Ninth Grade STEM Activities for Kids (86 results)

Do-Re-Mi with Straws

STEM Activity

41 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

Make Your Own Marshmallows

STEM Activity

41 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

DIY Mini Drone: Arduino™ Altitude Control

STEM Activity

79 reviews

How do drones automatically hover at a constant distance from the ground? Find out in this fun drone project as you build an altitude control circuit for a popsicle stick drone using an ultrasonic distance sensor and an Arduino™. See this page for a complete list of our mini drone projects. You may wish to do the projects in order. Read more

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Make String from Algae

STEM Activity

226 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 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

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

Bridge Building Bonanza: Which Design Wins?

STEM Activity

57 reviews

Have you ever ridden in a car driving across a suspension bridge? Suspension bridges, with their tall towers, long spans and gracefully curving cables, are beautiful examples of the work of civil engineers. How do the cables and towers carry the load that is on the bridge, which includes you and the car you are in when you cross the bridge? Can a suspension bridge carry a greater load than a simple beam bridge? You can try to answer these questions in this science activity! Read more

Explore Matchstick Rockets

STEM Activity

62 reviews

If you have wondered how rockets are propelled forward or if you enjoy the excitement of launching a rocket, this is an activity for you! You will learn how to make tiny rockets from aluminum foil and matchsticks, and how to ignite them safely. Soon, you will be launching one rocket after the other! Your challenge will be to find the most reliable launching mechanism. Read more

Exploring Mummification with Hot Dogs

STEM Activity

75 reviews

Have you ever seen or heard of the movies "The Mummy" or "The Mummy Returns"? Mummies have often played a part in nightmares for Western cultures, but in ancient Egypt, mummification was a serious religious ritual thought to be necessary for a person to enjoy the afterlife. In this activity, you will learn about the science behind the process of mummification by mummifying a hot dog. Read more

How do Self-Driving Cars Know What to Do?

STEM Activity

237 reviews

How do driverless cars know what to do at an intersection? How do they know when they should stop and when it is their turn to go? What about yielding to pedestrians? In this activity, you will write your own algorithm, or list of steps, for a driverless car to follow when navigating through various road scenarios like stop signs, traffic lights, and roundabouts (traffic circles). Read more

Make a Night-Light

STEM Activity

29 reviews

Are you ready to move beyond paper circuits and squishy circuits? This is a great intermediate circuit project where you will build your own working night-light. And of course, you will have some fun decorating it! Read more

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