Have you heard of the story “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”? You know, the story all about a little girl who gets hungry and tired while walking through the woods and decides to rest at a friendly little cottage where she eats some porridge, sits on (and breaks) a chair, and then falls asleep in a cozy little bed that fits her just right. Well, one thing leads to another and Goldilocks discovers that the cottage belongs to a family of bears.
There have been many different versions of this story throughout time – some of my favourites are the fractured fairy tales where the story is spun a different way. Well, I have found this really fun version of the story, “Moldilocks and the Three Scares”. Read or listen to the story, then see if you can complete the following STEAM activity.
Use pumpkins and/or gourds to represent each of the different characters in the story (2 small ones for Moldilocks and Baby Scare, and 2 slightly larger ones for Mama and Papa Scare). Decorate them to look like each of the characters using markers, paper, etc.
Your challenge is to design and build a chair for each of the characters in the story. The chair is to be strong enough that it will support the character that it was designed for.
You are allowed to use popsicle sticks of different sizes, tacky glue or hot glue, various decorations, as well as string and/or pipe cleaners (and naturally some scissors if needed). When you’re designing these chairs, think about things such as the size and weight of your character. What shapes can you make within the chair to make it stronger?
Before you begin, take a few minutes to draw out a sketch of what you think your chairs will look like, remember that you will need 2 smaller ones and 2 larger ones. Once you’re done, ask yourself: Were you successful? Did you make mistakes and what did you learn from them? What kinds of things would you do differently next time?
Step up the challenge: Your chair needs to stand at least 2 inches off the table and the seat needs to have a length and width of at least 5 inches (so that your character does not fall off). Also, add a time limit to your work. Can you complete all the chairs successfully in about 45 – 60 minutes?
There have been many different versions of this story throughout time – some of my favourites are the fractured fairy tales where the story is spun a different way. Well, I have found this really fun version of the story, “Moldilocks and the Three Scares”. Read or listen to the story, then see if you can complete the following STEAM activity.
Use pumpkins and/or gourds to represent each of the different characters in the story (2 small ones for Moldilocks and Baby Scare, and 2 slightly larger ones for Mama and Papa Scare). Decorate them to look like each of the characters using markers, paper, etc.
Your challenge is to design and build a chair for each of the characters in the story. The chair is to be strong enough that it will support the character that it was designed for.
You are allowed to use popsicle sticks of different sizes, tacky glue or hot glue, various decorations, as well as string and/or pipe cleaners (and naturally some scissors if needed). When you’re designing these chairs, think about things such as the size and weight of your character. What shapes can you make within the chair to make it stronger?
Before you begin, take a few minutes to draw out a sketch of what you think your chairs will look like, remember that you will need 2 smaller ones and 2 larger ones. Once you’re done, ask yourself: Were you successful? Did you make mistakes and what did you learn from them? What kinds of things would you do differently next time?
Step up the challenge: Your chair needs to stand at least 2 inches off the table and the seat needs to have a length and width of at least 5 inches (so that your character does not fall off). Also, add a time limit to your work. Can you complete all the chairs successfully in about 45 – 60 minutes?