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Add a post for each idea you have on the concept of ‘challenge’.

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Maths Challenge: Escape Rooms : Create a “Maths Escape Room” where students solve and create problems to get out. Coding / Maths solving puzzles / problems /

Digital Art - Illusion Art - Writing - Narrative to matched the escape room they have created.children can create their escape rooms based on their own passions / interests - Invite in people from local escape rooms to talk with the children - Movement link with collaboration and orientation - solving mini challenges.

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Challenges next term will incorporate - camp - going to college - friends leaving - graduation

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Challenges next term will incorporate - camp - going to college - friends leaving - graduation

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Pick A Path Stories - The Children’s Bookshop

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Buy Pick A Path Stories books from your local bookstore. Choose Your Own Adventure Stories

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You watch bear grill but you decide on what decisions to make in order to survive. Will you survive or die?

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Novels and texts for knowledge building that connects to our concept.

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Novels and texts for knowledge building that connects to our concept.

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Ideas of novels that link with 'Challenge':

Wonder

Fish in a Tree

A Long Walk to Water

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief.

(see Google doc for descriptions)

Supplementary texts of short stories, biographies, events - NZ context:

Tūi Street Tales - Seven short stories set in NZ. European Fairy-tale genre with a modern NZ context.

Dame Whina Copper / The Maori Land March 1975

The Springbok Tour Protests 1981

The Rainbow Warrior Sinking 1985

Sir Peter Blake / The America’s Cup Wins

Jean Batten

Sir Edmund Hillary & Mount Everest

Kate Sheppard

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🔹 Strong Contemporary Themes

Wonder by R. J. Palacio

Themes: kindness, bullying, empathy, resilience.

Great for vocabulary: figurative language, shifts in narration.

Sparks discussion: How do we treat people who are different?

Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Themes: learning differences, identity, perseverance.

Comprehension focus: character motivation, metaphors ("fish in a tree").

Relatable for students who struggle academically or socially.

🔹 Historical Novels for Empathy & Perspective

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Themes: courage, justice, friendship, prejudice.

Vocabulary challenges: historical terms, figurative expressions.

Discussion-rich: What does it mean to be brave?

Once by Morris Gleitzman

Themes: survival, truth, innocence vs. harsh reality.

Short, powerful chapters — excellent for whole-class read-aloud and comprehension pauses.

Gives space for discussion of perspective and voice.

🔹 Survival & Adventure (Engages Reluctant Readers)

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Themes: survival, problem-solving, inner strength.

Excellent for cause-and-effect comprehension and technical vocabulary (nature, survival).

Great “what would you do?” discussion prompts.

🔹 Magical Realism / Fantasy with Depth

Skellig by David Almond

Themes: hope, illness, mystery, friendship.

Rich in figurative and symbolic language — fantastic for vocabulary study.

Encourages inference and discussion about belief, healing, and imagination.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Themes: grief, truth, acceptance.

Poetic language, symbolism — excellent for close reading and rich vocab work.

High discussion value: facing fears, what makes a story true?

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Survival in Extreme Environments

Challenge: How could humans survive on Mars / in the deep sea?

Task: Research conditions (temperature, oxygen, pressure, food) and design a model or presentation of survival solutions.

STEAM link: Engineering a habitat, math for resource calculations, art/design for visualisation.

Bridge of Straws

Challenge: Build the strongest bridge using only straws and tape.

Science link: Forces and materials.

Reflection: What made it challenging? How did you adapt your design?

⚙️ Technology

Coding a Maze Escape

Challenge: Program a robot (or Scratch sprite) to escape a maze in the shortest number of steps.

Extension: Add obstacles, time limits, or traps that increase difficulty.

App for a Problem

Challenge: Design an app that helps people face a real-world challenge (e.g., staying active, saving money, learning languages).

Focus on user needs, problem-solving, and creativity.

🎨 Engineering + Arts

Egg Drop Challenge

Challenge: Create a container that protects an egg from breaking when dropped.

Engineering: Material choice and design.

Arts: Presenting your design visually with labelled diagrams.

Reflection: How did you overcome the challenge of limited materials?

Musical Instrument Build

Challenge: Build a working musical instrument from recycled materials.

Science: Sound and vibration.

Arts: Creativity in design and performance.

📏 Mathematics

Tower of Numbers

Challenge: Build the tallest tower possible using 20 playing cards (no tape/glue).

Link to geometry and balance.

Reflect: Which mathematical shapes are most stable under pressure?

Escape Room Maths

Challenge: Solve a series of puzzles to unlock a “final code.”

Incorporates fractions, measurement, and problem-solving.

Links directly to your idea of creating classroom escape rooms.

🌍 Integrated Project

Design a Challenge Course

Task: In groups, design a physical or mental “challenge course” (like a mini Survivor obstacle or puzzle station).

Science: Balance, forces.

Technology/Engineering: Safe structure design.

Art: Layout/design.

Maths: Measurements, scaling.

Reflection: How do humans respond to challenges physically and mentally?

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Student could learn a new skill that they can then go and teach a group of their friends

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Location and position- create a treasure map around the school, include qr codes with questions that students need to answer.

Make a 3d city based on 3d shapes that they make. The students then create the city on a big cardboard base, add in grid references

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We could do directions, using maps (perhaps blindfolded), using compasses to find our way around the park, beach or even at school

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We can create diffits and find other reading based on the interest that the students come up with.

People in people in history, sports people, people with additional needs

Great question! If students are exploring the concept of challenge, they’ll benefit from reading across a range of texts that highlight what a challenge is, how people respond to it, and the different forms it can take. Here are some directions you could take:

1. Personal Challenges

Stories or biographies about people overcoming obstacles (e.g. Helen Keller, Malala Yousafzai, Bethany Hamilton).

