February is here, and we’re ready to spread the love with some fun Valentine’s Day-themed STEAM. Today, we’re going to show you how your child can hone his or her engineering skills by building designs out of paper hearts! All you need for this fun challenge is construction paper or card stock, scissors, and glue or glue dots.
You can choose paper that is already different colors or have your child color on white paper to decorate it before it gets cut into strips. First, cut your paper into strips of varying lengths. The strips should all be the same width – ¾” or 1” work well for these purposes. Next, it’s time to build your paper hearts. Take a strip of paper and fold it in half length-wise to create the bottom point of your heart. Then, curve the top ends towards each other to form the top of the heart. Use your glue to stick the ends together. Repeat this process to make as many hearts as possible. Make sure to make your hearts different sizes!
Now, it’s time to build! Give your child a building challenge to help develop their engineering skills. Some ideas include:
- Build a structure that can stand on its own.
- Build the tallest structure you can.
- Build the widest structure you can.
- Build a triangular shape that can stand on its own.
You can also come up with your own challenge idea, or ask your child to think of a fun challenge for themselves using the paper hearts. Not only will your child be learning, but you’ll come away with some fun Valentine’s Day decorations for your home!
Check out the full project and find a free printable template for the paper strips from Buggy and Buddy HERE.
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!
