Thanksgiving STEM Challenge: Mini Mayflower and Mini Mishoon

Thanksgiving approaches, and with it, the first long-ish holiday of the year. Sometimes you can feel yourself dragging your battered legs to that finish line! Trying to keep kids engaged as they too approach a much-needed rest can be a huge challenge. This is why I love STEM challenges so much. They’re naturally enjoyable activities that are chock full of academic rigor (when done properly/with intent).

Over the coming weeks, I will be describing five (5) Thanksgiving challenges that follow the needs encountered by people meeting their basic needs:

– Mini Mayflower / Mini Mishoon (Get to where you’re going)
– Protect the People (Build a shelter)
– Pumpkin Picker (Gather available food)
– Corn Cultivator (Set up sustainable food source)
– Turkey Transporter (Once all major needs are met, there’s time for fun!)

This week, we’re working on water transportation with Mini Mishoon / Mini Mayflower!

Premise:

Students design a boat built for capacity and/or speed. Capacity can be measured in any uniform object: pennies, base ten blocks, candy pumpkins (warning: food can get messy if/when the ships sink), etc.

Where Can I Find Out More?

The video walk-through of this STEM Challenge is embedded below. In it, you’ll find information about materials, modifying difficulty level, extensions and some tips & tricks to guide you, so you can better guide your students through the challenge. Check it out.

Resources

This is the first of five Thanksgiving challenges. You’ll find all the Thanksgiving STEM Challenges in the 5-challenge bundle briefly described in this post. Each challenge post is linked there for the walk-through videos and more details. For print or digital resources, click the images below. All challenges are available individually and in discounted bundles in my TpT store, as well.