Exciting Pollinators STEM Challenge for 2nd Graders
I love integrating STEM challenges into science units! This pollinators STEM challenge is a great way to integrate STEM with ecosystems in second grade!
This project comes after our 2nd grade science study of how organisms within an ecosystem depend on each other.
First, we read the problem digital slide about Farmer Dave and his need for an efficient pollinator. Then, we brainstormed ideas for how to build a pollinator model to solve this problem.
Set Up The Pollinators STEM Challenge
To prep this pollinators stem challenge, I got the materials listed on the planning page. (There is also a blank planning page so you can add your own materials.)
- pom-poms
- tooth picks
- play-doh
- coffee filters OR cupcake liners
- foam
- construction paper
- pipe cleaners
You will notice that there are more materials here than I used to make my bug. The idea is to let kids use a variety of textured materials that may or may not pollinate well. For example, I know that the “pollen” would stick to a pom-pom nicely, but may not stick to foam or paper as well.
Build The Pollinator!
Once the plan was made, we were ready to build! We built a simple bug from pompoms and pipe cleaners. It kinda reminds me of an ant on a stick! 🙂 We also prepped the flowerbed ecosystem by using cupcake liners and coffee grounds and cornmeal.
Test the Pollinator
Once the “flowerbed” was prepped, we were ready to test out our model. We practiced “pollinating” by dipping our bug into the cornmeal and then the coffee grounds. We went back and forth a few times.
If you look closely at the cornmeal, you can see where the coffee grounds mixed in!
This was clearly a successful pollination! Mixed pollen in both flowers and pollen all over our bug!
Publish Our Conclusions
Finally, we wrote about our model pollinator and brainstormed ways to improve it!
This would be a great time to discuss the different textures of the materials they chose to use and why or why they did not pollinate well.
You can find this Pollinators STEM challenge separately here and with more activities on ecosystems and interdependence for 2nd grade in this Ecosystems Unit.
