Winter STEM Challenge Ideas for the Classroom!

December is upon us, which means the holidays are here! Winter has also arrived, and with it comes a world of opportunities to incorporate STEM activities into the classroom that can directly tie into the season. There are countless fun science, technology, engineering, and math activities to do with your upper elementary kids that will really get their brains going this winter season!

Here are three fun Winter themed STEM Challenges that your students will love! 

Geometric Gingerbread House Challenge! 

Using a list of supplies, STEM groups must create a geometric gingerbread house for their gingerbread family. Using guides, students must invent a gingerbread family to build their house for!

A floor plan must created with the following requirements:

-There must be 2 polygon shapes present and labeled in their floor plan (two different types, ex: hexagon, pentagon)

-One obtuse angle, and one acute angle, and one right angle must be present and labeled in their design

-Must have 1 bathroom for every two gingerbread people

-Must have 1 bedroom for every gingerbread person

-Must have kitchen, living room, and an entryway

Creativity is a must for this challenge!

**For more instructions and a list of supplies, scroll to the end of the post!

DIY Winter Snow Globe Challenge!

Students create a snow globe using a list of ingredients and supplies. The STEM group must come up with the perfect combination of ingredients to make the glittery snow fall at a slow rate.
Bonus points for creativity and design inside the snow globe!
Students have 3 days to complete this challenge. The first two days should focus on design and gluing down the pieces. Allow for glue to dry for an entire day before adding water, glitter, and glycerin.

***For more directions and a list of supplies, scroll to the end of the post! 

 

Santa's Chimney Marble Run Challenge!

Construct a chimney marble run where Santa and his presents can slide down and into the house! The marble must rest at the top of the chimney and successfully slide down the chimney (not free fall – do not break the presents!) and into the home. The STEM group must time how long the marble travels. The longer the marble can travel down the chimney, the more points the STEM group can receive. The chimney height cannot exceed 2 feet. The width cannot exceed 7 inches. Students have 3 days to complete this challenge... (scroll down for more info!)

 

Would you like printable guides and listed materials for these Winter STEM projects? Click here!