STEM Activities for Kids (482 results)

What Do You Hear Under Water?

STEM Activity

11 reviews

Have you ever wondered how fish hear the sounds we make when we splash into the water or pass by in a motorboat? Now that the summer vacation is here, you might be spending more time in the water: an ideal occasion to investigate how we hear in the water! Maybe you will feel inspired to research how that transfers to aquatic animals, too! Read more

A Candle Seesaw Balancing Act

STEM Activity

26 reviews

Do you love playing on a seesaw? Why is it that depending on where you sit on the beam, and the weight of the person on the other side, you either fly up into the air or fall down to the ground? And why is it so difficult to perfectly balance the seesaw? It can all be explained with physics! In this activity, you will investigate the balancing forces of a seesaw—with a seesaw made of candles! Read more

A Magnifying Discovery

STEM Activity

7 reviews

Have you ever looked through a magnifying lens? Why does an object look different when you look at it through the magnifying lens? Even though the object appears to get larger or smaller, it really stays the same size. Each lens has its own unique power of magnification; how powerful is your lens? Read more

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Make String from Algae

STEM Activity

210 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

A Simple Machine to Make Potato Holes

STEM Activity

7 reviews

If you want a cool project that you can show to your friends, this activity is for you! Take a potato and a straw—maybe a pencil as well—and challenge your friends to drill holes into the potato with the least amount of effort. Chances are, they will not find a method that gets the job done with ease. The best method—the method that requires the least effort from you—will surprise them all! Experiment, investigate and have fun! Can you find a reliable way to get the job… Read more

A Simple Sourness Detector

STEM Activity

10 reviews

Have you ever wondered why some foods or drinks taste sour, whereas others do not? You might know that your tongue is picking up all kinds of flavors, including salty, sweet, bitter, and sour. But what makes something taste sour? The sour taste is actually influenced by the pH and acids present in foods. In this activity, you will find out how sour different foods are by testing foods and drinks for the presence of acids with baking soda. What do you think is the sourest food you can find in… Read more

A Sweet Earthquake Shake on Landfill

STEM Activity

8 reviews

Have you ever thought about what type of ground buildings are constructed on? Rock, gravel, sand, soil and many others—there are lots of different types of "ground." And this issue becomes especially important in areas that are likely to get earthquakes. In this activity you will build a sweet building on a homemade shake table and find out how an earthquake impacts buildings constructed on landfill. How will your structure perform in a pretend earthquake? Read more

Absorb the Shock!

STEM Activity

6 reviews

Have you ever ridden in a car over a pothole or a speed bump? You might feel the bumps and get tossed up and down in your seat a little bit, but not nearly as much as you would if the car did not have a suspension. Try this engineering project to learn how a suspension helps give you a smoother ride! Read more

Balloon Powered Sound! Build Your Own Balloon Amplifier

STEM Activity

5 reviews

Have you ever watched an old movie, or a cartoon, where a character holds a cone to their ear in order to hear what people are saying? Believe it or not, those cones (known as ear trumpets) were the very first hearing aids and were very popular for a time. Even Ludwig Van Beethoven used one! They helped people hear by acting as a sound amplifier, collecting sound waves and focusing their energy into the ear. In today’s activity you are going to make a different type of sound amplifier… Read more

Battling Stains with Bleach

STEM Activity

5 reviews

Have you ever wondered why your dirty clothes come out of the washing machine white and clean? What makes all the stains disappear? The answer to that question is bleach - an ingredient that is present in most laundry detergents. Bleach is responsible for the whitening effect that occurs during washing and removes most of the stains. But how does it work? In this science activity you will find out by making food color disappear with the power of bleach! Read more

Bird-Spotting Science: Predicting a Bird's Lifestyle Based on its Feet

STEM Activity

6 reviews

Have you ever wondered how animals can survive in all sorts of extreme environments, from a polar bear that’s out and about when it’s -40°F and a desert iguana finding food as the temperature rises to 110°F, to a deep sea anglerfish living thousands of feet down in the sea? How do they do it? The answer is adaptations! Their bodies have special features that allow them to live in those environments. In this activity, you’ll investigate what the… Read more

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