Accounts of children or teens facing difficulties (illness, moving to a new country, bullying, learning difficulties) and showing resilience.

2. Physical Challenges

Adventure or survival stories (e.g. climbing Everest, crossing deserts, explorers, endurance sports).

Fiction with characters tackling dangerous or demanding situations (Hatchet, The Explorer).

3. Moral and Ethical Challenges

Texts where characters face tough decisions about right and wrong.

Historical accounts (e.g. people resisting injustice, civil rights movements).

4. Social Challenges

Stories about fitting in, standing up to peer pressure, or navigating friendship conflicts.

Accounts of communities working together to solve a shared problem.

5. Cultural / Global Challenges

Articles or stories about climate change, poverty, or endangered species—issues that require perseverance and innovation.

Refugee or migration stories that show resilience in the face of upheaval.

6. Growth Through Challenge

Inspirational speeches, poems, or short texts about perseverance, grit, or growth mindset.

Fables or myths where the hero undergoes trials before success (e.g. Hercules, Māori legends of Māui).

7. Everyday Challenges for Kids

Managing time, trying a new skill, learning from mistakes, building confidence.

Texts that normalize failure as part of learning.

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How people in Aotearoa New Zealand responded to challenges e.g., early Māori adaptation to environment, migration journeys, land wars, suffrage movement, natural disasters like earthquakes or cyclones

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What challenges exist in our community? (transport, safety, inclusion, waste).

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There are a number of texts in this set that could work for this topic

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Stand Up - A History of Protest in New Zealand - School Journal Level 3 November 2017

The Great Marble Challenge - Connected 2014 level 4 - What’s the Evidence? (science connection)

Robot Challenge - School Journal Level 3 October 2013 (STEM focus)

Ask Eddie - School Journal Level 2 April 2013 (challenges for Māori)

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Creative Challenges

1. Build the Tallest Tower – Using only straws, paper, or blocks.

2. Design a Superhero – Draw and describe their powers.

3. Story Chain – Each child adds one sentence to make a group story.

4. Nature Art – Create art from leaves, sticks, or stones.

5. Invent a New Game – Kids create their own rules and test them.

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Kindness & Character Challenges

1. Random Acts of Kindness – Who can do the most in a day?

2. Compliment Chain – Everyone gives a compliment to someone else.

3. Helping Hand Challenge – Find a way to help three people today.

4. Gratitude Wall – Write or draw what you’re thankful for.

5. Include Everyone – Create a plan to make sure no one is left out.

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Writing their own book for younger tamariki

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Writing their own book for younger tamariki

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Five engineering challenges for kids - with wooden clothespins, binder clips, and craft sticks! It's a simple STEM activity that kids of all ages will love.
Move over, expensive building sets! These simple materials were a huge hit with my boys. The first time we got them out, Owen (almost 7) spent well over an hour busily creating all kinds of designs. And that's saying something, because out of all of our kids he has the shortest attention span by far.

Kids will have a blast just exploring with these materials, and it's a great activity for hand-eye coordination. After they have had a chance to experiment with building, expand the activity with these fun engineering challenges!
This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Materials Used:
We used a train table board as a building surface.
Challenge #1: Build a structure that can support the most possible weight.
For this one, you could either challenge kids to build a true bridge, or just a structure that supports weight.

Two clothespins with a craft stick between them make great supports for a structure.

We couldn't believe how much weight this could hold! We didn't keep going to find the capacity on this one, but Gresham built another one that held many, many chapter books (about 25!) before collapsing!

Then we tried building bridges. Gresham came up with this design.

Then he tested the strength of his design with books.

It held 8 books and then collapsed, which was not too bad!

Then we tried a bridge with triangles in the design (since I knew that triangles are a stronger shape).

As expected, this one held a lot more weight. It collapsed after 13 books.
Challenge #2: Build the tallest structure.
Colored craft sticks make this whole activity a work of art as well as design!

This was Owen's tallest structure that he built completely himself (he's almost 7).

And Aidan's (age 12.5). As you can see, this is an activity that works well for a wide range of ages.
Challenge #3: Build the tallest structure with the fewest clothespins.
It doesn't seem like it would be possible, but we were able to build structures with only two clothespins at the bottom!
Challenge #4: What can you build with triangles?
This one was my favorite. Triangles lend themselves to really neat designs.

Owen started this one, and I made it into a hexagon. I never would have thought to balance the triangles on the binder clips the way he did, but it worked very well!

Here is Aidan's triangle design.
Challenge #5: Build a domino chain.
Gresham discovered that he could make "dominoes" out of craft sticks and clothespins!
Then we came up with several designs that didn't really fit any particular challenge. The kids just had a great time exploring!
Who knew clothespins could be so much fun?
Order Supplies on Amazon:
I am storing our "building set" in a plastic shoebox. We have about 36 binder clips, 150 craft sticks, and about 50 clothespins. That has been plenty for three kids building at one time. If you have a classroom of kids, you might want to get more.
Also, be sure to check out our Engineering Challenges with Craft Sticks, Cups, and Wooden Cubes!

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5 Engineering Challenges with Clothespins, Binder Clips, and Craft Sticks - Frugal Fun For Boys and Girls

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Five engineering challenges for kids - with wooden clothespins, binder clips, and craft sticks! It's a simple STEM activity that kids of all ages will love. Move over, expensive building sets! These simple materials were a huge hit with my boys. The first time we got them out, Owen (almost 7) spent well over an [...]