KINDERGARTEN APPLE STEM CHALLENGES
Nothing says fall quite like apples. Kids love to learn using the world around them, so our kindergarten teachers brought apples into the classroom to do some fun STEM projects. The kindergarteners had a great time learning and exploring the world of science and engineering.
Mrs. Koclanis’ and Mrs. Jagiello’s classes did a sink or float project with apples, which taught the kids more complex concepts like buoyancy and density. First, the students chose a piece of apple that they thought would float. There were different sizes and shapes to pick from, and they had to hypothesize if one shape would float better than another. They then cut a sail out of paper that they thought would help the boat to float. Next, they drew out their designs and then attached the sail to the apple using a toothpick.
Once the boat was completed, they tested whether or not it would float in a bucket of water. There was much cheering and celebrating together as the apple boats stayed on top of the water. There were various STEM concepts to explore, like why the apples float and what made one size boat float better than others? When the kids finished testing their creations, they completed the worksheet with drawings of their boats and what they learned.
Mrs. Drake’s class also used apples in an Apple Tower STEM Challenge. They were to build the tallest freestanding structure using apple pieces and toothpicks within 5 minutes. First, the apples were cut into smaller square pieces. Then, the kids put the apple pieces together using toothpicks to build as tall a structure as possible. It had to stand unsupported long enough to be measured. The kids were learning designing and engineering skills during this challenge. Some towers fell, but one of the structures was pretty tall! When the students were done building, they drew pictures of their apple towers. They considered what worked well, what didn’t work, and what was a challenge for them in the building process.
STEM projects promote creativity and innovation among our youngest learners. They are all about hands-on discovery, exploration, and beginning to learn the scientific method and simple engineering skills. And most importantly, the kindergartener classrooms were filled with joy as the kids had fun, collaborative learning experiences with their friends.
