STEM Activities for Kids (482 results)

Science with a Smartphone: Accelerometer

STEM Activity

2 reviews

Have you ever played a video game with a controller that used motion controls? Do you ever wonder how sometimes your phone seems to “know” that you’re moving? How do these electronic devices measure your motion? Try this activity to find out! Read more

Science With Your Smartphone : Decibel Meter

STEM Activity

3 reviews

Did you know that you can use your phone as a scientific instrument to explore the world around you? Your phone contains tons of built-in electronic sensors that can measure things like sound, light, motion, and more! In this project you’ll use your phone’s microphone to examine the loudness of different sounds in your environment. How quiet is a library? How loud is that truck roaring by? Try this activity to find out! Read more

Scrumptious Science: Great Globs of Gluten!

STEM Activity

3 reviews

Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving dinner dish? Maybe it’s an aunt’s special cranberry sauce, or mashed potatoes combined with perfectly-seasoned gravy. Or perhaps you enjoy sinking your teeth into a succulent roasted turkey the most. Dinner rolls, biscuits, corn breads, muffins, pastries and pies may also be baked for this special meal; the foods in this group typically all contain a substance called gluten. In this science activity, you’ll explore why some foods, all made… Read more

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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

Scrumptious Science: How Much Baking Powder Does Cornbread Need?

STEM Activity

Have you ever wondered about the purpose of each of the ingredients in your favorite recipes? For example, why is baking powder used in some muffin recipes? How does the baking powder affect how the muffins look, feel and taste? In this science activity, you will use a scientific method to make some cornbread muffins to find out. And then you can decide on the best recipe to use if you want to make some cornbread for New Year’s Day, which is part of a Southern tradition where the… Read more

Seeing Science: Exploring Perception with the Stroop Effect

STEM Activity

15 reviews

Have you ever tried to pat your head with one hand while you rub your stomach with the other? This science activity is kind of like doing that, but it can actually give you some insight into how your mind works. The challenge of this activity is to name colors. It sounds simple enough, right? If you think it does, you should see what happens when words of colors get in the way! This is a fun activity to try out with family and/or friends while spending time together over the holidays. Read more

Sensing with Your Feet!

STEM Activity

3 reviews

How many objects do you think you are touching with your hands every day? A lot! Every time you touch something, your hands are able to feel how smooth, cold, warm, or rough the object is. In fact, your hands and fingers are so good at sensing details of shapes and surface textures that they are able to identify an object just by touching and without seeing it! You probably know that already because you have tried that before. Here is the challenge though: Do you think your feet can do the… Read more

Shape Science: Play-Doh Math

STEM Activity

6 reviews

Have you ever had fun making different figures or colorful creations using some Play-Doh? You can squish and stretch a single piece of Play-Doh to make all sorts of shapes. How does changing the shape of a piece of Play-Doh affect its volume? In this science activity, you will find out by investigating how a piece of dough’s shape affects its dimensions (length, width and height), and how these changes are related to the dough’s volume. Read more

Shattering Sugar – Make Your Own Hollywood Sugar Glass

STEM Activity

5 reviews

You’re watching an action movie, and suddenly the hero dives through a glass window! Or a car window shatters as the hero navigates an exciting car chase! The glass looks so real, but believe it or not, Hollywood movie sets rarely use real glass for those scenes. Can you guess what they use instead? If you guessed candy…you’re right! Instead of using real glass, which is expensive and difficult to replace for multiple shots, Hollywood movie sets use Sugar Glass! This cheap,… Read more

Singing Wine Glasses

STEM Activity

19 reviews

Is Thanksgiving one of your favorite holidays of the year? All your friends and family are getting together to celebrate. The table is full of delicious food—a big feast—and there might even be some fancy China and glassware on the table to make the celebration even more special. Who can resist the temptation to make the wine glasses sing? You have probably done this many times before, but have you ever wondered, why the wine glass makes this sound? Do this activity, and you will… Read more

Single-Celled Science: Yeasty Beasties

STEM Activity

12 reviews

Have you ever looked at a package of dry yeast and found it hard to believe that it contains organisms that are alive? Add the right ingredients and presto, the mixture becomes a bubbly, oozing, mess of life! But what are the conditions that are needed for this to happen? What does that yeast need to become active and thrive? Try this science activity to find out for yourself! Read more

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