It is not often you see a blog post about a major teaching fail, but here it is. I failed and I failed BIG TIME with the Candy Corn STEM challenge.
While looking for Halloween STEM ideas online, I kept coming across this idea of using Candy Corn to build structures. It was simple. Students used toothpicks and Candy Corn to complete various challenges. The structures looked cool, and I knew my students would enjoy working with candy.
Here is where I failed.
I decided to implement the Candy Corn STEM challenge without fully trying it out myself. In my mind, I had read everything about it online, seen pictures, and it looked easy enough that I didn’t need a “practice round.” I was wrong.
Did you know Candy Corn breaks very easily? It does. Therefore, it is beyond challenging to build a structure, because the Candy Corn is constantly cracking when toothpicks are inserted. I found myself telling my students over and over that it was all part of the challenge, while also desperately trying myself to get the structures built.
We also learned, together as a class, that Candy Corn can be molded together like clay… until it breaks again.
Despite the difficult circumstances, the students did have fun. I gave the students 7 tasks to complete for the Candy Corn STEM Challenge lesson:
STEM Challenges
- Build a 1 dimensional shape
2. Build a 3 dimensional shape
3. Build a tall tower
4. Build a house
5. Build a bridge
6. Build a pyramid
7. Build your initials
8. Build a surprise sculpture
All in all, I don’t think this is a bad STEM challenge, but I do think many of the blog posts online fail to mention the difficulties that come with this. If I were to redo this activity, I would use gummy candy. The gummy pumpkins would be an excellent choice! This activity would also work well non-seasonally using marshmallows.
Do you think your students are up for this challenge? If so, you can click HERE and download the PowerPoint I used for free. It’s simple and to the point!
