Simple, Magical Science Projects perfect for Childhood Imaginations
Get ready to embark on a magical journey as we explore a collection of STEM challenges inspired by beloved fairy tales. From building bridges and rafts to growing beanstalks and testing the properties of various materials, these activities are designed to spark creativity and foster a love for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in children.
Crossing the River with The Gingerbread Man
A bridge or raft can be built to help The Gingerbread Man cross the river. This activity encourages children to think about structural design and materials, testing their engineering skills.
Ariel's Cave of Treasures
In Ariel's underwater world, sorting toys based on their material is a fun and educational task. This activity introduces children to the concept of classification and material properties.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
For Goldilocks and the Three Bears activities, children can order bowls, beds, and chairs in size, monitor heat loss from porridge, and participate in a wooden spoon craft. These activities focus on problem-solving, measurement, and materials science.
Hansel and Gretel
Hansel and Gretel activities involve building a house made from sweets or chocolate to find the most stable shape, and making a gingerbread house while testing different types of icing. This activity combines engineering, chemistry, and nutrition education.
Three Billy Goats Gruff
Three Billy Goats Gruff activities include making a raft for the goats, building a bridge for the troll, and building a zip wire to help Jack down the beanstalk. These activities encourage children to think about mechanical systems, materials, and problem-solving.
Symmetry with Mirrors
Symmetry with mirrors can be explored in a fun activity for drawing symmetrical dwarves. This activity introduces children to the concept of symmetry and pattern recognition.
The Imagination Tree's Under the Sea Play Dough
The Imagination Tree provides a recipe for under the sea play dough, perfect for creating ocean-themed structures and models.
Map Reading and Problem-Solving
A map reading and problem-solving scene is suggested for children to work through, encouraging spatial awareness, navigation, and critical thinking skills.
The Princess and the Pea
For The Princess and the Pea activities, a mattress can be made with different materials to see if the princess can feel the pea. This activity introduces children to the concept of sensitivity and materials science.
Cinderella
Cinderella activities include measuring and weighing pumpkins, ordering shoes by size, heel size, and material, building a new carriage using a balloon as a pumpkin, and playing an ordering game with shoes. These activities focus on measurement, classification, and problem-solving.
Rainy Day Mum's Frog Spawn and Tadpoles
Rainy Day Mum offers activities to learn about frog spawn and tadpoles, providing a glimpse into the life cycle of these fascinating creatures.
Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack and the Beanstalk science experiments include building a zip wire and growing a bean in a jar. A waterproof experiment variation is also available, where air is blown with a straw instead of water.
Fairy Tale STEM Printables
A collection of fairy tale STEM printables has been created, including activities based on Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Billy Goats Gruff, The Princess and the Pea, and Hansel and Gretel. These printables are described as low-prep and designed to engage kids in STEM activities inspired by fairy tales.
Peter Pan
Peter Pan activities include trying to fly Tinkerbell down a zip wire. This activity encourages children to think about mechanical systems and problem-solving.
Three Little Pigs
Three Little Pigs science experiments test the windproof properties of different materials for a roof. This activity focuses on materials science and engineering.
Red Ted Art's Three Little Pigs Craft Activity
Red Ted Art provides a three little pigs craft activity to make houses from various materials. This activity combines arts and crafts with engineering principles.
Printable Fairy Tale STEM Challenge Instruction Sheets
Printable Fairy Tale STEM Challenge instruction sheets specifically for stories like Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Billy Goats Gruff, and other traditional tales are available but may require exploring a few educational resources. Teachers Pay Teachers offers story element worksheets and some STEM-aligned organizers for Jack and the Beanstalk and Billy Goats Gruff. TeachEngineering.org provides a detailed Fairy Tale Engineering activity for The Three Little Pigs, which includes worksheets and step-by-step engineering design challenges. Pinterest and similar platforms have collections of fairy tale STEM printables that may include Cinderella and other popular traditional stories.
In summary, while ready-to-print STEM challenge instruction sheets explicitly covering Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Billy Goats Gruff, and other traditional tales are not consolidated in one obvious resource, you can find story element worksheets and some STEM-aligned organizers for Jack and the Beanstalk and Billy Goats Gruff on Teachers Pay Teachers. STEM engineering challenge printables on The Three Little Pigs provide a template for creating challenges for other tales, including Cinderella or Beanstalk. Free fairy tale STEM printables on Pinterest and social media platforms may include Cinderella and other popular traditional stories. If you want a direct set of printable instruction sheets for these exact tales, checking Teachers Pay Teachers and Pinterest for curated packs or creating your own based on engineering-themed activity templates (like those on TeachEngineering) would be the best approach.
Lastly, inspiring imaginative play with a story box is available from The Imagination Tree.
[1] Teachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/ [2] Instagram Post (Fairy tale-themed STEM challenges with printables): https://www.instagram.com/ [3] TeachEngineering.org: https://www.teachengineering.org/ [4] Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/
- The Gingerbread Man's river crossing activity encourages children to learn about structural design and materials, testing their engineering skills.
- In the underwater world of Ariel, sorting toys based on their material helps children understand the concept of classification and material properties.
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears activities focus on problem-solving, measurement, and materials science, with tasks like ordering bowls, beds, and chairs in size, monitoring heat loss from porridge, and participating in a wooden spoon craft.
- Hansel and Gretel activities involve engineering, chemistry, and nutrition education, as children build a house made from sweets or chocolate and make a gingerbread house while testing different types of icing.
- Three Billy Goats Gruff activities encourage children to think about mechanical systems, materials, and problem-solving, such as making a raft for the goats, building a bridge for the troll, and building a zip wire to help Jack down the beanstalk.
- Symmetry with mirrors can be explored in a fun activity for drawing symmetrical dwarves, introducing children to the concept of symmetry and pattern recognition.
- The Imagination Tree's under the sea play dough recipe allows children to create ocean-themed structures and models, emphasizing creativity and hands-on learning opportunities within lifestyle, home-and-garden, and education-and-self-development.
