Winter STEAM Challenge for Preschoolers: Build a Ski Village

Imagine a busy ski village nestled in snowy mountains, complete with cozy lodges, ski slopes, and sparkling lights. This winter-inspired STEAM activity invites preschoolers to design and build their own Winter Ski Village, blending creativity, engineering, and teamwork. Paired with the delightful picture book Good Night Ski Mountain by Adam Gamble and Mark Jasper, this project sparks curiosity and imagination while exploring the magic of a snowy winter wonderland.

Step 1: Read Good Night Ski Mountain

Begin the activity with a cozy storytime featuring Good Night Ski Mountain. This beautifully illustrated book takes young readers on a journey through a day at a ski mountain, from waking up in a lodge to hitting the slopes and ending the day with warm fires and snowy scenes.

Discussion Questions to Spark Creativity:

• What places did we visit in the book? (e.g., ski lodge, slopes, lifts, snow-covered trees).
• What kind of things would you like to build for a ski mountain?
• How can we make our ski village fun for everyone?

The book sets the stage for the activity, helping children visualize the elements of a ski village and inspiring their designs.

Step 2: Gather Materials

Collect materials to spark creativity and make construction simple:

• Recycled Items: Small boxes, cardboard, paper towel tubes, bottle caps, and egg cartons.
• Craft Supplies: Markers, tape, glue, paint, pipe cleaners, and stickers for decorating.
• Optional Elements: Add winter-themed materials like cotton balls (snow), mini pom-poms, and battery-operated fairy lights for a magical glow.

Encourage children to think of creative ways to use these materials. For example, a cardboard box could become a ski lodge, a paper towel tube could be a gondola tower, and pom-poms can form snowmen or skiers.

Step 3: Build the Village

Now it’s time for the hands-on fun! Provide children with their materials and let their imaginations run wild.

• What to Build: Ski lodges, gondolas, slopes, bridges, or trees to decorate the village.
• Engineering Focus: Encourage children to think about balance and stability when designing their buildings or ski lifts. Discuss what makes structures strong enough to stand in the “snow.”
• Math Connection: Use simple measurements to compare the heights of buildings, count the number of gondola cars, or create a pattern of trees along the ski slope.

This step emphasizes problem-solving and critical thinking while encouraging children to explore different designs.

Bring everyone’s creations together to form the ski village.

• Create the Layout: Arrange the buildings, slopes, and paths on a large white sheet of paper or table. Use cotton balls or white felt for snow, and create a gondola system using string between buildings or poles.
• Teamwork: Discuss how everyone’s contributions come together to make the village feel complete. Encourage children to explain what they built and how it fits into the overall design.

This step emphasizes collaboration and communication while fostering a sense of pride in their group creation.

Step 5: Add Finishing Touches

Let children bring their Winter Ski Village to life with creative decorations:

• Sprinkle “snow” (cotton balls or paper shreds) over rooftops and slopes.
• Use markers or stickers to add windows, doors, and ski signs to buildings.
• Add toy figures or small crafted skiers to the slopes for a lively scene.
• Wrap fairy lights around the village to create a glowing, magical atmosphere.

This final step encourages children to express their creativity and attention to detail.

STEAM Learning Connections

Designing a Winter Ski Village integrates a wide range of STEAM concepts:

• Science: Explore balance and stability when building structures.
• Technology: Use tools like tape and scissors to assemble the village.
• Engineering: Design functional, creative elements like gondolas and slopes.
• Art: Decorate the village and make it visually appealing.
• Math: Count, measure, and organize materials to complete the village layout.

Showcase the Village

Once complete, display the ski village in a prominent spot in your classroom or home. Invite families to admire the creativity and collaboration, and encourage children to share their favorite parts of the project. Bonus Idea: Take photos of the ski village and pair them with captions inspired by Good Night Ski Mountain. Turn these into a class or family winter photo book!

A Winter to Remember

Reading Good Night Ski Mountain and building a Winter Ski Village combines the magic of the season with hands-on learning and teamwork. Preschoolers will love bringing their ideas to life while developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Share your Winter Ski Village! Post photos or stories of your project on social media using #PreschoolSTEAM. We’d love to see your creations and inspire others to join in the snowy fun!
Bonus Idea: Take photos of the ski village and use them as part of a winter newsletter or keepsake for families!

A Winter to Remember

Building a Winter Ski Village combines the magic of the season with hands-on learning and teamwork. Preschoolers will love bringing their ideas to life while developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills.Share your Winter Ski Village. Post photos or stories of your project on social media using #PreschoolSTEAM. We’d love to see your creations and inspire others to join in the snowy fun.