Science Buddies Blog (Page 3)

Ball Run Challenge Rolls to a Close with More than 14,000 Students!

April 21, 2026 8:00 AM

Thousands of students applied STEM concepts and built and tested ball runs for the 2026 Science Buddies Engineering Challenge. Winners and leaderboards are now posted. Above: A few of the many students who participated in the 2026 Ball Run Challenge The 2026 Science Buddies Engineering Challenge More than 14,000 K-12 students explored engineering design and entered the 2026 Science Buddies Engineering Challenge. Working in teams of up to four,… Read more

Women in STEM! More than 60 Scientists and Engineers

March 2, 2026 8:00 AM

March is Women's History Month! Learn more about women in STEM in science history and get inspired! More than 60 profiles of scientists and engineers! Women's in STEM for Women's History Month: 60+ Scientists to learn more about! Update! This post has been updated for 2026! There have always been women in science. Whether recognized at the time or not, women interested in science and engineering have made important discoveries, conducted… Read more

A Spacecraft Motion Simulator for the STEM Fair

February 16, 2026 6:00 AM

For their middle school STEM project, these students built a model motion simulator to explore the physics of landing a spacecraft. A Space Science Simulation Brenton and Ethan, middle school students at St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Milpitas, CA, are both thinking about a future in STEM, but neither was actively interested in space science or engineering before their 7th-grade STEM project. For last year's annual STEM fair, they… Read more

A Simple 10-Step Guide to the 2026 Ball Run Challenge

February 10, 2026 8:06 AM

Follow the steps below to run the 2026 Science Buddies Engineering Challenge with students. The Ball Run Challenge is a fun and accessible activity for students in grades K-12. The 2026 Ball Run Challenge is an engaging, low-cost way for students to try engineering. As they design, build, test, and improve their ball runs to slow a ping pong ball from start to finish, students use the engineering design process, explore core physics concepts, and build… Read more

Valentine's Day STEM

February 9, 2026 6:00 AM

Give student science and engineering activities a creative Valentine's Day twist with these 12 free STEM projects, from paper circuit Valentines to invisible ink messages and dancing candy hearts! Be My STEM Valentine With a bit of creative thinking, it's easy to give favorite STEM activities a new spin and irresistible Valentine's Day flair. See our suggestions below for an assortment of science and engineering activities that can be done with… Read more

4 Ways to Teach Engineering Design

January 29, 2026 8:00 AM

Teaching students about the engineering design process helps prepare them to do engineering projects and think like engineers when it comes to problem solving, troubleshooting, and brainstorming solutions and inventions. With a combination of free videos, lessons, and learning materials, you can choose the tools that best suit the needs of your classroom. Teaching Steps of the Engineering Design Process If you teach the scientific method to students,… Read more

40 Scientists to Learn About for Black History Month

January 29, 2026 8:00 AM

February is Black History Month. Learn more about some of the many African American scientists and engineers who have made important contributions to science history. Black History Month: 40 Scientists to learn more about! Update! This post has been updated for 2026. In honor of Black History Month, we highlight 40 African American scientists and engineers who made important contributions to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). There… Read more

12 STEM Activities for Lunar New Year

January 29, 2026 6:00 AM

Celebrate Lunar New Year and the Year of the Horse with these free science and engineering activities for enriching hands-on STEM. What is Lunar New Year? Lunar New Year (also known as Chinese New Year) begins February 17, 2026. Lunar New Year starts with the new moon that happens in late January or February. Celebrations continue for 15 days and culminate with a Lantern Festival. In Chinese culture, 2026 will mark the Year of the Horse. There are… Read more

10 Reasons to Do the Ball Run Challenge

January 27, 2026 8:00 AM

Thinking about the 2026 Ball Run Challenge? Here are 10 reasons this free engineering challenge is a great fit for K–12 classrooms and programs. The Science Buddies Engineering Challenge The annual Science Buddies Engineering Challenge makes it fun for students to try engineering. Each year, the Science Buddies Engineering Challenge presents an engaging engineering task that invites students in grades K–12 to use the engineering design process to… Read more

13 Activities and Lessons to Teach Potential and Kinetic Energy

January 7, 2026 8:00 AM

Use these free lesson plans and hands-on activities to explore potential and kinetic energy with students! What happens when you stretch a rubber band and let it go? Why? Explaining how energy is stored and transferred and how that relates to the movement and momentum of objects in motion involves understanding potential and kinetic energy. This is an area of science where getting hands-on with the storage, transfer, and release of energy really helps… Read more

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