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:

In groups, students will design and build a bow & arrow set for Cupid’s Valentine’s Day target practice. (Designing the quiver is optional.)

– Option: if you find bow & arrow design too difficult, modify the challenge to make throwing darts instead.

– Students will aim for high scores as they take three shots each at a Valentine’s themed target. Final scores are taken as the sum or average of their personal and/or team results.

Check out the video preview to see what is included in this resource (skip ahead to 6:07 to see what is included in the resource):

Note: If you are in a 1:1 classroom, you may prefer the
digital format, compatible with Google Slides ™.

Resource includes:

• NGSS aligned standards, Grades 2 – 8

• Teacher Tips:
  • Links to my 5-part video series on getting started with STEM challenges
  • Materials and timing
  • Criteria & Constraints (including modifications to increase difficulty for older students)
  • Measuring results
  • Universal STEM Challenge Notes & How to Use Student Handouts
  • Post-design extension activities list
  • Link to a video walk-through of the challenge

• Student Handouts
  • Criteria and Constraints list (editable versions in color and black & white provided)
  • Recording Results (2 options: sum or average scores; editable)
  • Design Analysis (2-page regular spacing and 4-page expanded spacing for primary students in color and B&W included; editable)
  • Discussion Questions (in color and B&W; editable)
  • Cupid’s Target (Nine 8.5 x 11 inch pages in landscape format — in color and black & white versions — for you to print and arrange)

• Extension templates
  • Cause & Effect Notes (editable)
  • Cause & Effect Practice (3 versions; editable)
  • Process Flow Map
  • Math Extension

Sample/suggested materials for each student or group:

(Materials you’ll need to do the activity are easily modified. You don’t need to provide all of the following materials. Select a subset and/or add in your own ideas.)

For each student or group:

• Straws (5 – 10)
• Cotton balls or sponge pieces (5)
• Water colors or tempera paint (small cup per team)
  • Groups dip arrowheads in the “love potion” before taking aim. If the whole class uses one target, each groups needs a different color paint.
• Pipe cleaners (5)
• Craft sticks (3 – 5)
• Tape (24 in.)
• String (24 in.)
• Rubber bands (5 – 10)
• Scissors
• Target prints (one per class or group

Optional:

• Unsharpened pencils
• Plastic knives
• Feathers

This resource is also available in paperless format and as part of the Valentine’s Day and the Mega STEM Challenge bundles. Click through below:

PRINTABLE MEGA BUNDLE

If you prefer to purchase on TPT, click here. 

Note: Any coupon codes you received for subscribing to the email are for this site and will not work on TpT.