STEM Activities for Kids (482 results)

Make a Toy Sailboat

STEM Activity

40 reviews

It's time to set sail! Even if you live nowhere near a lake or ocean, you will get to do some sailing in this science activity as you build your own toy sailboat. But first, you have to make sure your boat doesn't capsize! Are you up for the challenge? 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

Make Tie-Dye T-shirts with Permanent Markers

STEM Activity

24 reviews

Have you ever made a tie-dyed t-shirt? It can be a lot of fun to dye a shirt in bright colors with spiraling designs (especially when it is done on a warm day outside to prevent indoor messes)! In this science activity, you will get to dye a t-shirt with your own colorful artwork using permanent markers. Along the way, you will find out how solubility helps your drawings leave beautiful designs on the fabric. Read more

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Make String from Algae

STEM Activity

225 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

Measure Static Electricity With An Electroscope!

STEM Activity

72 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

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

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

Splitting Water

STEM Activity

14 reviews

You use it basically every day and cannot survive without it—no it is not your cell phone, but water! It is one of the most essential compounds of the world and has become an increasingly important issue everywhere. You probably have heard that in many places droughts or water pollution limits clean drinking water supplies, and those supplies keep shrinking. When considering this, have you ever wondered why we do not just make our own water, and what water is actually made of? In this… Read more

Underwater Color Bursts

STEM Activity

131 reviews

Summertime often brings beautiful fireworks displays. Whereas you normally look up into the sky to see fireworks, in this activity we will take the bursts of color underwater—with chemistry. Although it is not exactly the same as real fireworks, you will be amazed by the color explosions you will see. Curious about what that looks like? See for yourself in this activity! Read more

Balloon Magic with Bernoulli's Principle

STEM Activity

41 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

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

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