I think a lot people hear the word STEM and instantly think of high-tech toys and gadgets. But you don't need to spend a lot - or even anything at all - to encourage STEM-thinking. It's basically about encouraging problem solving and looking at things in new ways. And there are tons of frugal ways to do that!
This activity was a result of one of those why-is-this-day-so-long? and how-are-we-going-to-pass-the-time? days.
We used:
- Painter's tape
- Building blocks
Yep, that's it. Two materials, plus a 6 year old who was SO BORED and we had ourselves an activity.
I started by making a quick square outline with the blocks, and then tracing around it with the tape. Then I removed the blocks and challenged Kay to try to fit the blocks in the square, covering up the rug and not going beyond the tape.
(I presented it as a challenge because that always piques her interest!)
She played around with the shapes, but mostly she had no trouble with this one. Then she wanted to make a shape of her own to fill in. She laid out one long piece of tape...and then another next to it...and then "Hey, it looks like a road!" and suddenly she was off to find her cars.
My work here was done!
This post is part of Left Brain Craft Brain's 28 Days of Hands-On STEM Activities. You won't believe all the awesome ideas that are gathered in this one series - check it out!
