Are you ready for today’s Christmas STEM Challenge? We’re making rafts for lost little reindeer!
This activity is also part of my science advent calendar if you need more Christmas Science ideas.
Reindeer STEM Challenge
This activity can be split into several stages.
- Design a raft – thinking about which materials will work the best.
- Gather materials together.
- Build the raft
- Review the design, build and functionality of the raft.
- Does it need to be changed?
- Test the rafts to see if they sink or float.
- Can the raft support the weight of a toy reindeer or Santa?
Materials
Kitchen sponge
Corks
Glue/Double sided tape
Paper
Kitchen roll/ kitchen towel
Toy Reindeer, we used our DUPLO Reindeer
Instructions
Build and test the rafts. To ensure a fair investigation, the same toy reindeer and possibly the same-sized rafts should be used.
A simple raft, like the one in the image below, can be made with craft sticks. Try adding corks to the bottom for extra buoyancy!
Extension Activities
Design a table to record the results of raft testing and try to predict which rafts will sink and which will float before starting testing.
Use a straw to blow the rafts across a calm surface of water. Investigate to discover what happens when the rafts are blown gently and more forcefully. Does the raft move faster if the air is blown close to the raft or further away?
More Christmas STEM
Investigate to find the best material for a paper chain.
Make a Christmas optical illusion. This activity comes with a free template.
Have a go at my flying Santa STEM challenge.
Or try one of my easy Christmas science experiments!
If you liked this activity, don’t forget I have a couple of science books available to buy too.
Last Updated on July 1, 2025 by Emma Vanstone
