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Build A Christmas Tree STEAM Activity

December 15, 2019 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Invitation to build a Christmas tree from clear plastic serving trays, plates, and cups. Decorations and lights embellish the tree. A family STEAM activity with many opportunities for learning.
Invitation to build a Christmas tree from clear plastic serving trays, plates, and cups, A family STEAM activity with many opportunities for learning.

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This “Build A Christmas Tree” STEAM activity offers a unique opportunity to incorporate construction, lights, and Christmas decorations in an engaging way. Materials needed are readily available and easy to collect. In the process of building a tree and decorating it, young children progress in many areas of development.

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Supplies To Collect

  • clear plastic plates, cups, and serving trays
  • clear plastic lids (if needed to complete the size range)
  • Individual lights
  • nonbreakable Christmas decorations
  • picture/template of the completed project

The serving trays and plates should be of different sizes. I added one clear plastic lid because I could not find the size needed in a plate or tray.

Plastic serving trays, plates, lid and cups to use as a Christmas tower tree building prompt. A family STEAM activity with many possibilities for learning.

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Christmas bell decorations and garland add sensory appeal to this activity.

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Stage the “Build A Christmas Tree” Activity

Set out the construction materials and Christmas decorations on a table with ample space.

Display a picture of the completed project. (A picture can be downloaded further down the post.)

Challenge children to build a tree and decorate it. Offer help as requested or needed.

A snack tray works well as the largest and bottom piece, as decorations can be stored on it.

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“Build A Christmas Tree” STEAM Learning Possibilities

Building a stacked tree offers many opportunities for learning. Here is a list of developmental areas and growth possibilities for each one using this construction activity.

Math

  • Practice ordering sizes from smallest to largest.
  • Match sizes and shapes.
  • Learn about height, length, measurement, symmetry, and balance.
  • Count layers on the tree.

Science

  • Learn cause and effect when putting heavier and lighter decorations on higher or lower parts of the tree.
  • See the results of adding lights to different parts of the tree.

Fine And Gross Motor Control

  • Develop eye-hand coordination in placing decorations in just the right spot.

Language Development

  • Name objects.
  • Describe decorations as heavy, light, hard, soft, fluffy, metallic, bright red, rough, or smooth.

Creative Development

  • Create a unique tree by choosing from many kinds of trimmings and lights.

Sensory Exploration

  • Feel different textures and notice smells.
  • Observe seasonal colors and shapes.
  • Hear the jingling sound of bells.

Social Development

  • Learn to co-operate when building the tree with other children.
  • Enhance friendships when working together as a team.

Self Esteem Enhancement

  • Gain a sense of satisfaction in building and decorating a unique tree by oneself or with friends.
  • Opportunity to make choices.

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Learning Possibilities Download

Download this list of learning possibilities to use as a handout for teachers, caregivers or parents.

Build-A-Tree-Learning-PossibilitiesDownload

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A decorated tower tree using clear plastic plates, serving trays, and cups. A STEAM activity for young learners.

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This activity is perfect for an adult and children to work on. The stacked tree is challenging to make, and early learners may appreciate some grown-up assistance. And adults can offer decorating challenges to extend the learning experience, ie.

  • Can you make a tree shape with these circles and cups?
  • Can you put all the pompoms on?
  • Can you find a spot for the acorns?
  • Can you put two bells on the tree?
  • Can you put heavier pieces on the bottom tray?
  • Can you put a pom pom on each side of a circle shape?

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Reproducing A Design From A Template Or Photo

Studies show that reproducing a design from a template or photo enhances mathematical skills and brain development. This is a more structured kind of construction play. However, it’s perfectly okay to offer these materials in two ways:

  1. Challenge children to build a tree similar to a template or photo, and offer the materials in an open-ended way another day.
  2. Offer materials in an open-ended way first, and challenge children to build a template design as a follow-up activity.
Model of a tower themed Christmas tree for children to use as a template. Free printable for download.

