Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo
  • YouTube

Not Just Cute

Whole Child Development

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Speaking
  • Podcast
  • Books
  • Contact
  • New? Start Here.

Gum Drop Adventures

September 1, 2010 by notjustcute Filed Under: Create, Learning through Play and Experience 6 Comments

While enjoying some family time at the cabin (the memorable scene I wrote about here) my sister-in-law pulled out a brilliant activity that I thought I would share with you all here!  There were three very simple ingredients, and you don’t have to live near a specialty store to find them: 

  1. Gum Drops
  2. Toothpicks
  3. Imagination

One long table scattered with paper plates full of candies and toothpicks instantly brought 24 kids running to the table to stack, stick, and snack their way through a fun, creative activity!

The activity is wonderfully open-ended so it was enticing and engaging for everyone at the table, ranging in age from 3 to 16!

The kids had a blast creating everything from simple barbells and human figures to complex castles and cathedral-like structures.

They were all on summer vacation so I didn’t ruin the fun by pointing out that they were building fine motor skills, math skills like spatial awareness and geometry, and getting plenty of problem solving and science practice as they questioned and tested their many different attempts at structural integrity.

Simple supplies.  Open-ended exploration.  Tons of learning objectives.  And smiles like this!  Why not give it a try?

Top photo by Silvio Gabriel Spannenberg.

All other photos by the amazing Joan Taylor!
Add to DeliciousAdd to FaceBookAdd to Google BookmarkAdd to Twitter

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Comments

  1. 2

    Clarissa says

    January 24, 2012 at 1:04 pm

    I love it

    Reply
  2. 3

    antima says

    February 18, 2012 at 2:29 am

    awesome!!!

    Reply
  3. 4

    Dani says

    May 24, 2012 at 11:00 pm

    Nice idea – I believe this would also work with styrofoam packing peanuts, avoiding the sugar high from the gumdrops!

    Reply
    • 5

      mjbicknese says

      March 29, 2016 at 1:11 pm

      I actually tried that! also wanting to avoiding all that candy 🙂 However, the new-biodegradable kind of packing peanuts are not very dense/sturdy! 🙁 Things didn’t stay very strong/stable. I’m guessing the non PC peanuts will work better… but I wonder what other alternatives are. Gummy fruit probably. But that’s pretty costly.

      Reply
  4. 6

    bushra says

    December 10, 2015 at 5:27 pm

    love it

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Let’s Build! Activities for a Preschool Tools and Construction Theme | Not Just Cute says:
    March 11, 2011 at 1:22 am

    […] Build toothpick structures like these. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

search this site

Privacy & Cookies: This site may use cookies to customize your experience. Learn more by reading our Privacy Policy.

I’m Amanda Morgan. Here’s what I’m about…

In early education, there is too much distance between what we know and what we do. I bridge the gaps that exist between academia, decision-makers, educators, and parents so that together, we can improve the quality of early education while also respecting and protecting the childhood experience.

Content Copyrighted (2008-2022), Amanda Morgan, All Rights Reserved

Get Our Newsletter & Developmental Guide

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 · Swank WordPress Theme By, PDCD

 

Loading Comments...