Mrs. Page’s third-grade class spent the week leading up to Winter break immersed in a festive STEAM adventure. It began with the distribution of Christmas STEAM challenge packets, which sparked teamwork and creativity as students inventoried the school’s STEAM lab for materials. The challenges were designed to test their engineering skills: building the tallest Christmas tower, crafting a Christmas tree using multiple materials, designing an improved sleigh for Santa, and creating the longest Christmas tree chain.
After two days of intense focus on the engineering process, the students returned to class for a sweet finale. Armed with graham crackers, cookies, frosting, marshmallows, and “grandma candies,” they constructed innovative Christmas houses inspired by their studies of indigenous California dwellings and Roman arches. The results were impressive: longhouses, flat-roofed houses, a two-story wonder, and even a Chumash ap. This engaging activity seamlessly merged holiday cheer, California history, science, and tasty treats, making for an unforgettable experience.
