Pool Noodle S.T.E.A.M Workshop

Pool Noodle S.T.E.A.M Workshop

There are 4 STEAM activities that you can do with your group.
All include pool noodles which are super cheap!
I hope you enjoy doing these activities with your kids!

POOL NOODLE POM POM SHOOTER

MATERIALS

Pool Noodles
Balloons (large enough so that the ends will fit around the size of your pool noodle)

Strong Tape like Duct Tape

Small pom poms (About one inch. W like these stronger felt pom poms which are heavier and shot out better than puffy pom poms.)

Serrated knife

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1. Cut your pool noodles about two inches in length. (adults only)

Step 2. Make a knot on your ballon and then cut of the end.

Step 3. Wrap the larger end around one end of your pool noodle. Secure the seams of your balloon around the pool noodle with strong tape.

Step 4. On the other open end of your pool noodle add pom pom to the bottom, pull down the top of the balloon to create air and release to allow the pom pom to come out. You can do one pom pom at a time or stuff the opening.

Marble Run Wall
Materials

Painter’s tape
Pool noodles
Knife and scissors
Marbles or other small round objects

Instructions:

STEP 1. To get started on your DIY marble run, an adult should safely cut up chunks of the pool noodle. I used a serrated knife to cut the pool noodle into different lengths.

STEP 2. Next slice the pool noodle pieces down the middle creating halves. You will also need a roll of painter’s tape and of course some marbles!

STEP 3. My best tip for creating the pool noodle marble run is to actually put the tape on the noodle pieces before you place them against the wall.

Make sure your tape piece covers the underside of the pool noodle right to the edges. This made it so much easier for us to accurately stick them to the wall.

Pool Noodle Airplanes

Materials

A pool noodle – ours have a 2.5 inch diameter
Cardboard from a cereal box
Craft foam
Scissors
Hot glue
Duct tape
Coins for weight – we used nickels

Instructions

Step 1:Start by cutting a 12 inch segment of pool noodle. A serrated knife works well for cutting them – it’s super easy. Try flying just the pool noodle and observe what happens. It… doesn’t fly. But it’s fun to observe this because it will really improve!
Step 2:Cut out the wing pieces. You’ll need two cardboard wings and two foam wings. All four should be exactly the same size. The purpose of the cardboard is to make the wings stiff enough to fly well. The cardboard is too thin, however, to be very sturdy when you glue it to the pool noodle. The foam adds more thickness for gluing purposes, but it doesn’t add much weight. Plus it looks cool!
Step 3:Use hot glue (or the glue of your choice) to attach the craft foam to the cardboard wing sections. Make sure that the wings are mirror images of each other.
Step 4:Hot glue the wings to the sides of the pool noodle. Use plenty of hot glue, and they will stick well. You’ll need to hold them in place for a few minutes while the glue cools.
Step 5: Once both wings are attached, try flying it. It will probably just make a loop when you throw it – not much control yet. Cut out a piece of craft foam to be the tail.
Step 6:To make the plane glide, you’ll need to balance it by adding some weight to the nose. We used two nickels. I ended up adding a third nickel later to one of our planes, but I can’t decide which is better – two or three. So you can experiment with that!
Step 7: Wrap the nickels in duct tape. This will allow you to be able to hot glue them inside the nose of the plane. Squirt some glue into the center of the pool noodle and attach the coins wrapped in duct tape.

The second design is constructed the same way. Both sets of wings have a layer of cardboard and then a layer of craft foam.

Pool Noodle Sculptures

Materials

Straws
Pipe-cleaners
Beads
Pool Noodles
Scissors
Other colorful decorations
Glue
Tape

Procedure

Cut pool noodles into smaller disks.
Have children stick straws, pipe-cleaners, beads etc into the pool noodle. They should stick without glue or tape by sticking them into the foam, but you can use glue and tape as needed.

Click here for the printable instructions