Perfect for Back to School, Apple Day, and fall-themed lessons. Jumpstart the beginning of the school year with Apple Annihilator, a dynamic Back to School STEM Activity that combines creativity, teamwork, and physics! It's ideal for integrating into lessons for Apple Day, Johnny Appleseed, or force and motion, this engaging project ties directly into Newton’s Third Law of Motion, making it a fantastic fit for NGSS standards in grades 2-8. In this apple science STEM challenge, students work in pairs or small groups to design and build an apple wrecking ball to knock down marker “bowling pins.” It’s the perfect addition to your back to school stations, apple centers, or back to school games, providing an engaging way to dive into STEM concepts and critical thinking. Key Features: ✅ NGSS Aligned Standards: This activity meets NGSS standards for grades 2-8, including 3PS2-1, MS-PS2-1, and MS-PS2-2, making it both fun and educational. ✅ Teacher Tips & Video Support: Access expert advice and video walk-throughs to help you guide your students through the challenge, from setting up materials to measuring results. ✅ Editable Student Handouts: Includes customizable Criteria & Constraints Lists, Bowling Pin Guide Sheets, and Design Analysis Handouts, all available in both color and black & white. ✅ Extension Activities: Templates for process flow mapping and creating math problems based on student designs provide additional learning opportunities. ⭐️ Perfect For: Apple Activities for Apple Day or Apple Week: A fun way to integrate apple science into your lessons. Back to School Science Activities: Teach key STEM concepts while building classroom routines. Back to School STEM Stations: Use this activity in centers for an interactive and collaborative experience. Apple Centers: Incorporate it into your fall science or STEM rotations. Back to School Games & Team-building Activities: A great option for getting students moving, thinking, and working together. ❤️ Why Teachers Love This Activity ❤️ Teachers appreciate how this Fall STEM Activity blends Back to School STEM with apple-themed fun! This activity promotes collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity while helping students explore key science concepts—all with minimal prep and simple materials. Whether used as a kick-off to the beginning of the school year or as part of an apple-themed week, this activity keeps students motivated and excited to learn. ⭐️ "Love this activity for first week of school. Use it to get the kids to work as a team." – Terri B. ⭐️ "This was a great beginning of the year activity. It kept my students engaged and allowed me to see how they work together as well as review the steps of completing a STEM challenge." – Mrs. B the Bookworm ⭐️ "My students loved completing this project after learning about apples and before our force and motion unit."– Keri M. ⭐️ "My class absolutely loved this!! Such a nice way to finish our unit apples and DNA." – Justine F. ⭐️ "This was a fun activity to complete with our apple unit. The students enjoyed this!" – Heather S. ⭐️ "Great activity to use at the beginning of the year to introduce the STEM process." – Debra B. ⭐️ "My 6th grade students enjoyed completing the activity during the first week of school! Great resource with easy to use graphic organizers." – Anissa W. ⭐️ "This was definitely a challenge for my littles, but they were able to do it and break through productive struggle. They felt so accomplished when they completed the task!" – Donnalyn T. ⭐️ "My fifth graders really enjoyed learning about the science behind wrecking balls and then creating one. They were excited when they saw the markers fall down." – Jeannine D. ⭐️ "Our entire school does a monthly STEAM challenge. For the month of September, the challenge had to include apples. This project was absolutely perfect for what I was looking for. Grade/age appropriate and the kids LOVED it! Also, working in groups of 4 to plan and build their annihilator was fantastic collaboration skills. Thanks kindly!" – Khrystie R. ⭐️ "This challenge was engaging and fun! My students were able to go through the design process, persevere through a challenge, and practice working together cooperatively. I can't wait to use it again next year." - Danielle P. ⭐️ "This is great for center use. I like how adaptable it is for all age groups." - Tamara H. ⭐️ "This is one of my favorite STEM challenges! I'm definitely using it again next year." - Chris D. ⭐️ "I used this with my 8th grade students in the first week of school—they LOVED it! I loved getting to know them as cooperative learners as they worked through their struggles and problem solved. Thank you so much for this awesome resource!!" - Leanne H. ⭐️ "My students in summer school were engaged using this resource. It was well-designed and easy to prep." - Chandler's Chalkboard (Students used with: 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th grades) ⭐️ "This activity was so much fun!! The kids had a blast. They made several discoveries about science while completing the challenge." - Amy V. (Students used with: 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th grades) "I used this resource at the beginning of the year to get students excited about science. Thanks!" - Jaime C. (Students used with: 3rd, 4th, 5th grades.) Materials Needed: The materials required for this activity are flexible and easy to source. Suggested materials include: 1 set of markers (10) 1 apple 1 pocket folder with prongs (file or pocket folders without prongs can also be used) 1-2 small or medium binder clips 4-6 unsharpened pencils 24-36 inches of tape 36-48 inches of string or yarn Ruler and scissors Optional Materials: Cardboard boxes, craft sticks, pipe cleaners, dowels, rubber bands, and other household items can enhance the wrecking ball design. Bundle Options: This Apple Activity is part of a larger collection of Back to School STEM Activities, available at a discount in the Back-to-School STEM Activities Bundle. For year-round STEM challenges, consider the STEM CHALLENGE YEAR-ROUND MEGA-BUNDLE, which offers even greater savings. Make the beginning of the school year unforgettable with Apple Annihilator, the perfect addition to your back-to-school stations, apple centers, or first week of school games. Let the learning (and the fun) begin!