Christmas STEM Challenge - Raft For The Reindeer

Are you ready for today’s Christmas STEM Challenge? We’re making rafts for lost little reindeer!

This activity is also part of my science advent calendar if you need more Christmas Science ideas.

Text for a reindeer raft STEM challenge - Oh no! comet has lost Santa and needs to cross a river to get him. Can you build comet a raft to help?

Reindeer STEM Challenge

This activity can be split into several stages.

Design a raft – thinking about which materials will work the best.
Gather materials together.

Build the raft
Review the design, build and functionality of the raft.
Does it need to be changed?
Test the rafts to see if they sink or float.
Can the raft support the weight of a toy reindeer or Santa?

Materials

Lolly sticks

Kitchen sponge

Corks

Glue/Double sided tape

Paper

Kitchen roll/ kitchen towel

Toy Reindeer, we used our DUPLO Reindeer

Instructions

Build and test the rafts. To ensure a fair investigation, the same toy reindeer and possibly the same-sized rafts should be used.

A simple raft, like the one in the image below, can be made with craft sticks. Try adding corks to the bottom for extra buoyancy!

Instructions for building a reindeer raft as a simple Christmas STEM challenge — **Reindeer Raft Instructions and Results Table**

Results table for a Christmas STEM challenge

Extension Activities

Design a table to record the results of raft testing and try to predict which rafts will sink and which float before starting testing.

Use a straw to blow the rafts across a calm surface of water. Investigate to discover what happens when the rafts are blown gently and more forcefully. Does the raft move faster if the air is blown close to the raft or further away?

reindeer sat on a homemade lolly stick raft in a container of water for a Christmas STEM challenge

More Christmas STEM

Investigate to find the best material for a paper chain.

Make a Christmas optical illusion. This activity comes with a free template.

Have a go at my flying Santa STEM challenge.

Or try one of my easy Christmas science experiments!

If you liked this activity, don’t forget I have a couple of science books available to buy too.

Reindeer STEM Challenge. Fun Christmas reindeer themed activity for kids! Save a reindeer by designing, building and testing rafts #ChristmasSTEM #ChristmasScience #Scienceforkids

Last Updated on December 5, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

Christmas STEM Challenge – Raft For The Reindeer