Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and one of the most classic things to pair with your turkey is cranberry! If you’ve got cranberries left over after making your cranberry sauce, you’ve got a simple, festive STEAM activity that will help your child hone his or her engineering skills!
All you need are a bag of fresh cranberries, lots of toothpicks, and a flat surface. If you don’t have or don’t want to use cranberries, there may be other items around your house that will work. Consider using playdough, packing peanuts, or pool noodle pieces.
The idea is to use the toothpicks to connect the cranberries together in order to create a variety of structures. Here are some challenges you can give your child:
- Build a house
- Build different shapes
- Build people
- Build towers
- Build letters and numbers
- You can build something and challenge your child to copy it
- Build whatever you want!
While simple, this activity incorporates counting, problem-solving, and design. It takes patience and concentration… and it’s fun, of course!
As always, get as creative as you want, and above all, have lots of fun learning together!
We’ll see you right back here next Saturday for another STEAM Saturday activity! Scroll through the rest of our website to learn how Critchlow Adkins is Building Brighter Futures for the children and families we serve!
