If you are new to the Wikki Stix blog, we welcome you! All through the year, we’ll share exciting activities for playful learning and creating with Wikki Stix. Whether you are a parent, grandparent, a childcare teacher or provider, or a classroom teacher, Wikki Stix are the perfect back-to-school supply for hands-on learning and creating ALL YEAR LONG. Try one, or ALL, of the suggestions below to encourage creativity and build important skills this year with WIkki Stix!
100+ Ways to Play and Learn with Wikki Stix!
Wikki Stix offers FREE lesson plans that will encourage kids to use the scientific method in creating a solution to a basic problem. Check out the MANY ways to incorporate critical thinking skills and PLAY this year.
STEM and STEAM Lesson Plans
- STEM Chain Link Building Challenge for Kids – Students are challenged to devise a strategy, build a chain link with only the materials given, and measure the chains at the end of the time period to see which chain is the LONGEST. FREE instructions and printable problem to help guide kids to success.
- STEM Tower Building Challenge for kids – Students are challenged to build a tower from basic supplies. How HIGH can they go?
- STEM Make-it-MOVE Challenge – Kids are challenged to use basic supplies to create something that will MOVE in some manner. It’s FUN to watch kids create and use design skills along the way.
- STEM Punkin Chunkin Engineering – Can YOUR kids engineer a PUNPKIN CHUNKIN device? It’s FUN seasonal learning for fall.
- STEAM Learning – Talking Feather Stick Engineering – Do your kids talk out of turn? Encourage RESPECTFUL Listening with this fun STEM project.
- STEM – Free-Standing Scarecrow Constructions – Check out the instructions for challenging your own kids to design a scarecrow that will stand upright without help! Seasonal problem solving and creation are FUN with WIkki Stix.
- STEM – Acorn Catapult Challenge – Can your kids design and construct a catapult that will successfully launch an acorn? Try it out!
- STEM Challenge – Construct the Mayflower – engineer a boat that will float and hold weight with this seasonal lesson plan. Lesson can also be adapted for a non-seasonal boat challenge, if desired.
- STEAM Parachute Men – get kids outside to explore gravity with their own created parachute men! Awesome ideas for creating, moving, and learning outside.
- Check out 24 Additional FREE Lesson plans here.
Wikki Stix for Fine Motor Play!
- Check out 9 suggestions for using Wikki Stix at home or in the classroom to encourage fine motor skills through PLAY. Kids can learn to poke, thread, push, create spirals and MORE to grow finger and hand strength with Wikki Stix.
Wikki Stix for Encouraging Math Skills at Home or in the Classroom!
- 10 Suggestions for Playing to Learn MATH in Early Childhood: Counting Sticks, 10 Bead Bars, Numbers, Counters, Shapes, and MORE.
- Touch Math – use Wikki Stix to create Touch Math manipulatives for learning numbers, addition, and even multiplication for older kids.
- Try some FUN seasonal Math suggestions with Wikki Stix:
Apple Patterning with Wikki Stix created Apples – create Wikki Stix apples for basic patterning with young kids.
Fall Wikki Stix created Leaf Patterns – simple or more complex patterning with Wikki Stix created leaves.
Corny Math and Estimation Free Resources and Booklet – estimation and math practice with corn and Wikki Stix.
Pumpkin Teen Number Free Counting Mats – free printable teen number mats for 1-to-1 Correspondence.
Candy Corn and Wikki Stix Counting Sticks – created candy corn counting sticks are a fun way to incorporate math and seasonal activities.
Acorn Free Printable Counting Mats – free printable mats with a fall acorn theme.
Pilgrim Counting Sticks – free printable hat toppers – print the pilgrim hats for counting practice with a seasonal flair.
Wikki Stix and Literacy for Playful Learning!
- Create amazing WORD WALLS with Wikki Stix!
- Create Literacy Puppets with FUN seasonal rhymes:
5 Little Pumpkins – an original poem to use with Wikki Stix created stick puppet pumpkins.
5 Little Acorns – an original poem to use with numbered acorns.
5 Little Ghosts – an original “non-scary” poem for Halloween.
5 Little Turkeys – an original poem to use with numbered Wikki Stix turkey stick puppets.
- Use Wikki Stix to support the main idea in a story and to enhance reading comprehension.
- Re-tell the events of a story through sequencing with The 3 Little Pigs or The Pout-Pout Fish.
- Create Story Webs , Elements of a Story, and MORE with Wikki Stix.
- Kinesthetic ABC and Word Play for Hands-on Learning with Wikki Stix.
Explore Hands-on Science through PLAY with Wikki Stix!
- Kids can learn about and design the Phases of the Moon with Wikki Stix – kids will learn about what they see in the night sky and can track the various shapes throughout the month.
- Fish Life Cycle – design and learn about the life cycle of a fish with Wikki Stix.
- Parts of a Plant – create to play and learn about the parts of a plant.
- Sunflower Life Cycle – a simple paper plate creation to explore sunflowers.
- Chicken Life Cycle – explore the life cycle of a chicken with Wikki Stix.
- Owl Life Cycle – create an owl’s life cycle and print the FREE sequencing cards for kids.
Wikki Stix Art Ideas for Kids!
- Van Gogh’s Sunflowers – learn about the artist and re-create his masterpiece.
- Claude Monet – re-create art with a FUN mixed-media project.
- Piet Mondrian – learn about Mondrian Art with a FREE lesson plan.
- C. Escher and Tessellations – kids learn what patterns are tessellating and create with Wikki Stix.
- Kandinsky’s Squares with Concentric Circles – re-create the masterpiece and find concentric circles in the everyday world.
Wikki Stix Sensory Crafts for Back-to-School!
Wikki Stix Apple Button Crafts – using Wikki Stix for button crafts is a mess-free way to create.
Wikki Stix EASY Apple and Pumpkin Crafts – these simple crafts are easy enough for even the youngest crafters to make.
Wikki Stix Harvest Tractor Craft – a painted footprint and Wikki Stix make a great fall keepsake.
Wikki Stix Handprint Fall Tree Craft – save a child’s handprint and make a great seasonal craft.
Wikki Stix Paper Plate Scarecrow – come learn about emotions with a free scarecrow lesson plan and craft.
Wikki Stix Indian Corn Craft – beautiful harvest display craft for kids to create.
Wikki Stix Handprint Apple Tree Craft – Wikki Stix handprint crafts encourage fine motor skills in kids of all ages.
Wikki Stix Harvest Moon Silhouette Craft – welcome fall with a harvest moon craft just for kids.
Wikki Stix Football Learning and Lacing Craft – Wikki Stix makes lacing a breeze – print the football and try it out!
Wikki Stix Mosaic Leaves Craft – use Wikki Stix to create a sensory mosaic leaf craft this fall.
Wikki Stix Cow Craft – Farm Theme – a simple paper plate cow craft and farm-themed learning.
Wikki Stix Haunted House Craft – a “not-so-scary” Halloween craft for kids of all ages.
With Wikki Stix, learning can be FUN. Creating opportunities to design, learn through play, and create will help kids build important skills ALL YEAR LONG!