STEAM Stacking Challenge

Over the past two weeks, teachers have enjoyed watching the children stack all sorts of materials. The children have been excited to stack rocks, blocks, cups, leaves, keys, boxes, and more. One child described this activity as "making towers," while another called it "building up high." Yet another child explained that they were "balancing." Inspired by the children's interest in stacking, the teachers set up a fun STEAM challenge. In small groups, the children received a set of materials and were invited to see how tall they could build together. The materials included plastic cups, tongue depressors, and wood cubes. Once the building was complete, the class did a tour of the classroom to see each group's structure. Each group shared their team name, and we then measured to see how tall each creation was. The winning team was Team Rainbow Dragon with a structure reaching 35 inches. Second place was awarded to Team Disco Ball with a structure that was 30 inches tall. The children have already made plans to continue the building high challenge tomorrow during free play.

Indiana Learning Foundations
SC4.1 Demonstrate engineering design skills
APL3.1 Demonstrate development of sustained attention and persistence
APL4.1 Demonstrate development of social interactions during play 
APL2.1 Demonstrate development of flexible thinking during play 
PHG3.1 Demonstrate development of fine and gross motor coordination