Eighth Grade STEM Activities for Kids (184 results)

A Candle Seesaw Balancing Act

STEM Activity

28 reviews

Do you love playing on a seesaw? Why is it that depending on where you sit on the beam, and the weight of the person on the other side, you either fly up into the air or fall down to the ground? And why is it so difficult to perfectly balance the seesaw? It can all be explained with physics! In this activity, you will investigate the balancing forces of a seesaw—with a seesaw made of candles! Read more

Build a Differential from K'Nex®

STEM Activity

10 reviews

What in the world is a differential and what does it do? A differential is a mechanism that helps cars go around turns without the wheels slipping. In this activity you will build your own working model differential from a building toy like K'Nex®! Read more

Build a Sandcastle That Can Support a Brick

STEM Activity

11 reviews

Can you build a sandcastle that can support a brick? Try it out in this fun STEM activity! Read more

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Make String from Algae

STEM Activity

227 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

Build an Ion Wind Rotor

STEM Activity

3 reviews

Can you use electrically charged "wind" to make something move? Find out in this fun project as you build your own ion wind rotor. Read more

DIY Face Mask

STEM Activity

13 reviews

To slow the spread of COVID-19, the CDC recommends wearing a mask or cloth face covering—particularly in places where it is impossible to maintain social distancing (staying at least 6 feet away from others). This recommendation is for everyone age two or older (children under the age of two should not wear masks). Many instructions to make your own mask are available online. This activity will help you think through the process of designing and making a mask as an engineering problem.… Read more

DIY Mini Drone: Free Flight

STEM Activity

13 reviews

Make your mini popsicle stick drone lift off in this activity! You will build a dual-joystick controller to steer your drone so you can fly it manually. How well can you fly without any help from automatic controls? See this page for a complete list of our mini drone projects. You may wish to do the projects in order. Read more

DIY Mini Drone: Motion Control

STEM Activity

12 reviews

Most modern smartphones and video game controllers have a built-in accelerometer used for motion control. In this project you will program an Arduino® to use an accelerometer to control the steering of a miniature popsicle stick drone. See this page for a complete list of our mini drone projects. You may wish to do the projects in order. Read more

Does Wet Hair Float or Cling?

STEM Activity

Have you ever noticed how hair moves freely when it is under the water, but clings together as soon as it emerges out of the water? Not only human hair does this; when wet dogs shake themselves after a swim, their hair clings together in strands. Try this activity to see why wet hair is far less fluffy than dry hair! Read more

Dye Eggs Using Silk Ties for Egg-cellent Colors

STEM Activity

8 reviews

Have you ever dyed eggs? Turning eggshells from white into different, dazzling colors can be a lot of fun! People often do this using dye tablets to make different colors in a liquid bath. They then dip the egg into the liquid and wait till it turns the desired color. Eggs can be dyed in many other ways, and one neat method uses silk ties. Sounds strange to use clothing to dye eggs, right? But it actually works really well! In this activity, you will dye eggs with silk ties and… Read more

Go With the Flow

STEM Activity

26 reviews

Do you ever wonder why we perform tasks in a particular way? Very often, we learn by copying someone and never stop to question if there is a more efficient or easier way to do something. This activity is about the tricky task of pouring from a full container. Could there be an easier way to do it? Read more

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