How to make a magnetic marble run for your refrigerator door. Fun STEM (or STEAM) activity for kids!We made this fridge-door marble run ages ago, but I’m only just getting a chance to share it now, because, you know, kids and life and stuff…It was lots of fun, and super simple to make.How to make…
Category: Engineering
C is for Catapult! (Catapult STEM Project)
How to make (and test) craft stick catapults! Fun catapult STEM project for kids, that combines physics, engineering and math with play.Making DIY catapults are one of those classic STEM activities that are so much fun.Y’all know what a STEM activity is, right? STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths, and a great STEM…
STEM Challenge: Can you build a 3D structure?
We’re joining in again for the second week of the 28 Days of Hands-On STEM Activities for Kids, and this week’s theme is STEM Challenges! (In case you missed it, last week’s theme was STEM Goes Green and we made this upcycled catapult.)This is our first try at doing a ‘STEM challenge’. I wanted to come up…
Easy Upcycled Catapult {STEM goes green}
How to make an easy, upcycled catapult! Fun physics for kids. Choose your own projectile….Have you heard of the 28 Days of Hands-On STEM Activities for Kids blog hop that’s running all this month? We’re tickled pink to be joining in. There’s 4 weeks of fun science, with each week revolving around a different theme….
DIY Pulley for the Loungeroom Stairs
How we made our first DIY loungeroom pulley – and learning about physics and simple machines through play.We’ve been wanting to make a pulley for a while now.I’m not quite sure when exactly the fascination started, but it’s been going for a few months at least. Every time my daughter Jewel asked if we could make one, I couldn’t…
Hands-on Geometry with Magna-Tiles
The girls were lucky enough to receive this set of Magna-Tiles from their Grandma for Christmas. They play with them almost every day. There are so many ways to play with Magna-Tiles, and we’re only just scratching the surface. But I thought I would share some of my initial reflections on how they’ve been playing…
DIY Balance Scales for Toddlers and Preschoolers
How to play the ‘Which One is Heavier?’ game! Easy DIY balance scales for toddlers and preschoolers to explore weight and gravity concepts through play.This is an easy idea that took only a few minutes to make, and helped keep my 2 year, 11 month old daughter Bumble’s mind and body active (and out of mischief) at the end of a crazy…
Review: Dream Jobs {a Sticker Dolly Dressing, Usborne Activities book}
Product Reviewed: Sticker Dolly Dressing Dream Jobs, by Emily Bone and Steven Wood (Usborne Activities).Age Range: 5-8 year olds.Star Rating: 4 / 5 starsThe Good: A fun activity book with positive career role modelling for girls. There are some unusual job options in here – expect lots of questions!The Bad: Fine motor skills required to remove and…
Review: Geomag Color & Geomag Glitter
Products Reviewed: Geomag Color 30 Piece Set and Geomag Glitter 30 Piece SetAge Range: 3-10 year olds (although better suited to 5+ year olds)Star Rating: 4.5 / 5 starsThe Good: Open-ended magnetic construction toy that will get your kids thinking and building creatively.The Bad: Round metal balls are a choking hazard (see age recommendation) and…