STEM Activities for Kids (482 results)

Seeing Science: The Size of the Full Moon Rising

STEM Activity

3 reviews

Have you ever noticed how the moon appears bigger at the horizon, just as it is rising over the treetops, than it does later in the evening when it is overhead? Of course, the size of the moon does not change, but our perception of its size changes based on where it is in the sky. In this activity, you’ll investigate Emmert’s law, which helps explain the full moon illusion, and estimate the size of the perceived increase in size of the moon at the horizon. Then you… Read more

Seeing Science: Why do Video Game Characters Look Better Today?

STEM Activity

11 reviews

Have you ever wondered why video games today look better than video games from the 1980s? Today we have video games with relatively realistic figures, a lot of color and a lot of details, but these were not really features of games from the early 1980s. One major change between then and now is the number of pixels, or dots on the screen, used to represent video game objects. In this science activity you will put your artistic talent to use and investigate whether increasing the number of pixels… Read more

Sensing with Your Feet!

STEM Activity

3 reviews

How many objects do you think you are touching with your hands every day? A lot! Every time you touch something, your hands are able to feel how smooth, cold, warm, or rough the object is. In fact, your hands and fingers are so good at sensing details of shapes and surface textures that they are able to identify an object just by touching and without seeing it! You probably know that already because you have tried that before. Here is the challenge though: Do you think your feet can do the… Read more

Featured

Make String from Algae

STEM Activity

215 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

Shape Science: Play-Doh Math

STEM Activity

5 reviews

Have you ever had fun making different figures or colorful creations using some Play-Doh? You can squish and stretch a single piece of Play-Doh to make all sorts of shapes. How does changing the shape of a piece of Play-Doh affect its volume? In this science activity, you will find out by investigating how a piece of dough’s shape affects its dimensions (length, width and height), and how these changes are related to the dough’s volume. Read more

Singing Science: How High and Low Can Your Voice Go?

STEM Activity

5 reviews

Do you enjoy getting together with family and friends to sing familiar holiday songs? It can be fun to do this time of year, gathered around a piano with a warm fireplace nearby, or bundled up together outside. Have you ever wondered what the highest note is that you can sing? How about the lowest? Or what about other people – do you think males and females can reach the same notes? How about children and adults? In this “note”-worth science activity, you’ll get to… Read more

Skipping Science: An Experiment in Jump Rope Lengths

STEM Activity

2 reviews

Have you ever wondered how you could do jump rope faster? The U.S. jump-rope record for the greatest number of jumps in one minute is 367! That's more than six jumps a second! How close do you think you can get to that number? What are some of the factors that will help you jump faster? One is the length of the jump rope! Read more

Sliding Science: How are Landslides Caused?

STEM Activity

3 reviews

Have you ever seen a video of a landslide? Landslides are powerful geological events that happen suddenly, causing fear in people who live in areas with unstable hills, slopes and cliff sides. Each year in the United States, landslides can cause billions of dollars in damages, in addition to changing the environment and damaging the surrounding habitats. In this science activity, you will model landslides using a clipboard and pennies, and investigate how friction and the angle of a… Read more

Slinking Slinkies

STEM Activity

2 reviews

Have you ever watched a Slinky "walk" down a flight of stairs and wondered how it works? It's a fascinating thing to see and a big part of the Slinky's appeal. These spring toys have been popular for well over half a century; your parents, or even grandparents, may have played with them. Slinkies not only make fun toys, they are also great for doing physics and engineering activities. In this activity you will investigate how the angle of an inclined plane affects how well a… Read more

Slip Sliding Away: Experimenting with Friction

STEM Activity

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

Slippery Slopes and the Angle of Repose

STEM Activity

5 reviews

Have you ever seen an avalanche or landslide roll down a hill? Why is it that at one moment, everything seems fine, then suddenly the mountain begins to slump? It has something to do with how the earth or snow is piled up on the mountain. Generally, granular materials such as snow or earth pile up relatively well. However, if the slope angle gets too steep, the materials will start to slide down the slope. This critical slope angle, also called the angle of repose, is different for different… Read more

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