Christmas STEAM for Kids: Wreath Activity

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Christmas STEM, STEAM, and science experiments are some of our favorite ways to keep learning fun and exciting during the holiday season. Today I'm sharing a new Christmas STEAM science project...and a tiny secret about it that I seriously debated including!



Simple Supplies:

* Wreath form
* Wreath decorations

We went to a dollar store and I let the kids pick out a wreath form (they had 10" green and white rings) and 4 decorations to add:


Easy How To:

My favorite thing about STEAM and STEM projects is that I just present the challenge to the kids and they figure out how to do it! For the "easy how to" I just turned them loose with the supplies!


They had to find ways to attach each of their decorations. Some of them had clips on the back, some had twisty ties, and some (the bells) just needed to be worked onto the wreath "branches." This took a lot of focus and fine motor exercise!


Watching them problem solve and find solutions is my favorite part!





How is this a STEM or STEAM activity? It includes aspects of science, technology, engineering, art, and math!

SCIENCE: problem solving, testing solutions, communication, team work
TECHNOLOGY: using tools (like twisty ties and clips) to accomplish goals
ENGINEERING: designing the wreath and choosing where to put the decorations. (I didn't change anything they set up, and they were so pleased!)
ART: creating a finished product to celebrate the season that they could display and share with others
MATH: counting the decorations, creating a sense of balance on the wreath


And now for my little secret...

As much as I would love for you to think I have a dedicated craft table that we did this on, this particular project was done in the car! One of my kiddos has been in a play this week and the dress rehearsals were a bit time consuming. My younger kids needed something to keep them busy, so we did this one afternoon while we waited...this project is 100% portable! (Though I am sure it would be just as successful at a table!) Anyway, here's a picture that's a little "zoomed out:"


Are you planning holiday activities or science projects? I have some awesome science experiments and STEM projects that can be done ANYWHERE with ANY AGE group!!

Just click on the images below:

 


We are also joining with some of my favorite bloggers to bring you a few more Christmas STEAM ideas this season!


Be sure to check out these fun ideas:

Galaxy Snow Globes DIY :: Figment Creative Labs
Christmas STEAM for Kids | Wreath Activity :: Preschool Powol Packets
Holiday Magic Milk :: Science Kiddo
Building a Molecular Structure with Cranberries :: From Engineer to Stay at Home Mom
Make Rudolph Fly with Buoyancy :: From Royal Baloo
Happy Educating,
Carla


I may share at any of these parties!




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