STEM Activities for Kids (482 results)

STEM Activity

3 reviews

Have you ever wondered why we sweat when our environment is getting hot or when we exercise? Sweating is a life-saving strategy that cools our body down and maintains our body temperature. Without sweating, our body cannot regulate our temperature, which can lead to overheating or even heatstroke. But why does sweating have a cooling effect? The answer is evaporative cooling. Turning a liquid such as sweat from its liquid state into a gas requires energy. This energy is taken from our body, or… Read more

Explore Biodiversity Using a Homemade Bug Vacuum!

STEM Activity

6 reviews

It might seem impossible to estimate how many different bugs live in a nearby field, or how many types of birds live in a forest, but wildlife biologists often have to try to determine the number of different species in a given habitat. This plays an important role in helping us understand how healthy the environment is. In this activity, you will get to take on the role of a wildlife biologist by examining the biodiversity of bugs and other small invertebrates (such as spiders, centipedes,… Read more

Explore How Lung Infection Influences Breathing

STEM Activity

22 reviews

Have you ever coughed, felt short of breath because you were sick, or felt it was hard work to take a breath? Maybe you have watched someone gasping for air. At times, these events can feel scary! This activity explores how mucus and fluid in the lungs or airways changes our breathing using a simple lung model. It can help you understand why symptoms like coughing and being short of breath happen. Read more

Featured

Make String from Algae

STEM Activity

224 reviews

Did you know that the seaweed you've seen in the ocean or even eaten as a snack is inspiring innovators to imagine new materials? Large brown algae, like kelp, contains polymers—long chains of molecules—that are more environmentally friendly than the ones in most plastics. These natural polymers (alginates) could eventually be used to create sustainable everyday objects. Try your hand at using a bit of chemistry to turn biodegradable polymers from algae into your own custom… Read more

Explore Soil Erosion and See What a Plant Can Do.

STEM Activity

27 reviews

You pick up litter, you reduce, reuse and recycle but did you ever consider conserving the soil? It might seem farfetched, but it turns out that soil erosion—or the wearing away of soil by water, wind and other natural forces—is a problem. Productive farmlands can disappear as nutrient-rich topsoil in fields washes away when heavy rains hit them. Waterways can get polluted as pesticides and fertilizers wash into them. Even human life and property are jeopardized, as soil erosion… Read more

Explore the Wet Sand Effect

STEM Activity

8 reviews

Summer is the perfect time to take a stroll at the beach and walk barefoot along the shoreline. While doing that, have you ever looked at your footprints in the wet sand? If so, you might have noticed that with every step it looks like the sand around your feet dries out. Why is that? These dry footprints are caused by the pressure of your feet. You will find out exactly how this happens by doing this beachy activity! Read more

Exploring the Depths – of Vision!

STEM Activity

10 reviews

Did you know that there is a type of clam that has thousands of small eyes covering its body? It’s called the Tridachna gigas, and it lives in the South Pacific Ocean. Although it has a lot of them, the Tridachna gigas’ eyes are fairly primitive compared to ours (so don’t be too jealous that you don’t have thousands of eyes too!). In modern times, all vertebrate animals (including humans) have two eyes. Humans have developed an amazingly complex visual processing… Read more

Falling Buttered Toast

STEM Activity

3 reviews

As I was buttering toast on a beautiful Sunday morning, one piece slid off the table and tumbled down. It smacked buttered-side down on the carpet. “Bad luck” flashed through my head—but was it a matter of chance, or was the toast doomed to reach the ground buttered-side down? Time for science to tell us! Take a slice, try it out and learn about the science behind a falling slice of toast! Read more

Floating Arms

STEM Activity

3 reviews

Have you ever wondered how a decision to move your arm can make your arm move? When your brain creates a command to move your arm, nerves pass along the command and muscles in the arm contract as ordered. These muscle contractions make your arm move. But could your arm move without a command from the brain? This activity is a fun and surprising way to find out! Read more

Gelatin Pearls

STEM Activity

9 reviews

Do you enjoy getting creative in the kitchen? If so, this activity is for you! Molecular cuisine—taking tools, ingredients, and methods typically used in science and using them in cooking—might sound fancy and complicated, but some techniques are easy to replicate! Get your hands wet, fire up your creativity, and see how rewarding it can be! Read more

Gingerbread House STEM Challenge

STEM Activity

75 reviews

How easy or difficult is it to build a gingerbread house? It depends on what you want your house to look like. Design possibilities are almost endless! You could make a multi-story building, try different shapes and sizes, or add extra features such as a balcony or chimney. The more complex your design gets, the more difficult it is to make sure that your house stays upright and keeps its shape. In this activity, you will become an engineer and design and build a gingerbread house that must… Read more

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