The Cookie Keeper - Christmas STEM Challenge
Encourage your student’s creative problem solving skills, with this fantastic festive STEM challenge. In this activity, students are asked to help Eddie the Elf create a design solution for one of Santa’s harebrained ideas. This challenge can be accomplished in a single session, with limited materials needed.
Learning goals
- We are learning to explore needs or opportunities for designing and test materials, components, tools, equipment and processes needed to create designed solutions.
- We are learning to investigate the suitability of materials, systems, components, tools and equipment for a range of purposes.
- We are learning to critique needs or opportunities for designing and explore and test a variety of materials, components, tools and equipment needed to produce designed solutions.
- We are learning to generate and communicate design ideas and decisions using appropriate attributions, technical terms and graphical representation techniques.
- We are learning to generate, develop and communicate design ideas and decisions using appropriate technical terms and graphical representations.
- We are learning to select and use materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques to safely make designed solutions.
- We are learning to select and use materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques and use safe work practices to make designed solutions.
- We are learning to use design criteria to evaluate ideas and solutions.
- We are learning to evaluate design ideas, processes and solutions based on success criteria.
- We are learning to investigate needs or opportunities for designing and the materials, components, tools, equipment and processes needed to create designed solutions.
- We are learning to critique needs or opportunities for designing and investigate materials, components, tools, equipment and processes to achieve intended designed solutions.
- We are learning to negotiate design criteria to evaluate design ideas, processes and solutions.
- We are learning to negotiate success criteria to evaluate design ideas, processes and solutions.
- We are learning to develop project plans that include consideration of resources to individually and collaboratively make designed solutions.
- We are learning to develop project plans that include consideration of resources when making designed solutions, both individually and collaboratively.
Curriculum alignment
Develop project plans that include consideration of resources to individually and collaboratively make designed solutions
AC9TDE6P01 9Investigate needs or opportunities for designing, and the materials, components, tools, equipment and processes needed to create designed solutions
AC9TDE4P04 9Use given or co-developed design criteria including sustainability to evaluate design ideas and solutions
AC9TDE6P04 9Negotiate design criteria including sustainability to evaluate design ideas, processes and solutions
AC9TDE4P03 9Select and use materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques to safely make designed solutions
AC9TDE4P02 9Generate and communicate design ideas and decisions using appropriate attributions, technical terms and graphical representation techniques, including using digital tools
AC9TDE4P01 9Explore needs or opportunities for designing, and test materials, components, tools, equipment and processes needed to create designed solutions
ACTDEP024 8.4Critique needs or opportunities for designing, and investigate materials, components, tools, equipment and processes to achieve intended designed solutions
ACTDEP027 8.4Negotiate criteria for success that include sustainability to evaluate design ideas, processes and solutions
ACTDEP028 8.4Develop project plans that include consideration of resources when making designed solutions individually and collaboratively
ACTDEP017 8.4Evaluate design ideas, processes and solutions based on criteria for success developed with guidance and including care for the environment
ACTDEP016 8.4Select and use materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques and use safe work practices to make designed solutions
ACTDEP015 8.4Generate, develop, and communicate design ideas and decisions using appropriate technical terms and graphical representation techniques
ACTDEP014 8.4Critique needs or opportunities for designing and explore and test a variety of materials, components, tools and equipment and the techniques needed to produce designed solutions
ACTDEK013 8.4Investigate the suitability of materials, systems, components, tools and equipment for a range of purposes
Australian Curriculum covers QLD / SA / WA / NT / TAS / ACT.
Differentiation
Extensions
You can extend the lesson by making and decorating your own Christmas cookies before testing. Try this recipe here from our sister site, Ruby Roundabout.