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Build a Lego Advent Calendar

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Lego advent calendar

I love Lego building challenges because they are a sneaky way to bring a bit of engineering and STEM fun into your everyday.

But combining Lego, building challenges and candy may just be the best of all.

Most of us, let’s admit, probably have the supplies on hand to challenge our kids to make a Lego advent calendar, like this one from Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls.

Kids can use windows, doors, hinges, and spinning bits to make the compartments for the sweets, and build walls out of all the green and red bricks you can find.

Add trees, snowmen from your Frozen sets, or whatever wintry stuff you have on hand to make it even more fun.

Have you ever made an advent calendar before? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo: Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls.]Check out our Pinterest boards for all the latest DIY craft finds as well as hand curated boards with a focus on Children, children at play and learning activities. 

Comments

  1. Thanks, this has gone to my Lego-passionate g/son. I make all my g/kids an Advent Calendar jars. I use pretty ‘Bon Maman jamjars (I’m in the UK) decorate and fill with 24 of their favourite sweets. I attach a teeny tiny letter from Santa reminding them to be good. Parents tell me they were good when the children were small, watching the number of sweets going down daily was more understandable than opening a window on a card one.

Have you read?

Sensory Fun and Learning with Ice Cream Inspired Activities

When it’s hot outside it’s fun to do any kinds of activities that involve ice, water or anything cold. Check out my water and ice activities here, and read on for sensory and science experiments using and inspired by ice cream, and maybe grab a sweet treat after you’re finished. 

In the Playroom has a bunch of ice cream inspired STEM challenges that would be great for older kids. These include things like designing an ice cream cone holder that will hold cones upright, making the highest stack of “scoops” (using cotton balls) and making a cover that can keep ice cream from melting so quickly. The challenges and printable pages kids can use as they work on their experiments individually or in teams are included in a free download. 

This ice cream water table from Happy Toddler Playtime doesn’t use real ice cream, but you could try chilling the shaving cream for the fake ice cream base (though cans of shaving cream should not be frozen). Or just throw some ice cubes in there while you play. 

You could also make fluffy ice cream slime (not edible) with this recipe from STEAMsational Family and use that in a sensory tray or table if you like. 

Happy Toddler Playtime also has an ice cream cone volcano idea, which is the classic baking soda and vinegar project with an ice cream twist. 

Turn building an ice cream cone into a lesson about sharing with this idea from Extremely Good Parenting. Read the book Should I Share My Ice Cream? and then make paper into an ice cream ball you can share with someone else (or just make for fun). 

Learn about states of matter and sequencing with a melting Popsicle experiment (you could also do with ice cream) from Mrs. Jones’ Creation Station. This is a good one if you have a sunny spot on the playground or in the yard where kids can observe and time the melting of a frozen treat, ideally while eating their own. There’s also a free printable for kids to record their observations if they didn’t get too sticky. 

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