Create your own model of a 3-D Spookley the Pumpkin using straws and pipe cleaners. This is a fun, hands-on math activity perfect for exploring geometry this Halloween!
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*Meets Common Core Standards: K.G.A.1, K.G.A.2, K.G.A.3, K.G.B.4, K.G.B.5, K.G.B.6.
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The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin is a great book for the Halloween season. Not only does this fictional story help children learn to appreciate differences and focus on helping others, but it provides the perfect springboard for a geometry lesson!
In this activity, children will compare a square to a cube and use spatial awareness skills to build their own cubes. They’ll then turn their cubes into their very own Spookley the Pumpkin!
3-D Spookely the Pumpkin Math Activity
Materials for 3-D Spookley the Pumpkin
- Orange straws
- Orange and green pipe cleaners
- Scissors
- Scotch tape
- Construction paper
- Markers
Directions for 3-D Spookley the Pumpkin
* You’ll need 12 straws and 16 pipe cleaners per pumpkin. I cut my straws and pipe cleaners in half to make the pumpkins smaller and to make the materials stretch further.
1. Start by creating a square using your orange straws and pipe cleaners. (These orange straws and flexible, but if you cut them in half you can avoid the bendy half. You can even save the bendy pieces to use for building other shapes!) To build using straws and pipe cleaners: insert half of a pipe cleaner into one end of a straw, bend the pipe cleaner, and add another straw to the bent end.
2. Next, build up from your square to create a cube.
3. Now it’s time to turn your cube into Spookley. Cut out some leaf arms, eyes, and a mouth from your construction paper. Add some details to the paper using your markers.
4. Use a small piece of tape to secure the paper pieces to your cube.
5. Use half of a green pipe cleaner to make a stem for Spookley. Twist one end to attach it to the straw.
Display your Spookley the Pumpkin for Halloween!
Tips
– Let your children try to make a cube on their own. Show them how to use the pipe cleaners to connect the straws, and then let them give it a try.
– Build a square and a cube with your straws. Compare and contrast the two shapes.
– If young children are having trouble using small pieces of tape, they can attach the paper details using glue dots.
– Paper straws are a bit easier to work with than plastic since the plastic ones tend to slip more easily off the pipe cleaners.
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