Who doesn’t love pretty pink flamingos?
They are definitely a popular animal for my kiddos – and usually at the local zoo when we take a family trip there.
Kids will love making this perler bead flamingo and it gives you a great opportunity to teach color theory, spectrum and visible light at the same time. It is indeed a valuable learning opportunity for kids of all ages!
What are STEM activities?
A STEM activity is an activity for kids that includes the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). STEM activities help children learn and build on a foundation that encourages creative and critical thinking skills.
When used at younger ages, STEM activities can include things that focus on design patterns, counting, sorting and problem solving. This perler bead flamingo covers several areas:
- Creative design process
- Following a pattern
- Mathematics – counting to achieve the final pattern
- Using the right items for the design
- How to organize effectively
STEM activities like are so fun for kids of all ages — especially kids that love doing things with their hands. Our kids are infatuated with perler beads.. they’ve done so many projects (LEGO heads, to unicorns, Winnie the Pooh and more).
Perler beads are both educational and fun at the same time. Plus — this activity gives us the chance to learn about new animals. Fun animals – like flamingos.. who doesn’t love flamingos?!
So how does STEM relate to animals? Science, tech, engineering, art and math — all rolled into one activity.
Science: Scale is everything, and physics and creativity factor in to building perler bead creations of any magnitude.
Tech: Perler beads are a great avenue to create pixel art… they are a way for students to create a project about something they love – in this case, flamingos!
Engineering: Before they get started, kids will need to look and study the design, making plans before the execute the design with the first bead color. Reading diagrams and following directions is important.
Art: Create your own flamingo using perler beads… kids love unique animals and flamingos are definitely one.
Math: Count the beads as you are designing your flamingo. Record the number of beads you used for each color. Graph the outcome (as it applies to your kids).
Design and Create your Own Perler Bead Flamingo
(Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links for items at no additional charge to you.)
MATERIALS NEEDED & INSTRUCTIONS:
First, gather your beads and count out each color required:
- 3 black
- 3 white
- 94 pink
After the colors have been counted, your kids will need to determine the placement for the beads on the circle bead tray. Your little ones might take a bit longer to achieve this than the older kids. (The video below will help!)
Once you are done, lay your wax paper atop your flamingo & gently press with a warm iron for 30-35 seconds. Avoid over-pressing because the beads will indeed melt (we found this out the hard way!) Allow the wax paper to cool.
Then flip the beads and gently iron the other side (20-30 seconds). Feel free to use a hook to hang the LEGO head on a window or even add a keychain.
[…] Fun Kids Perler Bead Flamingo […]