Thanksgiving STEM Activities Turkey Knock Down Challenge

Description

Bring hands-on excitement to your classroom this November with these Thanksgiving STEM Activities! Your students will love designing and building a device to knock down the turkeys while practicing real-world math, science, and engineering skills.

This resource is packed with options so you can easily differentiate for every learner. Whether you teach kindergarten or fifth grade, you’ll have everything you need for a memorable, standards-aligned lesson that’s fun, creative, and meaningful.

What’s Included in the Thanksgiving STEM Activities Pack

• How-to-use page for easy setup

• Teacher background to guide instruction

• NGSS and Common Core Standards alignment

• 5E lesson plan for inquiry-based learning

• Measuring lab with data collection

• “What Is Mass?” compare-and-contrast notes

• STEM challenge teacher background + photo examples

• Step-by-step instructions with pictures

• Differentiated math cards (counting, whole numbers 1–20, decimals to the nearest tenth and hundredth)

• STEM engineering design page

• STEM datasheet for recording results

• Extra digital resources with QR codes

• Thanksgiving reading passages with comprehension questions

• Interactive notebook pieces

• Opinion writing prompts

• Answer keys included!

What’s the math behind this lesson?

Students calculate the sum of mass in pounds (lbs) and practice counting on. Older students can take it further by computing cooking times for each turkey, adding a real-life math extension that blends perfectly with the season.

What’s the science behind this lesson?

Students discover that mass is a measure of resistance and learn how it differs from weight. They’ll explore how gravitational attraction affects different objects, deepening their understanding of physical science through fun, hands-on experimentation.

You only need a few simple materials to make this Thanksgiving STEM Challenge a success:

• Straws
• Craft sticks
• Tape
• Hot glue
• Feathers
• Rubber bands

Optional Tech Extension: Coding Challenge

Want to take it up a notch? Try the optional Thanksgiving Coding STEM Challenge. Students can create a code to knock the turkeys down using: 

• Spheros
• Dash
• Cubelets
• Bee-Bots

Teachers Love These Thanksgiving STEM Activities

This isn’t just another craft. These Thanksgiving STEM Activities blend math, science, ELA, and engineering into one unforgettable experience. You’ll love watching your students collaborate, problem-solve, and light up as they test their creations.

Whether you’re using it as a pre-break lesson, a center activity, or a STEM Friday favorite, this resource gives you everything you need to make learning meaningful and fun.

Perfect for:

• Elementary STEM classrooms

• Cross-curricular Thanksgiving lessons

• Makerspace or engineering challenges

• Hands-on science and math centers