Looking for a Valentine’s Day STEM challenge that’s both fun and academically rigorous? The Heavy Hearts STEM Challenge combines creativity, problem-solving, and key math skills in a hands-on activity your students will love! 

Perfect for grades 2–8, this engaging Valentine STEM activity adapts to a range of skill levels, making it a great fit for classroom celebrations, math centers, or STEM-focused lessons.

What’s the Heavy Hearts Challenge All About?

Students work individually or in small groups to design the “heaviest” heart possible using a criteria and constraints list. 

They will:  

• Create smaller hearts of different sizes and colors, with assigned point values.
• Arrange them inside a larger outer heart to achieve the highest possible “weight” (measured by points, not actual weight).
• Experiment with configurations while applying math concepts like addition, measurement, symmetry, ratios, multiplying & dividing decimals, and percentages—customizable for younger and older students.

What’s Included?

Everything you need for a seamless and engaging STEM activity:

Teacher Guide & Materials List

• Step-by-step video guide
• Tips on materials, timing, and setup
• Customizable criteria and constraints for differentiation
• Bonus extension ideas for post-activity engagement

 Editable Student Handouts:

• Outer heart template
• Data table and design analysis sheets  
• Customizable criteria and constraints lists
• Design analysis handouts
  

 Bonus Activities:

• Math problem-solving templates 

 Aligned Standards

• Perfectly tailored to NGSS science and engineering standards for grades 2–8.

Perfect for:

Materials Needed:

This activity is budget-friendly and adaptable, requiring only:

• Colored paper
• Crayons or colored pencils
• Scissors
• Rulers

Optional items like glue and calculators make this activity easy to set up and customize!

Why Teachers Love This Activity: