Level of Parent Involvement: Medium, mostly prep

Materials 

• A collection of sticks or twigs

Steps 

• Have your child collect 10-15 sticks from the yard or a nature walk.
• Show how to lay two sticks parallel to each other.
• Say, “This is how I build with sticks. Watch!”
• Take two more sticks and lay them on top of the previous two, also parallel to each other but perpendicular to the ones below (like making a tic tac toe board).
• Invite the child to continue the pattern, alternating directions with the sticks.
• Challenge him to go as high as possible before a collapse.

Variations 

• Let the child explore other ways to build with sticks (sticks leaning against each other like a tent, offset triangles on top of one another).