Looking for Easter activities that your students will love but are more than just a craft or activity to pass the time? The Nice Nest 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 nest that holds as many eggs as possible using predominantly toilet paper.

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

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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 & Constraints List (editable; in color and B&W; editable version provided)
  • Results and Design Analysis (editable; 2-page regular spacing and 4-page expanded spacing for primary students included in color and and B&W)
  • Discussion Questions (editable; color and B&W)

• Extension templates
  • – Process Flow Map
    – Math Extension
    – Bird Research Log (editable)
    – Bird Idioms Log (editable)

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Sample/suggested materials for each student or group:

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

• • Note: The links below are Amazon Affiliate links. Find out more on the disclosure page.
    • • • Toilet Paper (1 roll each; the cheaper, the better)
        • Plastic bowl or container (preferably with transparent sides)
        •  Plastic eggs (12 of various sizes or all one size)
          • If a group creates a nest with greater capacity than 12 eggs, have groups buddy up for testing to share their eggs.
        • Binder clips (4)
        • Scissors
        • Yarn (12 – 24 four-inch strips)
        • Design analysis handouts (included in resource)

        Optional

        • Tape 
        • Small cups and water to test rain resistance
        • Sand or clay to weight the eggs for added difficulty

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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 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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This resource is available in a digital 1:1 format, compatible with Google Slides (TM), as well as in discounted bundles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Note: any coupon/promo codes for this site will only work on this site. TpT does not have the option for individual stores to offer promo codes.

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Preview Music Credit:

“Carefree” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/