Ninth Grade STEM Activities for Kids (86 results)

Do-Re-Mi with Straws

STEM Activity

37 reviews

Have you ever wondered how a musical instrument produces the beautiful sounds that it does? To make a certain note, the instrument has to make a certain sound wave. Depending on the instrument, the sound wave that is made can be affected by changing the length of part of the instrument, such as the strings in a piano or on a guitar, or a trombone’s air column. In this science activity, you will make your own musical instruments using drinking straws and explore how changing the length of the… Read more

Flying Helicopters on Mars

STEM Activity

64 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

Make an Awesome Paper Lantern

STEM Activity

39 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

212 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

Robot, Make Me a Sandwich!

STEM Activity

71 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

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

Discover the Flaming Colors of Fireworks

STEM Activity

36 reviews

Have you ever watched a fireworks show and wondered how all the different colors — amazing reds, yellows, oranges, blues, purples, greens, and more — are made? The color, or colors, that a firework makes depends on what color-producing chemicals are in the firework. These chemicals are various metal salts that burn when the firework goes off, and burning the metals is what makes the colors. Different metals give off different, specific colors. In this science activity, you will get… Read more

How Well Do You Wash Your Hands?

STEM Activity

43 reviews

How well do you wash your hands? Do you just give them a quick rinse with water, or do you use soap? Do you wash the backs of your hands and in between your fingers? Good hand washing is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of germs and diseases like the flu and common cold. Try this activity to find out if there are hard-to-wash parts of your hands where germs might be hiding! Read more

Make Your Own Hand Sanitizer

STEM Activity

34 reviews

Did you ever wonder what hand sanitizer is made of, or how you can efficiently disinfect your hands or other frequently touched surfaces like doorknobs? Handwashing is still the best way to keep your hands clean, but hand sanitizer is a great alternative for situations where clean water and soap are not available, and you can even use it to disinfect surfaces! Intrigued—try out making a hand sanitizer yourself! Read more

Water Filtration

STEM Activity

9 reviews

Water is one of the most important resources for life. Here on Earth, we often take it for granted — we can easily get a glass of water from the tap whenever we’re thirsty. But imagine being an astronaut orbiting hundreds of miles above our planet. In space, every drop of water is precious, and there’s no tap to turn on. Transporting water from Earth to the ISS is incredibly expensive and impractical due to the limited cargo space and the high cost of launching supplies. To address this,… Read more

Afterimages: The Colorful Tricks Eyes Play

STEM Activity

58 reviews

Have you ever wondered how visual illusions are made? When we see special effects in movies, or a magic show, we often witness illusions that challenge our ability to correctly perceive things. One way in which our eyes play tricks on us is through afterimages. Afterimages are the images you see after staring at an object for several seconds and then looking away. In this science activity, you will look at afterimages to reveal the secrets of how your eyes see color. Read more

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