STEM: Make Your Own Marble Maze; Flashlight Project
You know how we often like to start back into homeschooling with some engaging, out-of-the-box activities? Sometimes we’ve done engineering challenges, other times we’ve done some fun critical thinking activities. Last week, I challenged the kids to make their own marble maze. They each took a big piece of cardboard, sticks (or whatever) and a glue-gun and went to work!
They had fun trying to complete each other’s maze courses! Anyway, that’s just a quick, fun idea you might enjoy doing with your kids some time!
The sticks were quite a challenge to glue down. It would probably be easier with wooden dowels or project blocks or something. Even aluminum foil (which could be bent into various shapes) would work well!
Over the break, the girls also went to an engineering camp. They made these really neat flashlights. It probably wouldn’t be too difficult to gather the materials to do this project at home, so I thought I’d share a picture of their light. It was made with batteries, wires, a small light bulb, brad, aluminum foil, paperclips (on top of the battery to connect the wire to the battery). It turns on when they place a paperclip across the two brads. Neat, right?!
That’s about it for today! 🙂
You might also be interested in some of the other engineering type activities we’ve done:
- Last year we started back with Critical Thinking Activities – Math Circles. I’m still hoping to pull that book out again soon because the kids absolutely *love* those!!
- 7 Fun STEM – Engineering Activities for Kids
- Engineering Activities for Kids
- Free Engineering Curriculum Available Right Now (Grades 3 to 8)
- Engineering Challenge: Week 4 Marshmallow Construction
- Engineering Challenge: Week 5 Parachute Challenge
- Chemistry Experiments for Kids (Grade 2) – Mixtures, Chromatography, DNA Kit – ED really liked our chemistry experiments, so I thought I’d add in this post to the list too. 🙂
- Chemistry Experiments for Kids (Grade 2) – Matter is Neither Created Nor Destroyed — Acids and Bases
See you again soon here or Homeschool Den Facebook page. Don’t forget to Subscribe to our Homeschool Den Newsletter! ~Liesl
