First Grade STEM Activities for Kids (173 results)

STEM Activity

76 reviews

How easy or difficult is it to build a gingerbread house? It depends on what you want your house to look like. Design possibilities are almost endless! You could make a multi-story building, try different shapes and sizes, or add extra features such as a balcony or chimney. The more complex your design gets, the more difficult it is to make sure that your house stays upright and keeps its shape. In this activity, you will become an engineer and design and build a gingerbread house that must… Read more

Holes That Do Not Leak!

STEM Activity

45 reviews

Did you know that at sea level there are about 15 pounds of air pressing on each square inch of your body? This air is very helpful in our daily lives. For example, this layer of air helps to keep the Earth from getting inhospitably cold or hot. It can even help keep a bottle with holes in it leak-free! Try the activity to find out how. Read more

How Do Melting Polar Ice Caps Affect Sea Levels?

STEM Activity

86 reviews

Have you ever noticed that if you leave an ice cube out on the kitchen counter and come back to check on it in a while, you find a puddle? The same thing happens to ice in nature — if the temperature gets warm enough, the ice melts. In this science activity, you will explore what happens to sea levels if the ice at the North Pole melts, or if the ice at the South Pole melts. Does melting ice at either cap contribute to a rise in sea levels? It is an especially important question for… Read more

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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

How to Harvest Water from Fog

STEM Activity

44 reviews

How long do you think you could survive without drinking any water? Only three to four days! Your body needs water to function properly. We also rely on water for cooking, cleaning and many other activities. You might not think about getting enough water if you can get it easily by turning on your faucet. But what about areas that don't have a reliable water supply? In this activity you will learn about one creative way to collect water—from the air! Read more

LED Stickies

STEM Activity

30 reviews

Add some light to your refrigerator magnets and learn about circuits in this fun craft project! Read more

Make a Self-Starting Siphon

STEM Activity

31 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

Make Sprinkles Vibrate with Sound

STEM Activity

53 reviews

You might know that sound is caused by vibrations, but did you know that sound can also make things vibrate? You might have noticed this if you have ever been at a concert or in a car with the stereo booming. Sometimes the sounds are so loud that you can feel the vibrations! However, sounds that loud can damage your hearing, so in this project you will investigate them using something safer. Read more

Robot, Make Me a Sandwich!

STEM Activity

74 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

Squishy Circuits: Light Up Your Play Doh® Creations!

STEM Activity

38 reviews

Do you like arts and crafts? How about making sculptures with Play Doh® or modeling clay? Imagine how cool it would be if you could add lights to your creations? That is exactly what you will get to do in this activity! Keep reading to learn how you can make any light-up sculpture you imagine, such as a house with lights in the windows, an animal with light-up eyes, or a colorful butterfly. Read more

The First Cartoon: Make Your Own Thaumatrope!

STEM Activity

30 reviews

It's probably difficult to imagine a time with no television, no movies, and no cartoons. But believe it or not, those times weren't so long ago! What did those kids do when they couldn't watch movies? One of the most popular toys during that time was a great-grandfather of the modern cartoon. This toy was called a "thaumatrope," and in this activity you're going to make (and test) your own thaumatrope to learn about how vision works! Read more

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