Geoboard Christmas Ornament Math Activity
The inspiration for this Christmas ornament math activity came from our diy geoboard activity. When our children were younger, we would go to the building classes at Home Depot because they loved building things and using tools.
So, this geoboard Christmas ornament math activity was popular with our kids. They were able to use tools, nails, and real wood to create unique ornaments for our tree and for gifts.
Don’t forget to check out our list of other ornament ideas below!
Geoboard Christmas Ornament STEM Activity
Materials
- Wooden ornament disks
- Ruler
- Yarn
- Upholstery tacks
- Pencil
- Hammer
Instructions
- Draw a horizontal line on the face of the tree cookie.
- Starting at the left end, dot the line every 1/2 inch.
- At the first dot, draw a line perpendicular to the first line, all the way down the ornament.
- Draw another horizontal line 1/2 inch below the previous line, making sure it is parallel to the line above it.
- Draw a dot where the perpendicular and second horizontal line intersect, and every half inch down the horizontal line from there.
- Continue to draw and dot lines 1/2 inch apart, all the way down the ornament.
- Add nails. Hammer a nail into the tree cookie at each dot from STEP 1. I would start the nail for my son, then my children would finish hammering it into the wood, leaving about 1/4 inch of the nail sticking out of the wood.
- With all the nails in, our natural wood geoboard ornament was complete!
- Add a design to the geoboard ornament. I pulled the yarn, and asked my son to cut it. I tied a knot to one of the nails, then asked my son to create a design around the nails.
- When my son was done with his design, I tied the yarn to one of the nails, then trimmed and tucked the yarn into the design.
Each ornament is unique and makes a fun gift for grandparents, teachers, neighbors, or nursing home residents.
Other Christmas STEM Activities
Make a snowglobe ornament craft. This is adorable and even teens would enjoy this craft. Makes a cute gift for grandparents or a neighbor who would enjoy a surprise handmade gift from your family!
These snowflake crystal ornaments add sparkle under the tree’s lights! These are super-easy, double as a science lesson, and kids enjoy watching the progression of the crystals as they form.
I hold a master’s degree in child development and early education and am working on a post-baccalaureate in biology. I spent 15 years working for a biotechnology company developing IT systems in DNA testing laboratories across the US. I taught K4 in a private school, homeschooled my children, and have taught on the mission field in southern Asia. For 4 years, I served on our state’s FIRST Lego League tournament Board and served as the Judging Director. I own thehomeschoolscientist and also write a regular science column for Homeschooling Today Magazine. You’ll also find my writings on the CTCMath blog. Through this site, I have authored over 50 math and science resources.