STEM Challenge: Flower Frenzy 1:1 Paperless Version

Looking for Valentine’s Day activities that your students will love but are more than just a craft or activity to pass the time? This Valentine’s STEM Challenge (or STEAM Challenge) will keep your students engaged in brain-busting work disguised as fun!

The basic premise:

Individually or in partners/groups, students will design and build a uniquely talented bouquet of flowers! This STEM challenge actually contains four challenge prompts that can be taken separately or simultaneously in groups:

– Floating Flowers

– Fluff & Flatten Flowers

– Functional Flowers

– Firmly Fixed Flowers

I will never apologize for my love of alliterative titles. ☺

Modifications included, grades 2-8.

Note: Although it is part of the Valentine’s Day bundle, this challenge works well for spring, Easter, and Mother’s Day as well.

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Note: This version is for use with Google Slides in 1:1/paperless classrooms. If you prefer to print and have students complete work with paper/pencil, you'll want to look at the PRINTABLE VERSION instead.

If you have questions about which version is right for you, please feel free to leave me a question using the product Q&A below.

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This is one of five Valentine’s Day STEM Challenges. They can be purchased in a bundle at a 40% discount:

Valentine’s Day STEM Challenge DIGITAL/PAPERLESS Bundle

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Resource includes:

NGSS aligned standards, Grades 2 – 8

Teacher Tips

- Links to STEM Challenge “How-to”/PD videos

- Materials and timing

- Criteria & Constraints (including modifications to increase difficulty for older students)

- Measuring results

- Post-design extension activities list

- Universal STEM Challenge Notes & How to Use Student Slides Post-design extension activities list

- Link to a video walk-through of the challenge

- Links to STEM Challenge “How-to”/PD videos

Student Slides

- Criteria & Constraints List (editable version provided)

- Design Analysis

- Discussion Questions

Extension slides

- Process flow map

- Create & solve math problems based on designs

- Video/website linked slides

- Scientific Method - Design your own plant growth experiment slides with sample answer key

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CLICK THE GREEN PREVIEW BUTTON UNDER THE COVER & THUMBNAILS TO SEE THE SLIDES INCLUDED IN THIS RESOURCE!

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Sample/suggested materials for each student or group:

(Materials you’ll need to do the activity are easily modified. )

– Colored tissue paper and/or construction paper (5+ pieces)

– Straws (5 - 10)

– Pipe cleaners (5 - 10)

– Plastic baggies (1-2)

– Tape (24 in.)

– Rubber bands (5 - 10)

– Bucket with water (to test floating flowers)

– Scissors

– Ruler

– Record results & analysis handouts

– Optional

• Foil (1-2 small sheets)

• String/yarn

• Craft sticks (5 – 10)

• Cardboard (scrap pieces, equally distributed to groups)

• Paperclips

• Brass brads

• Small cups

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Benefits of this STEM Design Challenge:

- Focus on critical thinking, problem solving, and application of learning

- Helps students develop growth mindset traits like persistence and resilience

- High levels of student engagement

- The potential to hit upon all NGSS ETS standards depending on the depth and number of iterations you choose to implement in your classroom (modifications included)

- Highly flexible and differentiated for materials, timing, grade levels, and rigor.

Each design iteration should be planned for ~60-90 min. if you are including data gathering and analysis rather than just building for fun. If you add extension activities, you will need to adjust timing accordingly.

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What do teachers have to say about this resource?

Note: Comments taken from the print version.

“Thorough resource, perfect for spring!”

“Perfect resource for spring! We turned our flowers into a Mother's Day gift.”

“Awesome. As usual.”

“Kids loved these activities! Thank you.”

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You might also like these resources:

STEM CHALLENGE YEAR-ROUND MEGA-BUNDLE

Getting Started with STEM Challenges FREEBIE

Christmas-Winter STEM Bundle

Thanksgiving STEM Bundle

Halloween STEM Bundle

Back-to-School STEM Bundle

Analyze and Interpret Data Unit

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Please check out the preview to see the challenge, and don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions!

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