, and learn about the first Thanksgiving.

 Click this link to go right to the Thanksgiving Activity Bundle:

STEM Activities for Thanksgiving - Pilgrim and Wampanoag Challenges

Three Great STEM Challenges to Study the Wampanoag

Thanksgiving is the perfect time to try three themed STEM challenges for both the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people! I have come up with STEM challenges to learn about tools used by each group of people, water vessels, and their homes. For the Wampanoag people, that means:

• a bow (hello, elastic potential energy and kinetic energy),
• a mishoon, and
• a wetu

Before getting started, research the Wampanoag people. What materials did they use to make these? What were typical activities of Wampanoag adults and youth at the time they met the Pilgrims? Find out more about the Wampanoag and Pilgrims at the Plimoth Plantation website. Here is a link that describes their homes.

Get Started with the STEM Challenges 

Gather basic materials. I always recommend using what you have. For a bow, a string and a bamboo skewer work well. For the mishoon, you may just want to use aluminum foil or clay, or perhaps if you are doing this at home with supervision you can use wood and carve out a real miniature mishoon. For the wetu, try paper or pipe cleaners.

Another great one to bring outside if possible (remember to roll up sleeves).

A wetu sample.

Get the Supporting Materials

If you would like to download the resources I created to go with the STEM Marvels of the Wampanoag people, you can find it here.

 

Three Great STEM Challenges to Study the Pilgrims

For the Pilgrims, try these three:

• a capstan (awesome if you are studying simple machines),
• the Mayflower, and
• a Pilgrim house

What were Pilgrims used to when they arrived? Were they able to create homes like they had before? Did they need to learn to use different tools and eat different foods? What would that have been like for them?

For this capstan, we used LEGOs and string to haul cargo over 2 feet vertically!

Design and create a mini Mayflower with plastic egg cartons, straws, and plastic bags.

Pilgrim houses were small. Try craft sticks or cardboard.

After trying two of these, students can contrast and compare. Where did the people use each item? How was it important to their livelihood? What materials would you use now if making something similar?

In addition to the challenges shown above, there are also challenge cards for each set of people that allow for further exploration. Here is a photo of the Pilgrim cards:

Get the Thanksgiving STEM Activities download here.

 

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