First Grade STEM Activities for Kids (173 results)

Make a Sunprint Using Objects from Nature!

STEM Activity

10 reviews

Have you ever wondered how artists are able to replicate intricate details in nature on paper or canvas? In this activity, you will depict these details in a different way! Using Sunprint® paper and sunlight, you too can make breathtaking representations of objects found in nature. Read more

Make a Toy Sailboat

STEM Activity

41 reviews

It's time to set sail! Even if you live nowhere near a lake or ocean, you will get to do some sailing in this science activity as you build your own toy sailboat. But first, you have to make sure your boat doesn't capsize! Are you up for the challenge? 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

Featured

Make String from Algae

STEM Activity

230 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

Make Your Own Marshmallows

STEM Activity

43 reviews

Whether you are huddled around a fireplace, or drinking hot chocolate after a day in the snow, nothing says fun quite like a marshmallow! Even its name is soft and spongy! Have you ever wondered how marshmallows are made? Long ago marshmallows were actually made from a plant, the marshmallow plant, but today we usually make them using a few key ingredients, namely gelatin, corn syrup, and sugar. In this appetizing activity you will get to explore what ratio of sugar to corn syrup produces… Read more

Puzzle Fun with a Perimeter Magic Triangle

STEM Activity

89 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

Rainbow Candy

STEM Activity

13 reviews

Make your own rainbow candy in this fun STEM activity! You will do it without using any food coloring. Instead, you will use a light-bending phenomenon called diffraction. Read more

Underwater Color Bursts

STEM Activity

136 reviews

Summertime often brings beautiful fireworks displays. Whereas you normally look up into the sky to see fireworks, in this activity we will take the bursts of color underwater—with chemistry. Although it is not exactly the same as real fireworks, you will be amazed by the color explosions you will see. Curious about what that looks like? See for yourself in this activity! Read more

Balloon Magic with Bernoulli's Principle

STEM Activity

42 reviews

Have you ever seen pictures or videos of a roof being blown off a house during a hurricane or tornado? You might be surprised to hear that the roof is actually not pushed off by the strong winds but instead by the air inside the house! This can be explained by Bernoulli's principle, which states that fast-moving fluids or air, such as strong winds, have lower pressure than slow-moving air. In this activity you will demonstrate how balloons can be moved in a similar way. It is not quite as… Read more

Color Taste Test—Do You Taste with Your Eyes?

STEM Activity

91 reviews

Have you ever tried adding green food coloring to your milk? Or blue coloring to the butter you spread on your bread? You may not have tried this, but for years, scientists have studied the effect of color and food appearance on how food tastes. Believe it or not, our eyes are an important part of how we taste and perceive food! In this activity, you will learn about how you can trick your taste buds—with just a little food coloring! Read more

Duplicate Your Drawings with a Machine

STEM Activity

29 reviews

Have you ever wished you could copy a drawing but make it larger or smaller? If you've tried to create a larger or smaller copy of your work, you've probably realized that it is very hard to get the details right. A machine called a pantograph, however, could help. It makes copies that can be scaled up or down or made the same size. In this activity you will make your own pantograph and then duplicate your drawings. Can you figure out how it enlarges, shrinks or turns drawings upside down? Read more

Explore Our Science Videos

Build an Arduino Mass Driver - Cool Science Project

Make a Model Planetary Lander with micro:bit | Science Project

Make a Lung Model – STEM activity