Eiffel Tower STEM Challenge!

By -
Our Eiffel Tower STEM Challenge is loads of fun and brings together fine motor skills, practical engineering, math, and creativity!



We built our Eiffel towers as part of our France-themed geography day.  We talked a little bit about the tower's location, history, and size--this page has a thorough background that includes in-progress pictures of the tower being built!  Here are a few fun facts:

* The Eiffel Tower was the tallest building in the world when it was built!
* It took several years to build the Eiffel Tower!
* The Eiffel Tower was completed over 100 years ago, in 1889!
* Prominent artists at the time protested the Eiffel Tower being built because they thought it would look bad and distract from France's other landmarks!
* The Eiffel Tower is now a French icon!

I wanted to provide materials that the kids could use to build their own Eiffel Towers, but still personalize and use their own creativity and discretion as they worked.  My favorite aspects of STEM are the creation and integration of science, technology, engineering, and math.  I wanted the right tools to set their minds on fire, but not overwhelm them.

I settled on these

Simple Supplies:

* paperclips
* toothpicks
* slotted craft sticks
* hot glue guns
* paper plates (or another surface to build on)

They were so excited they could hardly hold still for the safety discussion!

 Easy How To:

1- Discuss the Eiffel Tower and look at pictures.

2- Review hot glue gun safety.



3- Hand out the supplies and let your children get to work!  They will create wonderful and beautiful sculptures.  Just give them time and space to work.








Some kids used only toothpicks, some used only paperclips, some used only craftsticks, but most used a combination.

I did this with a group of homeschool children that were in PreK-3rd grade.  My youngest preschoolers and a couple of the 5-year olds needed help with the glue gun.  Make sure to supervise sufficiently!  Young children should never be alone with a glue gun!  I have found that most young children can safely handle a low-temperature glue gun and really enjoy creating things with them.










Do you have your next science activity planned?  I have over 100 science and STEM experiments and projects for you!!  Check them out here!





And be sure to visit the other STEM Saturday posts:

STEM Saturday.jpg

Best Structure Building Activities for Kids from Little Bins for Little Hands
Eiffel Tower STEM Challenge from Preschool Powol Packets
A Heart Shaped Math Puzzle from Handmade Kids Art
Valentines Themed Density Jar Experiment for Kids from Lemon Lime Adventures



Happy Educating, Carla

I may share at any of these parties!



Never miss another post again!  Sign up for our weekly updates newsletter and get links to all our posts once a week in your inbox!  Sign up here!!





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Science Experiment: Elephant Toothpaste

By -
Image
Update: "Elephant toothpaste" is a science experiment that I used to do with my high school students.  It is a strong multi-sensory demonstration that goes great with a lot of chemistry concepts. It is also very popular with preschoolers and homeschoolers!  The internet loves it too! It has now been read by more than 3.9 million people! This was the post that started the trend on science activity sites across the internet and "irl!"  Thank you for being here...I hope you enjoy it as well!  💕  This exciting science experiment works great in a discussion on reactions, as a demonstration, or as an actual experiment. We've also done seasonal twists with "elephant toothpaste" like making it in a pumpkin and using it for " reindeer toothpaste !" To use it as a science project, perform it once with your child, then ask your child what might happen if you changed the amounts or left out an ingredient.  Any time you experiment...
Read more

Kind Words Sensory Lesson Friendship Activity

By -
Image
This sensory lesson includes a kindness activity for kids that is short and sweet,  and makes teaching kindness a beautiful thing! Learning to use kind words with our friends is one friendship lesson that I think we can never cover enough...kids always need reminding (sometimes adults do too)!  You will need these simple supplies for the kindness activity: cotton balls, course sandpaper, cup, Should I Share My Ice-Cream by Mo Willems Directly teaching good friendship skills, like using kind words, serves two purposes: 1- You can refer to the lesson when someone forgets or needs reminding, and 2- These skills are not intuitive for all preschoolers. This is a perfect age to bring empathy and kindness to their attention and help them cultivate these skills! You can use this lesson plan exactly as I did it with our kiddos, or adapt it to fit your group! 1- Read  Should I Share My Ice-Cream  by Mo Willems.   {Image below is an Amazon Affi...
Read more

Crazy Cool Giraffe Science Experiment

By -
Image
Do you know what color giraffe skin is? Today we're using a capillary action science experiment to make our own giraffe skins in this fun giraffe science experiment project! (Read on...I'll tell you the color in a moment! AND I have a few more fun giraffe facts at the end! Anyway, go on and make a guess before you see the answer!) Fun Spot  Giraffe  Fact:  There are four different giraffe species:  the Masai Giraffe, the Rothschild Giraffe, the Somali Giraffe, and the Nigerian Giraffe.  Each has its own unique spot pattern.  Even more unique, every single individual giraffe has a different spot design.  Just like fingerprints on people and stripes on a zebra, spots on a giraffe are unique in every individual! Giraffe skin is mostly grey. (Were you right?) It's also really tough and thick.  The coat is a shade of tan with brown spots or patches.  Male giraffes actually get darker as they get older! To make our "giraffe ...
Read more