What can we build with pasta? Inspire your little engineers with this fun activity! You can use any type of pasta but provide as much variety (parts) as you can. No need to use glue either! You can just use playdough to bind the pieces together!
What you will need
- Pasta of as many kinds as you can find. You can also use homemade coloured pasta
- Playdough
Let’s get started!
- Set up the play area in an easily wipeable area, such as a table
- Place the various kinds of pasta in containers so children have it sorted by kind and/or colour
- Display the various colours of playdough (note: you can have just one kind since it is just to bind the pieces together, it’s up to you)
- Ask an open-ended question, such as: “I wonder if we could build a structure using pasta?”
- Make sure you let children try different ways of building, don’t “teach” them how to build – the important learning element here is to problem-solve, to try, fail, try again, get closer, keep trying!
Learning opportunities
Children will learn STEM while building their structures, which will work on their problem-solving and engineering skills. To make the most out of this process, ask what questions (instead of why questions):
- What happened there?
- What did you try?
- What did you change?
- What did you do differently this time?
- What are your ideas about what to try next?
- What do you think will happen if we _________ ?
CEFA tip: Remember to let your child do as much of the process as they are capable of.
Related books you might like
In order to truly understand these concepts, it is always best for your children to have as many hands-on activities and manipulatives as possible. An activity that they can touch, feel and play with is so much better than a worksheet or book. If your child really has a passion for this subject, or if you need an activity that is educational but does not require as much supervision, then books and workbooks can be fun! Plus, it really depends on your child. Some children love reading and working on workbooks (I was one of them) and can find them entertaining for hours on end, while others prefer real play experiences. Whatever your child’s preference may be, make sure you always provide manipulatives (rather than only workbooks or activities on paper). Trust me on this one.
