Looking for a STEM challenge that’s both fun and edible? Your kids will enjoy this Heart Jelly Bean STEM challenge! Teaching different aspects of science doesn’t have to be boring or only by the textbook.

Looking for more activities like this? Check out these awesome Valentine’s Day Science Activities that kids will love.

By incorporating relatable STEM challenges, your children can learn by using a hands-on approach.

Heart Jelly Beans Structure STEM Challenge

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What is a STEM challenge?

If you’re new to the world of STEM then you may not be familiar with STEM challenges. In a nutshell, a STEM challenge is a project that innovatively gets kids to explore, design, and test a variety of questions.

These questions will typically fall into one of four subject categories: science, technology, engineering, and math. And in most cases, one project can cross multiple subjects.

>> See more Valentine’s Day Activities for Kids

Benefits of Using STEM Challenges in Your Homeschool

There have been many methods created in recent years that have given homeschoolers the ability to think, teach, and learn outside the box. One of the strategies rising in popularity is using STEM challenges as a way to help teach (or reiterate) specific concepts.

Beyond adding a unique approach to homeschooling, other benefits of STEM (and challenges) include:

Improving problem-solving skills.
Fostering creativity.
Encouraging experimentation.
Enhancing differentiation.
Meeting different development needs.
Accommodating a variety of learning styles.

There’s so much more I could add to the list, but these benefits are often overlooked when it comes to using challenges, games, and projects as effective ways of teaching and learning.

Overall, using STEM challenges in your homeschool will be something you won’t want to do without!

Recommended STEM Books

Looking for the perfect STEM Book that will help you teach your child about important STEM concepts?

Grab one of these books and have fun trying awesome activities with your child!

STEAM Kids: 50+ Science / Technology / Engineering / Art / Math Hands-On Projects for Kids The Curious Kid’s Science Book: 100+ Creative Hands-On Activities for Ages 4-8 Awesome Engineering Activities for Kids: 50+ Exciting STEAM Projects to Design and Build (Awesome STEAM Activities for Kids)Awesome Physics Experiments for Kids: 40 Fun Science Projects and Why They Work (Awesome STEAM Activities for Kids)Awesome Kitchen Science Experiments for Kids: 50 STEAM Projects You Can Eat! (Awesome STEAM Activities for Kids)100 Easy STEAM Activities: Awesome Hands-On Projects for Aspiring Artists and Engineers

3-D pyramid on a blue plate made by connecting heart-shaped jelly beans and toothpicks.

Recommended Valentine’s Day Activity Kits

Valentine’s Day Color by Addition Worksheets

Practice addition skills up to 20 with these fun Valentine’s day color by number addition worksheets. A fun way to add math to your school day without boring math worksheets. Instead, figure out what picture will unfold after you color in each space.

Little Learners Print & Go Activity Kit: Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is here and learning can be turned into a fun heart’s day for kids. Get this huge pack of printable math and literacy activities for your young learners at home!

Jelly Bean Hearts STEM Challenge

The best part about this STEM challenge is the fact that it’s edible. Once your kids finish with their projects, they can be rewarded by eating it. Before getting into the how-to of this challenge, let’s first talk about the science behind it.

These will make interesting teaching points while setting up the project.

The Science of Jelly Beans

Looking at and feeling jelly beans they appear to be semi-hard in texture. Apply a little pressure and they can easily be smashed between your fingers. They also come in different colors; however, for this challenge, you’ll most likely have red, pink, and white ones for a Valentine’s Day theme.

Speaking of the chemistry of jelly beans, they are made from a combination of sugar, tapioca, or corn syrup, and pectin or starch. Minor amounts of the emulsifying agent lecithin, anti-foaming agents, edible wax such as carnauba wax or beeswax, salt, and confectioner’s glaze are also included.

Each of these ingredients can start a research project of its own, but for the sake of this experiment, it’s good to know what ingredients are used to make the jelly bean texture.

Recommended Valentine’s Day Books

Bring more excitement to the season with these Valentine’s books for little kids. You will love these great stories about hearts, love, and Valentine’s Day.

