Mrs. DeGolyer's Room 11 Kindergarten class recently participated in a STEM project called "Candy Bag Challenge".  This project was completed to help students learn about using science, math and engineering skills.  This was a two day project where the first day was spent doing various candy activities.  They sorted and graphed candy. In addition, they used a balance to compare a large bag of candy to various classroom objects.  It helped the class understand that candy can be heavy and a strong bag would be needed to hold a bag of candy so that the bag would not rip! After reading several children's books about various kinds of candy bags, the class learned about using the best materials for a job. 
     It was time for the "Candy Bag Challenge" on day two of the project!  The goal was to build a strong candy bag that does not break under the weight of a big bag of candy.  The class had a chance to make their own design of what they thought a strong candy bag would look like.  Then it was on to a mini-lesson on teamwork and cooperation before beginning the small group Candy Bag project. Finally, the time had arrived to create the Candy Bags!  There was lots of excitement, problem-solving and teamwork happening in the kindergarten classroom!  Several times, students could be heard saying "this is the best day ever!"  After the Candy Bags were completed, the suspense was high as it was time to test the candy bags with actual bags of candy. The class learned things that worked and things that they might change if they were to complete this project again.  This "Candy Bag" STEM project proved to be a great learning experience for all of the boys and girls in Room 11!