Acorn Project – Easy Autumn Play Hack
This acorn project is a fun way to reuse items and create a fun and interactive STEAM experience at the same time! If your kiddos are like mine, and love to fill their pockets up with fallen acorns, then they will have so much fun pairing it up with a fun marble run.
A Nature and STEAM-Based Acorn Project
Children love to be outside and explore nature. And no doubt, kids will collect all sorts of things in their pockets. One of the most common items that they’ll likely find during the September and October months are acorns!
Creating an acorn drop with recycled bottles is budget-friendly and simple to set up, but the best part is the lesson they will get on physics! Angles, speed, quantity, problem-solving, gravity — it might look simple, but there’s a ton of learning going on here!
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An Acorn Project to Play with Over and Over Again!
Once they make their very first acorn drop, get ready. Their brains will be working and thinking about all the fun ways that they can keep adding to it for even more fun! It’s like you’re seeing them become an engineer right in front of your eyes!
Make certain to let them be a part of the creation so that they can continue to think of fun new ways and ideas to try. It’s the perfect combination between critical thinking skills and analytical skills.
An Acorn Project to Play with Over and Over Again!
Once they make their very first acorn drop, get ready. Their brains will be working and thinking about all the fun ways that they can keep adding to it for even more fun! It’s like you’re seeing them become an engineer right in front of your eyes!
Make certain to let them be a part of the creation so that they can continue to think of fun new ways and ideas to try. It’s the perfect combination between critical thinking skills and analytical skills.
How to Create This Acorn Project Run
This acorn project is super adaptable! We raided our recycling bin and grabbed some decorative tape to make an Autumn-themed look!
Grown ups should use a sharp knife to cut holes into the plastic bottles for entry and exit points large enough for acorns to fit.
Make certain to challenge the kids to think of this as a puzzle. They need to create a maze for the acorn to make its way all the way from the top to the bottom without getting stuck or falling out. Using double sided tape will allow them to adjust their angles!
If at first, they don’t succeed, just rearrange and have them try again!
Materials
- Empty plastic bottles
- Sharp Knife
- Decorative Tape (optional)
- Strong Double Sided Tape
- Recycled Container
- Acorns
- Empty plastic bottles
- Sharp Knife
- Decorative Tape (optional)
- Strong Double Sided Tape
- Recycled Container
- Acorns
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1
Wash and dry some plastic bottles from the recycling bin!
Step 2
Grown ups to use a sharp knife to create entry and exit points in the plastic bottles, large enough for acorns to go through.
Step 3
Decorate your bottles with an Autumn theme if you so wish! We kept ours up for several months so it was a nice fall-themed play area!
Step 4
Use strong double-sided tape to secure the bottles to the wall, angling them perfectly so that the acorn travels from the top to the bottom.
Step 5
Place a recycled bin or tray (ours was a mushroom container!) at the base of the acorn run for a “landing zone.”
Step 6
Drop the acorns and watch them fall from the top all the way to the bottom.
Step 1
Wash and dry some plastic bottles from the recycling bin!
Step 2
Grown ups to use a sharp knife to create entry and exit points in the plastic bottles, large enough for acorns to go through.
Step 3
Decorate your bottles with an Autumn theme if you so wish! We kept ours up for several months so it was a nice fall-themed play area!
Step 4
Use strong double-sided tape to secure the bottles to the wall, angling them perfectly so that the acorn travels from the top to the bottom.
Step 5
Place a recycled bin or tray (ours was a mushroom container!) at the base of the acorn run for a “landing zone.”
Step 6
Drop the acorns and watch them fall from the top all the way to the bottom.
The Educational Benefits of This Acorn Activity
From engineering, to math, and art – this acorn activity touches on many aspects of STEAM education. Using an acorn was a fun way to integrate the Autumn season, but marble and ball runs can be created and played with any time of the year!
Whether playing with acorns, a ball, or a marble creating a”run” for them is a great way to learn about gravity, friction, angles, and speed! Problem solve, by rearranging and trying again! Plus, practice math skills by counting the numbers of items you have to go down the run. And use art skills to decorate the items being used!
For another fun way to integrate nature with play, check out our project all about how to make a maze with nature items!
The Educational Benefits of This Acorn Activity
From engineering, to math, and art – this acorn activity touches on many aspects of STEAM education. Using an acorn was a fun way to integrate the Autumn season, but marble and ball runs can be created and played with any time of the year!
Whether playing with acorns, a ball, or a marble creating a”run” for them is a great way to learn about gravity, friction, angles, and speed! Problem solve, by rearranging and trying again! Plus, practice math skills by counting the numbers of items you have to go down the run. And use art skills to decorate the items being used!
For another fun way to integrate nature with play, check out our project all about how to make a maze with nature items!
More Ways to Play During the Fall Season!
Here are some top picks of fun play-based learning products with an Autumn-theme!
Alphabet Acorns
This acorn activity set is all about the alphabet and phonics. Each acorn can be filled with a figurine that has the same beginning sound.
Fall Leaf Puzzle
This hand crafted wooden puzzle is a beautiful way to play with the colors of Fall leaves! Great for developing motor skills, eye coordination and memory.
Wooden Fall Leaf Stampers
This wooden stamper set comes with 3 fall leaf patterns. A great way to play with play dough during the Fall season!
Stacking Toy – Fall Leaf Style
This set includes 17 Autumn leaves and acorns for stacking and playing! A great way to learn about balance and weight distribution!
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