Day It Rained Hearts The Biggest Valentine Ever Turkey’s Valentine Surprise (Turkey Trouble Book 6)There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose!A Crankenstein Valentine Love, Escargot

Recommended STEM Activity Kits

Love this STEM challenge, see what other STEM activities or science experiments you can do at home.

CoolToys Build-A-Track Brain Teaser Puzzles for Kids Ages 4-8 – Educational Smart Logic Board Game for Children TOMYOU 200 Pieces Building Blocks Kids STEM Toys Educational Discs Sets Interlocking Solid Plastic STEM Master – Educational Building Blocks Kit, 176 Pieces, Ages 4-8 STEM Robotics Building Kits for Kids Ages 8-12 – DIY Engineering Toys and Projects Learning Resources STEM Explorers Brainometry – 34 Pieces, Ages 5+ STEM Toys for Kids, Brain Teaser Toys and Games, Kindergarten Games Learning Resources STEM Explorers Pixel Art Challenge, 402 Pieces, Ages 5+, STEM Toys For Kids, Coding Basics For Kids, STEM Activities For Classroom, Medium

Want a fun ready-to-go Valentine’s kit that will delight your kids? Grab one of these Valentine ‘s Day foam craft kit! They’re super adorable and a great way for new play ideas at home!

Building Structures with Jelly Beans

For this STEM challenge, your kids will be allowed to create a variety of structures using jelly beans and toothpicks. Encourage them to tap into their inner engineer and let their creative juices flow.

Heart Jelly Beans Structure STEM Challenge Supplies

For this STEM challenge, you’ll need just a few supplies:

Heart jelly beans
Toothpicks
Plate or Bowl (optional)

Jar of toothpicks, glass bowl filled with heart-shaped jelly beans, and the start of connecting jelly beans to toothpicks to make a STEM challenge project.

How to Make Jelly Bean Hearts Structures

Provide jelly beans and toothpicks for each child.
Instruct the children to create structures using the jelly beans and toothpicks.

Provide them with time to brainstorm structures and extra time to build. Some kids are visual learners and may want to draw something on paper first.

You can also write some structure ideas on pieces of paper and have them draw one to try to build. A few ideas for that are a home, box, triangle, or a two-level box.

STEM Challenge Learning Points

Using the scientific method for this challenge, you can build a mini-learning unit to enhance your kid’s learning experience. For starters, have your kids make an observation by looking at how many jelly beans and toothpicks they have. Then, ask them questions such as:

What do you imagine building with your jelly beans and toothpicks?
Will it be a flat structure or a 3D structure?
How many corners do you want your structure to have?

Once they have answered the questions, help them form a hypothesis and make predictions about how the structure will turn out. The only thing left for them to do is test it out!

Final Thoughts about the Jelly Bean Hearts STEM Challenge

This challenge, and others like it, is a great way to take learning outside the box. Beyond the teaching and learning moments, it’s also a great time for bonding with your kids.

This is a STEM challenge that can be used for any holiday (just change up the color and shapes of jelly beans) and you can switch up the candy.

Heart Jelly bean structure STEM Challenge

Challenge your kids to learn STEM in the theme of Valentine's Day with this yummy and educational Heart Jelly bean structure STEM activity!

Prep Time10

Active Time30

Total Time40

Author: Monique B

Equipment

Jolly Rancher (1) Bag Jelly Hearts Valentine’s Day Candy – Cherry, Strawberry & Watermelon Flavored – Resealable 13 oz Bag

Materials

Heart-shaped Jelly Beans Pink, Red, White
Toothpicks
A plate or bowl optional

Instructions

Provide enough Jelly beans and toothpicks for each child participant in this fun challenge.
Your kids can brainstorm about the structure they will build using the supplies.
You can also provide pen and paper for kids who are visual learners and want to plan their structure by drawing it first!
Make the challenge even more fun by providing structure ideas to your kids and see who builds it faster and more precise.
Let the STEM challenge begin!

Notes

Always be careful in suing toothpicks and other pointy objects during this challenge!

Do you like this activity? Do it again next time and instead of heart jelly beans, consider using marshmallows, gumdrops, or any other soft-ish candy. It’s a perfect way to add hands-on learning to your homeschool.