Let’s face it, most kids immediately trash their Valentine’s Day cards once they strip them of candy and stickers. Why not put those cards to good use before they get recycled? In comes a Valentine’s Day cards STEM activity!
Maybe you work with older students who don’t do a card exchange. In this case, you can encourage a week of kindnesses and compliments that will become the building blocks of the Valentine’s Day cards STEM activity. Students will transcribe their not-entirely-random acts of kindness and compliments on index cards and use those to build their towers of love!
Premise of Valentine’s Day Cards STEM Activity
In Cards in the Clouds, students create the tallest towers possible from their Valentine’s Day cards or from kindness/compliment cards they create themselves! This Valentine’s Day cards STEM activity will keep your students engaged in brain-busting work disguised as fun!
Materials for Valentine’s Day Cards STEM Activity
The list of materials you’ll need is short and easily modified, making this Valentine’s Day Cards STEM activity simple to incorporate with very little need for additional prep. You’ll need:
- 20+ Valentine’s Day cards
- 20+ index cards
- 4-5 Valentine’s Day card boxes
- Copies of “love letters” on paper or card stock
- Tape (12 in.)
- Scissors
- Ruler or measuring tape
- Copies of data recording & analyzing handouts
- Optional: craft stick, pipe cleaner
Where Can I Find Out More?
As you may already be aware, I’ve found creating video walk-throughs of my STEM challenges is the best way to explain the important details: materials, set-up, tips, modifications, extensions, and more! Check out the video below to learn more about this Valentine’s Day cards STEM activity, Cards in the Clouds. However, if you prefer to read, you’ll find the video transcribed at the end of this post.
Regular Video Walk-Through
Pandemic Makeover