Transform your science classroom with this immersive polar base camp PBL unit. Students research either the Arctic or Antarctica, design and budget a fully operational base camp, and take on hands-on STEM challenges — all while learning about geography, climate, wildlife, and engineering in the world's most extreme environments. Perfect for 3rd–6th grade science, STEM programs, geography units, or any classroom looking for an engaging, open-ended project.
 
This resource includes a 10-page student magazine, research worksheets, design and budgeting pages, eight STEM challenges with rubrics, creative extension tasks, and teacher slides — everything you need to run a complete project based learning unit on the polar regions.
 
What Do Students Do?
Research a chosen polar region — its climate, wildlife, history, and environmental challenges
Select buildings, manage a budget, and design their base camp layout on a grid
Take on hands-on STEM challenges — building, testing, and improving real structures
Read The Polar Explorer magazine to build knowledge and engage in the topic!
 
Key Features:
The Polar Explorer Magazine: A 10-page student magazine featuring articles on life at a research station, Arctic vs Antarctic, polar wildlife, the race to the South Pole, explorer profiles, and more — builds background knowledge before the project begins.
Teacher Slides: Ready-to-use slides to introduce and guide each stage of the project.
Research Worksheets: Five scaffolded research pages covering background research, environmental challenges, history, climate profile, and animal and plant life.
Arctic & Antarctic Options: Separate base details pages with maps for each polar region — teachers can assign one or offer student choice.
Base Buildings: Two differentiated versions — one with dimensions and costs, and an easier version without — so students select and plan the buildings for their base camp.
Budgeting: Students manage a budget while selecting their buildings, with suggested budget levels for easy and harder difficulty.
Grid Design: Two differentiated grid sizes for students to design their base camp layout, planning building placement, pathways, and open space.
8 STEM Challenges: Hands-on engineering and design challenges including Base Camp Model, Insulation, Wind Resistance, Bridge, Supply Drop, Water Filtration, Solar Oven, and Wildlife Rescue — each with a full task description and individual rubric.
Base Camp Missions: A choice board of six creative extension tasks including diary entries, flag design, persuasive writing, and more.
Rubrics: Individual rubrics for each STEM challenge plus a general rubric for the choice board.
 
Skills Covered:
Research and note-taking
Geography and mapping
Budgeting and addition
Area and measurement
Engineering and design thinking
Persuasive and creative writing
Scientific investigation and testing
 
Perfect For:
Elementary and middle school classrooms
Science and geography units
STEM programs
Polar regions, Arctic, or Antarctica units
Project based learning
End of term projects
Gifted and talented programs
Homeschool families
Snow day activities
 
Give your students a project they'll talk about long after it's finished. Create a Polar Base Camp brings together science, maths, design, and creativity in one complete PBL unit — ready to print and teach.