Fifth Grade STEM Activities for Kids (235 results)

STEM Activity

29 reviews

Does your hair go frizzy during "April showers," when the weather turns damp? Strands of hair can relax and lengthen when the humidity (or the amount of water vapor in the air) increases, and then contract again when the humidity decreases. In fact, the rate of change in the length of hair strands is so dependable that they can actually be used as the basis for a hygrometer, a device that measures the humidity level in the air. Read more

Make a Self-Starting Siphon

STEM Activity

30 reviews

If you have ever seen someone use a siphon in a movie, they probably sucked on the tube to get it started. That can be dangerous with liquids like gasoline! Can you make a siphon that will start on its own? Try this activity to find out! Read more

Milk Curdling with Enzymes!

STEM Activity

43 reviews

Have you ever gone to pour yourself a cup of milk, and all you get is clumps? What happened to the milk is called coagulation, which is the mechanism that occurs when proteins in the milk clump together. While you do not necessarily want this in your milk, without coagulation (or curdling), there would be no cheese or yogurt, which is why it is a very important process in the food industry. Wonder how you can make milk curdle? Do this activity to find out! Read more

Featured

Make String from Algae

STEM Activity

222 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

Model the Solar System with Marbles

STEM Activity

60 reviews

What would it be like if you could see the planets of our solar system orbiting the Sun all at once? What about the moons orbiting the planets? Learn how to make your own simple demonstration of gravity and planetary orbits in this fun activity. Read more

Musical Bottles

STEM Activity

21 reviews

Have you ever blown across a bottle's top and made a pleasant, resonant sound? If so, have you wondered how that note is made exactly? The exact note you hear depends on the resonant frequency of the air in the bottle. Musical instruments like ocarinas operate based on a similar principle. In this science activity, you will use bottles to investigate how the volume of the air in the bottle affects the pitch of the note that it makes. Read more

Shaping Hard-boiled Eggs

STEM Activity

16 reviews

Have you ever played with your food, creating funny faces or colorful edible artworks? In this activity, you can do just that, but with results you might not expect! You will learn a fascinating way to cook and shape boiled eggs, and explore some interesting chemistry about cooking an egg along the way. While exploring the flexibility of hard-boiled eggs, you will create a delicious, odd-shaped reward! Read more

Soil Science: Study Microorganisms in Winogradsky Columns

STEM Activity

10 reviews

Our planet recycles and reuses everything on it that is needed to support life. It is an amazing, giant recycling system called the biogeochemical cycle. You can actually model this on a small scale by using a plastic bottle and mud to build what is called a Winogradsky column. In this activity, you will build your own Winogradsky columns and investigate how including different nutrients can affect which soil microorganisms flourish and which fail. Read more

The Trick to Beating a Carnival Game

STEM Activity

16 reviews

Have you ever played a game at a carnival, trying to win a stuffed animal or other prize? It might look easy, until you try it. Why are those "simple" games at the fairs and carnivals so hard? Is it really lack of skill or coordination or do those concessionaires use some basic laws of science to help them set up the games in their favor? In this science activity, you will investigate how physics can help you win — or lose — at the classic game of trying to knock over a pyramid of… 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

3D Print with Icing: No 3D Printer Required!

STEM Activity

7 reviews

Are you wondering how a 3D printer works? In this fun activity, you will be the printer and make colorful 3D prints using royal icing. No 3D printer is required, and your prints are edible! Read more

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