Build a fort!
Building a fort is a great (and free!) STEM challenge for kids of all ages. Forts can be simple (a blanket hung over two chairs) or really complex. Forts can also be an indoor or an outdoor activity, depending on what the weather is like and your surroundings.
This week’s STEM challenge is to build a fort! Building a successful fort involves:
- Planning: what are we going to do?
- Problem solving: how will be fix this problem?
- Creativity: is there a different way to think about this?
- Flexibility: that way didn’t work—what can we do instead?
Here are some ideas for forts you could build:
Of course, the ideas are endless! My two daughters just built a fort outside today using a lightweight blanket and umbrellas, and I never considered umbrellas a fort-building material before. So be creative and have fun!
Here are some digital library books that you can check out to learn more about forts:
The Fort (Hoopla): A book about finding shapes like cylinders, cones, and cubes in a fort. This book has lots of text, so it’s best for elementary-aged children.
My Fort (Hoopla): An easy reader book with lots of items you could use in an indoor fort.
The Fort that Jack Built (Hoopla): Jack built a fort using things around his house—but what happens when people need those things back?
Remember to look for the post on Facebook about this STEM challenge and share your pictures of your forts on there!