Popsicle Stick STEM Projects

Use wooden craft sticks or popsicle sticks for hands-on STEM activities!

STEM Projects with Simple Materials

Doing hands-on science doesn't have to involve expensive or specialty materials. The projects highlighted below all feature wooden craft or popsicle sticks!

Hands-on STEM Activities Using Popsicle Sticks

1. Popsicle Stick Chain Reaction: Interweave wooden craft sticks in an exploration of potential and kinetic energy. When you release the chain, the sticks will fly apart in sequence, much like a line of dominos falling.
2. Popsicle Stick Trusses: What Shape is Strongest?: Use popsicle sticks and binder clips to test different types of trusses. Civil engineers use trusses for structural support when designing bridges and buildings. What geometric shape is strongest?
3. Build a Popsicle Stick Catapult: Make a small catapult from rubber bands and wooden craft sticks and then experiment with launching lightweight objects. Can you predict where they will land? This type of device temporarily stores elastic potential energy, which is then converted to kinetic energy.
4. Build a Rubber Band Paddle Boat: Use popsicle sticks and rubber bands to make a paddle boat that can zip through water. With other craft supplies available, students can test and compare models made from different materials. (Students doing independent science projects can use the Make the Fastest Rubber Band Paddle Boat project.)
5. Design a Back Scratcher: Use wooden craft sticks and other craft materials to design and make a custom back scratcher! How long should it be? How many scratching elements should it have? Which material best scratches the itch?
6. Build a Mini Trebuchet: Use popsicle sticks to build a mini trebuchet with a lever arm and a counterweight to explore how this medieval device can be used to launch objects. This device converts gravitational potential energy to kinetic energy to propel an object.
7. Make Your Own Harmonica!: Make a simple harmonica from craft sticks, rubber bands, and cut straws and use it to explore the science of sound and how a harmonica works.
8. Design a Cell Phone Stand: Use popsicle sticks to design and build a cell phone stand! Test the prototype and use the engineering design process to improve how it works. (Students can turn this into an independent engineering design project with the Engineer a Cell Phone Stand mechanical engineering project.)
9. The Effect of Bridge Design on Weight Bearing Capacity: Use popsicle sticks to make models of different types of bridges and test to see which has the greatest weight-bearing capacity.
10. Gravity-Powered Sorting Machine: Design and build a simple gravity-powered machine that can automatically separate two different sizes of marbles. (Students can turn this into an independent engineering design project with the Marble Machine mechanical engineering project.)

STEM Projects that Use Popsicle Sticks + Specialty Materials

The experiments and engineering design projects listed below require specialty materials beyond what may be available in the craft materials or recycling bin. But all of these also make use of popsicle or wooden craft sticks.

1. DIY Mini Drone: Popsicle sticks are used for the framework of this DIY drone. After building the base model, students can add additional parts, including an Arduino, to explore different aspects of drone flight. (See DIY Popsicle Stick Drone STEM for additional activities. A convenient kit is also available to make the basic mini drone.)
2. Flippy, the Dancing Robot: Build a dancing robot and use the engineering design process to test and make changes to improve the robot's stability.
3. Build a Jumping Robot: Build a jumping robot and explore how the design makes use of potential and kinetic energy to create the jumping motion.

Popsicle Stick STEM in Action

The following STEM videos demonstrate some of the projects highlighted above:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTO3HDSjxOU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAuN5ZnL4yE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhV3h-Hjpmk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksG87OUZOkA

Video also available en Español

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-BluEJBHLw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjgXGTaKTxE

Related Resources

For additional resources to explore science related to the projects highlighted above, see:

• 26 Science Projects and Experiments To Teach About Types of Energy
• 13 Activities and Lessons to Teach Potential and Kinetic Energy
• Teach About Simple Machines

For other STEM activities that use simple, everyday materials, see:

• 14 Paper STEM Activities
• Simple Science Activities with Cardboard Tubes