Elementary School STEM Activities for Kids (244 results)

Flying Helicopters on Mars

STEM Activity

69 reviews

During the Mars 2020 mission, NASA plans to explore the surface of Mars using a rover in combination with a lightweight helicopter. To be able to fly on Mars, this helicopter must be super light and have very efficient blades. If not, it will never generate enough lift to get off the ground. In this activity, you will make your own paper helicopter and test different blade designs. Will your findings be reflected in NASA's design? Try it out and see for yourself! Read more

How Does a Hovercraft Hover?

STEM Activity

55 reviews

Have you ever ridden on a hovercraft? It is like gliding on a cushion of air! In fact, this is exactly what is going on. A hovercraft is a vehicle that glides over a smooth surface by hovering upon an air cushion. Since a hovercraft can travel on top of flat land or water, it is an amphibious vehicle. In this activity, you will get to build your own mini hovercraft using a CD or DVD, a pop-top lid from a plastic bottle, some glue, and a balloon. How will different amounts of air in the… Read more

Make an Awesome Paper Lantern

STEM Activity

40 reviews

Around the globe, many holidays, like Lunar New Year, Diwali, and St. Martin's Day, are celebrated with paper lanterns. Making a paper lantern can be a fun and creative project that combines art and engineering. What will your paper lantern look like? Read more

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Make String from Algae

STEM Activity

216 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

Measure the Pressure

STEM Activity

105 reviews

Have you ever seen a weather forecast on TV? If so, you might have noticed the letters "H" and "L" moving around on the weather map. They are often referred to as zones of "high pressure" (H) and "low pressure" (L). The pressure they are talking about is the atmospheric pressure. Changes in air pressure can forecast short-term changes in the weather. But how do you know if the air pressure changes, or if it is high or low? Scientists have developed an instrument called a barometer that can… Read more

Paper DNA Model

STEM Activity

79 reviews

Ever wondered how DNA, the genetic blueprint of a life-form, can encode and pass on the information on how to grow and maintain that life-form? Just like a cookbook contains a complete recipe for a dish, DNA stores the recipe for the life of an organism. Although each human has a unique DNA sequence, the DNA in all of us is about 99.9% identical! In this activity, you will make a model for a short section of DNA—enough to get a sense of what DNA is like and how it encodes life. Read more

Puzzle Fun with a Perimeter Magic Triangle

STEM Activity

86 reviews

Do you ever use math as a tool to solve interesting problems? In the 1970s math was often taught with simple worksheets. One teacher developed an exciting way to learn math and logic; he developed what is now known as the perimeter magic triangle puzzles. Try them out—and have some fun as you start thinking about counting in a whole new way! Read more

Robot, Make Me a Sandwich!

STEM Activity

72 reviews

Have you ever wanted a robot assistant that could do all your household chores? Science fiction has been showing us such robots for decades, but they're still not available! What's taking so long? In this project you will investigate some of the challenges in programming a "robot" to do a simple household task, such as making a sandwich. Read more

The Wagon Wheel Effect Optical Illusion

STEM Activity

12 reviews

Have you ever seen a video where it looked like a car's wheels were spinning backwards even though the car was driving forward? This is called the wagon wheel effect, named after old movies where it looked like wagon wheels were spinning backwards. Even though you cannot see the effect in person, it can show up in videos of spinning objects. Find out why in this project and make your own videos of the wagon wheel effect! Read more

Use Chemistry to Lift Ice Cubes

STEM Activity

33 reviews

Have you ever wondered why salt is used to de-ice roads? Did you know that snow sticks more readily to pavement that has been treated with salt? Why would this be the case? In this activity, you will use the same principles to hoist ice cubes with a piece of string. Is it possible to do this without getting your hands cold? Try the activity and see what a pinch of salt can do! Read more

Apparent Motion in Flipbooks

STEM Activity

37 reviews

Have you ever been tricked by an optical illusion? Optical illusions can be fun, but they are also quite scientific. In this activity you will investigate the phenomenon of apparent motion by making your own flipbook animations. Read more

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