Children are naturally curious about the world around them. At Kiddie Academy, our educators tap into that sense of wonder and discovery with Daily STEM Challenges (STEM is an integrated approach to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).
Kiddie Academy’s STEM activities are designed to foster critical thinking and inquiry skills through hands-on, play-based, cooperative experiences for our school-age campers. This approach helps children think creatively, solve problems and discover new concepts on their own.
Here is a fun STEM activity that you and your child can do together at home.
Build a Super Golf Ball Tower
Encourage your child to discuss ideas for building a tower out of newspaper that will support the weight of a golf ball. As an added challenge, discuss that the tower should be as tall as possible, but may not be taped to any surface as the base. Challenge your child to create a design from the supplies below.
- 1 golf ball
- 10 pieces of newspaper
- 20 inches of tape
- Ruler or measuring tape
Guiding Questions
You can frame your activity with these questions.
- How will you create a base to make the tower sturdy?
- What can you do to increase the height of the tower?
- How can you adapt the top of the tower to hold the golf ball?
Reflections
Once the tower is complete, ask your child to consider the following concepts for additional learning.
- What did you need to do to make the paper sturdy enough to hold the ball?
- What effect did folding, flattening, or rolling the paper have? What other methods were effective?
And just for fun, when the activity is finished–challenge your child to predict the distance and direction that the golf ball will land if the tower falls down. Invite your child to knock the tower over and watch where the ball lands!
Thank you for reading along, as we work together in raising the next generation of amazing kids!
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Upcoming Events!
Spend the day with Curious George & Pinkalicious!
This Summer, Kiddie Academy locations nationwide will be hosting Storytime Live! Please search for your local participating Academy for dates and times. This event is FREE and open to everyone- so bring a friend.
