STEM Tale - Jack and the Beanstalk - momgineer

STEM Tale - Jack and the Beanstalk


Fairy Tale STEM Activity for Jack & the Beanstalk

What if the giant isn't as bad as he seems? In this STEM tale, Jack and the giant work out a business deal to deliver golden eggs. Can your kids help safely deliver the golden eggs?


Materials Needed for this STEM Fairy Tale Activity

I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you downloads of value and information about educational resources. The link below is an Amazon affiliate link. You can read my full disclosure here.
  • plastic eggs (Easter eggs, or use the golden ones to make this extra special)
  • some type of cushioning material (air-filled packaging bags, water balloons filled with air, bubble wrap, etc.) OR materials that can be used to create a parachute (string and plastic bags)
  • rubber bands, string, produce mesh (that onions, avocadoes, come in), etc.
  • bouncy balls (optional, can be placed inside the eggs)

Before Getting Started with the STEM Tale


STEM tales work best if you read the original fairy tale first (or do your own storytelling!). This also leads to great discussions during the engineering design process. You can talk about the similarities and differences as you read through the story.


Depending on what materials you can provide, the designs can turn out totally different.

Fairy Tale STEM with the Engineering Design Process 

I have designed STEM tales so that as students read the story, they will follow the engineering design process. First, they need to identify the problem (deliver the egg safely from high up). The egg needs to be protected as it is dropped. It also needs to be removed when it lands to complete the delivery.

Design a Way to Safely Drop an Egg

After brainstorming ideas, the students will then choose one they can build and test. This is an initial design that uses a cup, container, mesh and rubber bands. Will this be enough to protect the egg from a drop or will it need cushioning material? This will be determined in the testing phase!

Test the STEM Tale Prototype


After the prototype is built, the kids need to test it out. If something doesn't work right, it's time to go back and improve the design. If the egg falls out or opens (or the ball drops out if you are using the ball), the design needs to be improved. The design below uses an oatmeal box and cleverly placed rubber bands to suspend the egg inside the box!



STEM tales are a great way to foster teamwork and problem-solving. This STEM tale usually inspires amazing creativity and excitement from the littlest engineers.

To find the full resource, which includes an 8-page booklet, check list for self-evaluation, and tips, visit this link:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/STEM-activity-Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-Fairy-Tale-Challenge-2357324?utm_source=Momgineer%20Blog&utm_campaign=STEM%20tale%20gear%20series

Pin the idea for later:

Fairy Tale STEM - Jack and the Beanstalk! Help Jack and the giant with their new business venture of delivering golden eggs. Meredith Anderson Momgineer


To read more about how to conduct a STEM challenge, visit this post:

http://momgineer.blogspot.com/2016/09/how-to-run-successful-stem-tale.html

To see all posts in this series, click here:

STEM Tales Blog Series




momgineer Meredith Anderson

STEM education is my passion!

No comments:

Post a Comment