Can You Save Fred? Your New Favorite Back to School Activity
Can You Save Fred? The STEM Challenge Every Elementary Teacher Needs This Back to School Season:
Picture this. It is the first week of school. You have got 25 kids who do not know each other yet, a mile-long to-do list, and somehow you are supposed to build classroom community at the same time.
Enter: Save Fred.
If you have never heard of it, get ready. This back to school STEM challenge is about to become your new favorite first week of school activity. And if you already know about it, then you already know why teachers come back to it year after year.
Let’s talk about everything you need to know to pull it off!
What Is the Save Fred Activity?
Save Fred is a classic STEM challenge that works beautifully for early elementary students. Here is the basic setup:
- Fred is a gummy worm
- Fred is sitting on top of an overturned plastic cup (his boat)
- Fred’s life preserver (a gummy lifesaver) is stuck underneath the cup
- The goal is to get the life preserver onto Fred without touching Fred or the cup with your hands
- Students can only use four paper clips to move things around
Simple concept. Surprisingly tricky. And bound to be the most fun your class has all year.
The challenge forces students to problem solve, communicate, and work as a team. All things you love to see in week one of school.
Why “Can You Save Fred?” Is the Perfect Back to School STEM Challenge
There are approximately one million back to school activities floating around the internet. So why does this one stand out?
A few reasons:
It levels the playing field. Every student walks in on day one with different academic backgrounds, different confidence levels, and different social experiences. Save Fred does not care about any of that. It is brand new to almost everyone, which means every student starts at the same place.
It is genuinely fun. Kids are not sitting at desks filling out getting-to-know-you worksheets. They are on their feet, laughing, problem solving, and probably stress-eating the leftover gummy worms. It sets a tone that says this classroom is a place where learning is active and fun.
It requires teamwork. You literally cannot do this challenge alone. Students have to talk to each other, share ideas, and try things that might not work. That is exactly the kind of community building you want happening in week one.
It is low prep. The supply list is short: plastic cups, gummy worms, gummy lifesavers, and paper clips. That is it. No complicated setup. No expensive materials.
It sparks great conversation. After the challenge, the debrief is gold. Students reflect on what worked, what did not, and how their team communicated. Those conversations build the foundation for your classroom community all year long.
Here Is How to Run the Challenge Step by Step
Here is a simple breakdown of how to run it smoothly.
Before the activity:
- Gather your supplies: one plastic cup, one gummy worm, one gummy lifesaver, and four paper clips per partnership
- Set up each station ahead of time. Students can set up the cup and gummy worm.
During the activity:
- Introduce the scenario with some drama. Fred is in trouble. His boat has capsized. He needs his life preserver. Can your team save him?
- Go over the rules clearly: no touching Fred or the cup with your hands, only paper clips allowed
- Set a timer and let them go
- Walk around, observe, and resist the urge to help too much. The struggle is the point.
After the activity:
- Bring everyone back together for a debrief
- Ask questions like: What strategy did your team try first? What did not work? How did your team make decisions together?
- Celebrate every group, whether Fred made it or not. The effort and the teamwork are the win here.
Tips for Making This Back to School STEM Challenge Run Smoothly
A few things that will save you from common headaches:
- Buy extra gummy worms and lifesavers. Some will get eaten before the challenge even starts. This is not a drill.
- Model the rules before you begin. Show students exactly what “no touching with your hands” means. Otherwise you will spend the whole activity refereeing.
- Let groups struggle a little. It is tempting to swoop in and help, but the productive struggle is where all the good learning happens.
- Take photos. The concentration, the teamwork, the tiny hands maneuvering paper clips around gummy candy. You will want these for your classroom newsletter or Open House display.
- Have a plan for early finishers. Some groups will figure it out in four minutes flat and then have nothing to do while other groups are still working.
That last one is actually super important. Nothing derails a great activity faster than early finishers with idle hands. Which brings us to the next point.
What to Do When Groups Finish Early?
Early finishers are inevitable. Some groups crack the challenge fast, and suddenly you have kids who are done and looking for trouble.
A few options:
- Challenge them to try it a different way
- Ask them to write or draw their strategy
- Have them create a step-by-step guide for how they did it
- Give them a coloring page or extension activity to keep them engaged
Having something ready to go for early finishers is not just helpful. It is essential for keeping the whole activity running smoothly for every group.
The Easiest Way to Run the Save Fred STEM Challenge
Here is where you can save precious planning time at the beginning of the school year.
Running the Save Fred STEM challenge is fun. Pulling together all the pieces to run it well is a little more work. That is exactly why I created my Save Fred Activity Pack.
Here is everything that is included:
- Teaching slides to introduce the challenge and walk students through the rules clearly
- Worksheets for students to record their thinking and reflect on the process
- Early finisher coloring pages so you are never scrambling when groups finish fast
- A certificate of completion because every little scientist deserves to celebrate saving Fred
Everything is done for you and ready to print or display. You bring the gummy worms. The resource handles the rest.
If you are looking for a back to school activity that builds community, gets kids talking, and makes them genuinely excited to be in your classroom, this is it.
The Save Fred STEM challenge checks every box:
- Low prep and low cost
- Works for a wide range of learners
- Builds teamwork and communication from day one
- Creates memories students talk about for the rest of the year
Plus, with a done-for-you resource, you do not have to figure any of it out from scratch.
So the real question is not can you save Fred. The real question is: can your students? Set them loose and find out.
Planning your return to school? These blog posts can help!
Fun & EASY First Week of School Activities
Back to School Science Activities for 1st & 2nd Grade
