Simple STEM Activities
Make Time for STEM
Keep in mind for all these activities the real opportunities for learning come after the steps have been followed.
Consider:
- How does it work (or sometimes not)?
- What changes can be made to the materials or the process?
- What else can it do?
- Have you seen something like this before? How is it similar or different?
Have fun and ask questions!
Modeling Dough Comparison
Recipe 1: Air Dry Dough Materials: Cornstarch Craft Glue (you can use Elmer’s) Baby Oil 1 tsp lotion 1 Tbsp Vinegar Mixing bowl Step 1. Mix 1 1/2 cups of cornstarch, 1 cup of glue, 1 tsp of lotion, and 1 tbsp of vinegar in a large bowl using a spoon or spatula. Step...
Shaving Cream Prints
Materials: plate shaving cream food coloring popsicle stick paper squeegee Step 1: Coat a plate with shaving cream Step 2: Put dots of food coloring on the shaving cream Step 3: Use a popsicle stick to swirl the colors and make designs Step 4: Place a piece of...
Hoop Flyer
Materials: (feel free to make substitutions) paper tape scissors straw Step 1:Start by cutting two long rectangles out of the paper. Step 2:Fold the paper strips over to make them stiffer.Step 3: Cut one of the strips of paper so that it is shorter than the...
Self Propelled Boat
Materials: (feel free to make substitutions) empty disposable water bottle 2 pencils or a pair of chopsticks 2 spoons with just the “scoop” portion rubber bands scotch tape, hot glue gun, craft glue (any of these) Step 1:Stick the pencils/chopsticks onto the water...
Human Hand Model
Materials: (feel free to make substitutions)card stockgluescissorsstrawsstringbead (or hot glue) Step 1:Have the child trace their hand onto a piece of card stock or thin cardboard. Needs to be stiff but still easy to bend.Step 2:Cut out the hand. Step 3: Cut...
Walking Paper Horse
Materials:stiff paper (ex: cardstock, postcards from the mail)scissors Step 1:Start Drawing lines for where to cut and fold the basic body of the paper horse. To start with you will want a rectangle that can be divided into three equal parts with a width that is a...
Plastic Egg Tower
Materials: (feel free to make substitutions) Plastic Eggs Play-Doh Simple Tape Measure Step 1: Show children how to connect the eggs using playdough spheres Step 2: Encourage them to build 3 dimensional structures. Step 3: Measure how tall the structure is before...
Marshmallow Bridge
Materials: (feel free to make substitutions)marshmallowstoothpicksbooks Step 1:Set up a gap for the bridge to the gap cross. (We did just shy of a foot so that a ruler could be used to help with determining the bridge length.)Step 2:Let your kids explore how they can...