#8 Marshmallow and Toothpicks

So much thinking and learning can take place when your child is interested in what he is doing.

I love it when I can actually see my child learning and using critical thinking skills. When he’s really excited about an activity, he has the ambition of Lance Armstrong and the focus of a brain surgeon. There’s nothing better than watching him raise questions and work to answer them himself.

Here’s a simple hands-on activity that my son absolutely loved. It had him actively exploring physics and mathematical concepts with only marshmallows, toothpicks, and his imagination. And best of all…he thoroughly enjoyed it.

SUPPLIES
-1 bag fresh miniature marshmallows
-1 box toothpicks
(This would be, of course, for children who can safely handle toothpicks. And for those who can abstain from consuming the marshmallow manipulatives. Basically, age 3 and older.)

PREPARATION
You might spend 5 minutes clearing, wiping and drying a table, and setting out the marshmallows and toothpicks. But if you’re a super-mom whose table is always cleared and ready for a project, this will reduce your preparation time.

GOAL
Create 2 and 3-dimensional objects such as triangles, squares, rectangles, cubes, pyramids, houses, and bridges with the marshmallows and toothpicks.

TIME NEEDED
As with any learning activity, let the little physicists work on their creations until they’re done or until they express their desire to do something else. For 3 and 4-year olds this may be 10 minutes. For older children, you may want to allow an hour.

PARENTAL ASSISTANCE REQUIRED
Set-up, plus periodic visits to admire their work or explain why their ideas were beyond the capacities of physics.

MESS
Minimal. To minimize stickiness, remind the kids not to lick their fingers after touching the marshmallows, and not to squish or lick the marshmallows.

NOISE
Minimal. Expect some questions.

CLEAN-UP
About 5 minutes to have the kids take apart their structures, sort the remains, store the toothpicks to reuse, and eat the marshmallows. Of course, sticky hands and table will need to be cleaned too.

IDEAS FOR NEXT TIME
Try using grapes, cheese cubes, or apple chunks instead of marshmallows.