Christmas is one of our favorite holidays. We love everything to do with the lights, trees, Santa, presents, The Grinch, and the whole nine yards. We have also been having so much fun with the Christmas STEM challenges. My kids absolutely love hands-on STEM activities ranging from super-simple to complicated. This particular Christmas tree STEM building challenge is somewhere in the middle. It is best for kids who have the dexterity to fold paper well (second grade and up).
Our STEM challenge is simple. I challenged my kids to see if they could make a 3D paper tree from a simple circle of paper.
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This Christmas tree building challenge was inspired by the hundreds of 3D paper trees we’ve seen online. Some of the directions for these trees are quite complicated! I wanted to see if my kids could discover on their own how to transform a simple circle of paper into a 3D Christmas tree.
3D Christmas Tree STEM Building Challenge
What you’ll need to complete the 3D Christmas tree STEM building challenge:
- Drawing compass
- Green paper
- Scissors
First, the kids drew perfect circles using their compass. We talked about circles, angles, and geometry a bit when completing this step. The kids cut out their circles and were ready to get to work.
The challenge was simply to transform the circle into a tree without cutting or tearing the paper. It took a bit of thinking but my fifth grader finally figured it out. My preschooler couldn’t figure it out on her own, but she actually got pretty close to her sister’s tree shape after she was shown how to do it.
The secret to transforming flat circles into trees is all about the folding.
First, you fold the circle in half.
Then in half again.
Then in half again.
Then in half again.
Unfold the paper and repeat the folding pattern starting from a new fold line each time. You’ll end up with a circle that has tons of lines.
The kids found that by folding the circle along the folds in a one out, one in pattern, they could create an accordion fold.
This caused the center of the circle to pop out, forming an adorable little circle.
The kids were delighted that they really good transform plain circles into 3D trees.
What Kids Learn in the 3D Tree Building Challenge
Kids are learning a lot in this challenge, even if they don’t think they are! If they do not make circles that are precise, their folds will be off center and the trees will be a lot harder to shape. Each tree requires a precise number of folds to work properly or the circle turns into a crumpled mess. Additionally, if the folds aren’t straight, the trees won’t form properly. This STEM challenge is an excellent way to learn about geometry, angles, and construction all at once.
Looking for more STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) projects and inspiration?
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