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Download a picture to use as a pattern here.

Christmas Tree ModelDownload

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This “Build A Christmas Tree” STEAM activity can be offered on a tabletop, or placed on a light table. It can be set in the room at different places over a period of days or moved around by the children. The accessories can be saved for other light/light table activities.

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For more Christmas tree-building ideas, view a post on the website Left Brain Craft Brain.

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[Read more…] about Build A Christmas Tree STEAM Activity

Filed Under: Christmas, Math, sensory, St. Patrick's Day Tagged With: Christmas tree, construction, STEAM activity

World Book Day Story Book Feature: Just Itzy

March 6, 2019 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

World Book Day Just Itzy storybook theme. Spider sensory and small world activities for young children.
World Book Day Just Itzy storybook theme. Spider sensory and small world activities for young children.

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World Book Day is held every year on the first Thursday in March. It is a celebration of authors, illustrators, and books.  And it is most of all a celebration of reading.

The impact of the picture book “Just Itzy” spanning my preschool storytime, a teacher aide’s home, and three children and their classrooms makes the story worthy of a shout out for World Book Day.

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The “Just Itzy” Story

“Just Itzy” is written by Lana Krumwiede and illustrated by Greg Pizzoli. This story was one of the many books about spiders I chose last Fall in gathering resources for a Spider theme. It is an entertaining read about a spider named Itzy Bitzy and his first day of school. In the story, Itzy wants to catch his lunch instead of taking a lunch box that had been packed for him. In learning to make a spider web to trap food he becomes part of the nursery rhymes “Little Miss Muffet”, “There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly”, and “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.” By the end of the tale, Itzy builds a successful spider web AND rescues his big brother Gutzy who had been teasing him about his “smallness.”

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The Story’s Reach

My class enjoyed the story. The teacher aide liked “Just Itzy” so much she borrowed the book from a library for her three children. After numerous readings at home, the story was further enjoyed at her children’s school:

  • Both grade school children took the book to school to show it to their teachers and classmates.
  • One teacher had the teacher aide’s child read the book to the class.
  • The teacher in the kindergarten class ordered the book, and it fit in perfectly with the Fantasy Theme the students were working on.

The teacher aide said that for weeks afterward, their family would add humor to their day by chanting “Keep your eye on the fly,” a saying Itzy’s “spindergarten” teacher taught the class about never giving up.

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“Just Itzy” Story Centers

Spider Small World

Spider themed small world with translucent pipe builders, spiders, a fly, flowers, and a spider web on a patch of grass.

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This small world has

  • a play grass base
  • Safari Toob flowers
  • different-sized toy spiders
  • a toy fly
  • a cupcake liner spider web
  • translucent pipe builders

It is winter in our city at the moment. This activity would be great in the summer using a patch of grass and some real flowers!

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Spider Light Table Activity

Spiders, a fly, a spider web and translucent pipe builders on the light table.

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An opportunity to reenact the “Itsy Bitsy Spider” nursery rhyme on the light table or regular table with

  • a large plastic spider web
  • small toy spiders
  • a toy fly
  • translucent pipe builders

Most spiders at this center are very tiny so they fit in the pipe builders.

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Spider Web Sensory Bin

An all-black spider web sensory bin with noodles, rice, beans, spiders, and loose parts.

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Items in the bin:

  • black rice
  • black rotini noodles
  • black beans
  • plastic spiders
  • loose parts such as buttons, beads and hair ties
  • spider web made from rope

Toy tweezers would work well with this activity.

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The storybook “Just Itzy” is an engaging read that works wonderfully for the beginning of school, anytime in Fall, and on World Book Day.

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[Read more…] about World Book Day Story Book Feature: Just Itzy

Filed Under: book theme, literacy, preschool, sensory Tagged With: construction, picture books, spiders

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Hi, I'm Annette Kaminsky. I am a preschool teacher who loves to share easy and fun early learning activities. Thanks for visiting my blog. Feel free to stay awhile!

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