STEAM Storytime activities are STEM activities inspired by your favorite books!
Use your favorite read-aloud books to create fun and hands-on ways to challenge children’s thinking and problem-solving skills preschoolers. For this STEAM activity, we were inspired by the book, The Lorax written by Dr. Seuss.
STEAM is the combination of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math which help promote essential 21st-century skills.
In The Lorax, we learn why trees are essential to our environment and the air we breathe and why pollution is not good for us.
STEAM Storytime Challenge: How tall can you build a truffula tree?
Objective: Build your own truffula tree and see how tall you can build it.
Materials:
- Book, “The Lorax” By Dr. Seuss
- Math Linking Cubes
- Thin Block (optional)
- Colored Pom Poms
Teaching Strategy:
Read, “The Lorax” and discuss how trees are important to people and the environment.
Use the materials to build your own truffula tree.
How tall can you create your tree?
Guiding Questions:
How can you make your truffula tree even taller?
Why are trees important to people?
What can you do to help take care of trees?
STEAM Integrations:
Science: Why are trees important to our environment?
Technology: Go outside and photograph different types of trees. Research the names of the trees.
Engineering/Art: Design and build a truffula tree.
Math: How many cubes tall is your truffula tree? How can you use the cubes to create a pattern for your truffla tree?
I am the Sustainability Coordinator at my school! This is a great activity for Dr. Seuss Day. Questioning and Duscussion and for teaching about the environment.
Thanks for the ideas, I’m going to use it for my next month curriculum.
I teach DD Preschool and it is so hard for me to get 100% focus, attention, and/or participation from my little kiddos. Today was the first time after 16 years of teaching that all my little ones where 100% engaged in the Truffula Trees S.T.E.A.M. activity. I couldn’t believe how much fun the kiddos were having they were trying to figure out how to get the pompom to stay on top of the linking cubes. I had planned for the activity to last about 5-10 minutes and about 20 minutes later I was asking the kiddos if they wanted to go outside to play. I even had to pull out the camera and take pictures of them.
this is a very impactful lesson. Thank you!