Finished gingerbread house

STREAM Activity: Engineer a Gingerbread House

How Sturdy Will Your Gingerbread House Be?
Activity best for children ages four and up

Did you know that even bakers can be engineers? A special kind of cookie called gingerbread is an incredibly hard and crisp cookie—it makes it perfect for building! Some bakers create gingerbread houses out of this super strong cookie. Gingerbread houses began being made by bakers in Germany in the early 19th century. They were inspired by the tale of “Hansel and Gretel.” In this fairy tale, the house of a witch is made from candy, gingerbread, and frosting. Today bakers all over the world build tall and strong edible creations. (Edible means something that you can eat!). In this activity you’ll be engineering our own gingerbread house made from graham crackers, candy, and icing too— how sturdy will your building be?

VOCABULARY

  • Civil Engineer: a professional who designs and builds public infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, and buildings.

GUIDING QUESTION

  • What other materials can you use to build a stable house?

MATERIALS

  • Paper plate

  • Plastic knife (optional)

  • Icing/frosting

  • Candy of your choice

  • Graham crackers

  • Empty cartons

DIRECTIONS

STEP 1

Grab a plate, an empty milk carton, and three graham crackers broken in half for a total of six graham crackers. Four for the walls and two for the roof. If you plan on making a bigger gingerbread house you might need more than four crackers for the walls and windows. Then add icing to the sides of your carton.

Add icing to a carton

STEP 2

Then place graham crackers over them to make the walls. You will do the same thing to all four sides of your carton and your roof.

Add graham characters to the frosted carton

STEP 3

Now, fill the empty holes with icing and add decorations! You can add a window or door or fun decorations with different candies.

Decorating a gingerbread house

STEP 4

Show off your cute gingerbread house to friends and family or use it as a decoration this holiday season!

Finished gingerbread house