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If you are a parent, chances are that you have heard about STEM quite often. Even in elementary school, teachers spend more time on getting kids interested in these core areas.
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
It is said that an early introduction to STEM skills will better prepare our children for the future. I know that in many gifted and talented classes, it’s a crucial area of curriculum……trying to create problem solvers and critical thinkers.
But how do we get children interested in STEM?
It’s actually not that hard to do. I’ve read many accounts of 8 years being the ideal age for children to become interested. Since that happens to be my daughter’s age, I thought we’d expand on what she’s learning at school and have a little Disney fun too.
Who says STEM can’t be fun?
I’ve seen many STEM activities which involve building a structure. So instead of building with traditional blocks or toy items, why not build with something non-traditional?
Recently, Walmart introduced a brand new product which is sure to delight kids of all ages (and my daughter)!
Disney FROZEN Grapes!
And I don’t mean frozen grapes (as in, really cold in the freezer). I mean, as in Princess Anna and Queen Elsa!
Girls of all ages just squealed in delight!
You’ll find the Disney FROZEN Grapes packaged in clear containers right in your fresh produce aisle at your local Walmart.
So, while I grabbed a package for snack-time and school lunches, I knew in my heart that we’d be getting creative with them too.
Don’t they look delicious?
We might have snacked on them while we were working!
Disney did something extra special. They added a little magic and pixie dust to these grapes.
Well, the Disney FROZEN Grapes are called Princess Green Seedless Grapes on the packaging!
My daughter was challenged with a Disney FROZEN inspired STEM activity – creating Elsa’s Castle with only a few items!
She was allowed to use:
- Disney FROZEN Grapes
- Decorating items (as shown below)
TIP: I actually tried to use frozen grapes from the freezer. I had thought the consistency would be better for building, but while they made for great snacking, they weren’t quite the best for easy building and inserting toothpicks. So we scrapped that idea and went with the fresh non-frozen grapes.
Walmart had a great selection of foam items that we could use for some extra fun.
I opted for the 10″ foam disc for the base of our construction and foam balls in case we wanted to add any details.
And of course what would any princesses castle be without a little bling? So we opted for blue gem stones (self-sticking).
While any color toothpicks would do, we wanted to keep with the FROZEN theme. I found this great container of Great Value party toothpicks at Walmart with various colors and bought 2 of them to make sure we would have plenty of blue.
I decided that we should do a bit of practicing since neither of us had ever built with fresh fruit before.
Not bad, huh?
Surprisingly, the fresh grapes were ideal to work with. They held up great.
How would we create Elsa’s castle?
This was a problem that needed solving.
Perfect STEM activity, a tiny bit challenging but interesting and fun too.
She was ready!
Here’s what we did…..step by step!
(NOTE: We did not attach the grapes to the foam base at all.)
Then decided we would create a second one separately, sit them side by side on the base, then attach them together.
Not bad for someone’s first attempt at making Elsa’s castle.
Once were done building the castle, it was time to add the gem stones.
We have plenty of grapes and toothpicks left. I have a feeling this won’t be our last attempt at the castle. I foresee one in our future that is bigger and has steps.
We are only limited by our imagination…..and well, the number of Disney FROZEN grapes we eat while building. 🙂
Is STEM a focus at your child’s school? What are your best ideas to inspire kids in this area?