Sweet STEAM Lessons in Plainview

Plainview-Old Bethpage School District’s Kindergarten Center students recently celebrated the holiday season with Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) by designing and building hand-made gingerbread houses. After learning about fairytales and reading “The Gingerbread Man,” students incorporated engineering lessons by constructing gingerbread houses. The students used milk cartons, frosting and fluff to stick together gingerbread pieces, and decorated with graham crackers and assorted candy.

As part of the students’ English Language Arts unit on fairytales, teachers read students different variations of the “The Gingerbread Man” story including Gingerbread Friends, The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School and The Gingerbread Boy. The creation of gingerbread houses allowed students to celebrate the culmination of this unit, celebrate the holiday season and exercise their critical thinking. Students had to figure out the best way to construct a sturdy house in addition to creatively design and decorate their houses.

Photo 1: Plainview-Old Bethpage School District’s Kindergarten Center student Ethan Cooper celebrated the holidays and the end to the English Language Arts unit in Ms. Sipperly’s class on fairytales by designing and building gingerbread houses. The activity incorporated Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) lessons as the students figured out the best way to construct a sturdy house.

Photo 2: A Plainview-Old Bethpage School District’s Kindergarten Center student, Harper Vejack, builds and designs a gingerbread house as part of her Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) lessons.