Human Biology & Health STEM Activities for Kids (45 results)

Model How Herd Immunity Works

STEM Activity

22 reviews

Have you ever wondered why you need to get a flu shot regularly? The vaccine protects you from getting sick with the flu, which is an infectious disease. Such diseases, like the flu or COVID-19, can easily spread through a population and cause a pandemic by making many people sick. Measures such as social distancing can reduce the risk of catching the disease, but real protection only comes from gaining immunity against the disease. This is the reason for vaccinations—to make someone… Read more

Seeing in the Dark

STEM Activity

8 reviews

Have you ever considered taking a nighttime nature walk? Would you wait until there is a full moon, so you could profit from sunlight reflected on the moon, or would you rather take a flashlight? Do you think trees would look black, green, or grey in the dark? Do this activity to examine your night vision and prepare for your next nighttime adventure! Read more

Seeing Pedigree Science: Making a Family Tree of Traits

STEM Activity

19 reviews

Has anyone ever told you that you look just like one of your parents or grandparents? Some characteristics, like the shape of your hairline or whether your earlobes are attached or detached, are inherited. In this activity you’ll get to see how writing some characteristics onto a family tree can help you determine just how you inherited them. You will likely discover some characteristics that you got from your father, and for this Father’s Day you can thank your… 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

Sensory Science: Testing Taste Thresholds

STEM Activity

2 reviews

During the holidays, we often find ourselves surrounded by a wide variety of taste sensations. Have you ever wondered how well we sense different tastes? People are generally able to discern five basic tastes: sweet, umami (also known as savory), salty, sour and bitter. Is it easier to detect some of these flavors at low concentrations compared to others? In this science activity, you (and possibly your friends and/or family) will find out by exploring your taste thresholds for sweetness,… Read more

Spot the Fat in Your Snack

STEM Activity

16 reviews

Do you love potato chips? If you do, you are not alone. Potato chips are a very popular snack food. In fact, many people eat more than one bag of chips per month. When eating potato chips, have you ever noticed that your hands get really greasy? Maybe you have heard people telling you not to eat potato chips because they are bad for you and contain too much fat. But is this really true? Do this activity and find out by making the fats in potato chips visible. Read more

Can you see your Hole hand?

STEM Activity

4 reviews

Have you ever stopped to wonder why we have two eyes, but we only see one image? Usually you only see one image because your brain takes the information from your left eye and your right eye and combines them, without you even noticing! But sometimes your brain is too smart for its own good; it makes assumptions (or guesses) about the things we are seeing. When your brain makes guesses it can sometimes make mistakes, as it does in this experiment! Read more

Can you spot the dot?

STEM Activity

1 review

Have you ever wanted to make something disappear (maybe your homework!)? In this activity we will take advantage of the way your eyes and your brain talk to each other, to make colored dots seem to appear and disappear (sorry, it probably won’t work on your homework)! Read more

Cardiovascular System Science: Investigating Heart Rate Recovery Time

STEM Activity

4 reviews

As Valentine’s Day approaches, we’re increasingly confronted with stylized images of the heart. Real hearts serve very important functions – a person’s heart beats to supply blood to their entire body, and the heart has to work harder when they exercise. Have you ever wondered how quickly your heart beats when you exercise, or how long it takes to recover back to its normal rate after you’re done exercising? In this science activity, you’ll get to do some… Read more

Cold or Warm, Can We Really Tell?

STEM Activity

13 reviews

Have you ever tried to guess the temperature of the water in the pool? On a hot day, the water might feel chilly at first, but once you’re in, you don’t notice the temperature as much. On a cool day, though, the pool water that is the same temperature often feels quite comfortable. Is it all relative? Is our body equipped to tell absolute temperature? The question might make you curious about how our body collects information about our environment, processes it and forms our… 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

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