With a little help from his friends at Crabapple Lane Elementary, the Gingerbread Man just might find his way home. Ashley Fannin’s Pre-K class read the book “How to Catch a Gingerbread Man” about children trying unsuccessfully to trap the Gingerbread Man and return him to his book and decided to try their luck.
Tasked with creating a trap to hold the Gingerbread Man, they used cardboard boxes, wrapping paper tubes, wrapping paper, bows, ornament boxes, popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, candy stickers, jingle bells, glitter, coffee filters, tape, glue, and other items to create their traps.
They could work independently or with a partner to create a trap that would lure the Gingerbread Man to it and then keep him trapped if it was shaken numerous times. Students talked through their plans before building, and they were able to make improvements to their traps if they were initially unsuccessful after testing.
Fannin hopes the activity helped her students pick up the practice of persistence.
“I hope that my students find joy in STEM and realize that it is okay if something doesn’t work the first time,” she said. “You can always make improvements and try again!”
