Physics STEM Activities for Kids (123 results)

Make a Homemade Compass

STEM Activity

96 reviews

Have you ever used a compass to help you figure out what direction to go? What about while on a camping trip — have you ever needed a compass to help you navigate your way through a forest? Magnetic compasses work based on Earth's magnetic field. In this science activity, you will get to make your own magnetic compass out of a sewing needle, piece of cork, and cup of water. How well do you think it will work? Get ready to find out! Read more

Make a Kazoo

STEM Activity

43 reviews

Do you remember your last parade, party, or fair? You might have been surrounded by sounds of all kinds: fireworks, music, and, maybe even the famous (or infamous) sound of kazoos. A kazoo is a very simple musical instrument, made up of a hollow pipe with a hole in it. They may be simple, but these little noisemakers are a great way to explore sound. In this activity you'll be investigating how kazoos work by building your own! Read more

Slip Sliding Away: Experimenting with Friction

STEM Activity

25 reviews

Have you ever driven up a mountain, seen a sign reading "Hazard! Icy Roads Ahead," and wondered why ice makes roads dangerous to drive on? The answer has to do with friction—specifically, the lack of it. Specifically, in the case of driving a car down the road, the friction that allows the car to move occurs between the tires and the road. This friction normally allows the car to "grip" the road—keeping the tires in contact with the relatively rough road… Read more

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Make String from Algae

STEM Activity

222 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

Balloon Magic with Bernoulli's Principle

STEM Activity

40 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

How Fish Sink and Float

STEM Activity

64 reviews

Have you ever thought about why most fish never sink to the bottom of the ocean or float to the water's surface? How is it that they can stay so perfectly buoyant under water? You might be surprised to hear that most bony fish have a special organ to help them with that: a swim bladder. The swim bladder is a thin-walled sac located inside the body of the fish that is usually filled with gas. Besides helping the fish stay buoyant, it can also function as a sound producer and receptor or as an… Read more

Measure Static Electricity With An Electroscope!

STEM Activity

71 reviews

Have you ever been zapped by a door knob or another person? It feels like a little electric shock and usually happens on cold and dry winter days. Where is this shock coming from? Why is it that sometimes you get zapped and sometimes you don't? It all has to do with static electricity, which can build up in some materials and then be transferred from one object to another. Sometimes you can even see a spark fly between them! In this science activity you will explore how well materials around… Read more

Balance the Forces Within a Mobile

STEM Activity

29 reviews

Have you ever seen a mobile? Not a mobile phone, but a hanging art sculpture. You might have had such a mobile in your room when you were little. These mobiles hang from the ceiling and are usually made up of many layers of rods to which lots of differently shaped objects are attached with strings. When you look at the mobile sculpture, you might wonder how it can stay balanced all the time even when it is moving in the air. In this activity, you will make your own mobile sculpture and find out… Read more

Fake Blood made Scientific

STEM Activity

14 reviews

With Halloween just around the corner, bloody scenes are just a block away. Whether it is dripping vampire teeth, a bloody nose, or a leaky bandage, fake blood is sure to bring characters to life, so to speak. While chocolate syrup might make convincing fake blood on black-and-white photography, it is not passable for real-life encounters or color film. In this activity, science helps you engineer your latest product: good-looking (and tasty!) fake blood. Read more

How Many Colors in a Rainbow?

STEM Activity

48 reviews

Have you seen a rainbow in the sky after a rain shower? How many colors were there? A rainbow is often described as having seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet, but you might spot a rainbow and see fewer colors. Or you might see more than seven! It can be tricky to count the colors in a rainbow, because they all blend together so seamlessly. Want to see for yourself? In this activity you will explore the physics of light and create your own mini-rainbows. How many… Read more

Make a Paper Fish Swim with Surface Tension

STEM Activity

26 reviews

Have you ever wondered how water droplets form on a window on a rainy day, why some bugs can mysteriously walk on water, or why you use soap to wash your hands? All of these things are related to the phenomenon called surface tension. In this activity you will learn how you can use surface tension to make a fish cut from a piece of paper seemingly swim around on its own! Read more

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