Holiday STEAM Projects to Make and Give

These 14 activities combine creativity, science, and engineering to make unique STEAM gifts students can make to keep or to give!

Make and Give STEM: Homemade lip balm

Science Projects to Keep or Give

Do your students like to do projects that give them a take-away at the end? Many students especially enjoy projects that result in a finished product they can use, display, keep, or share.

Try One of These 14 Creative STEM Projects

These STEM projects and activities combine creative "making" with hands-on science and engineering. With these projects, students will be learning, exploring, innovating, and practicing important STEM concepts while creating colorful, unique, and custom items they can keep or give away!

1. Apparent Motion in Flipbooks: illustrate a unique story that comes to life when the pages are flipped.
2. Make a Paper Circuit: use paper circuits to make special cards. See our holiday-inspired greeting card version for inspiration.
3. Make Marbled Cards Using Science!: use food coloring to fit the season for these easy-to-make marbled cards.
4. Cosmetic Science: Testing Lip Balm Recipes: make your own custom lip balm formula.
5. Make Tie-Dye T-shirts with Permanent Markers: use marker tie-dye to create custom clothing, accessories, or ornaments. See our seasonal ornament version.
6. DIY Face Mask: make and customize protective face masks.
7. Turn Milk into Plastic: make special beads or small sculptures from milk plastic.
8. LED Dance Glove: see our patch example to get inspired about ways to turn wearable electronics into a unique personalized gift.
9. How to Grow the Best Crystals: experiment with changing the shapes and colors of the crystals you grow.
10. Making Homemade Bath Bombs: fizzy bath bombs are fun to make and fun to use.
11. Grow Rock Candy Crystals: make your own custom flavor of this classic sweet treat!
12. Build a Bird Feeder to Study Birds: a bird feeder can be used at any time of the year in a backyard.
13. The First Cartoon: Make Your Own Thaumatrope!: create a classic paper toy with a simple spinning cartoon.
14. Design a Cell Phone Stand: design a functional cell phone stand with simple materials.

Creative STEM in Action

These videos demonstrate some of the activities highlighted above:

More STEM Fun for the Holidays

For additional hands-on STEM inspiration, see the following examples of science projects that students can do with the holidays in mind:

• Light Up Your Creativity with Electric Play Dough
• Paper Circuits Bring Light to Seasonal Greetings
• A Water Sensor Circuit for the Tree
• Light Up the Season with Computer Science Exploration

Share Your Science Buddies Story!

Have you used a science project, STEM activity, or Lesson Plan from Science Buddies in your class or program? We would love to hear your story! Email us at scibuddy@sciencebuddies.org and tell us how you use Science Buddies with students.

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