Hey there, young scientists andexplorers! Are you ready for some amazing adventures? We've collected a bunchof cool STEM activities just for you! STEM is all about asking questions,trying new things, and solving problems. So, put on your thinking caps and getready to step into the wonderful world of STEM. Let's make, create, anddiscover together!
1. Build a Catapult
Ever seen a catapult in action? Ancientwarriors often use it to throw huge rocks over castle walls. Now, you can makea catapult of your own! Build a mini launcher and watch things fly across theroom. Try different objects to see what flies best. You'll learn aboutmachines, stored energy, and how things move.
What You Need:
12 popsicle sticks, rubber bands, aplastic spoon, and a small marshmallow
What to Do:
1. Stack 12 popsicle sticks together.Wrap rubber bands tightly around both ends of the stack.
2. Attach the other popsicle stick tothe bottom of the stack to form a cross shape.
3. Use a rubber band to attach a plasticspoon to one end of the bottom stick.
4. Put a small marshmallow in the spoon.
5. Pull back the tongue of the spoon andlet go of the marshmallow.
6. Try to put different things in thespoon. Also, try to adjust the number of popsicle sticks stacked together!
2. Make a Lava Lamp
Want to make colorful blobs dance? Let’screate our own lava lamp! Now, mix a few things and watch bubbles rise andfall. It's like having a tiny, colorful volcano in a bottle. This funexperiment teaches you about density, chemical reactions, and how differentliquids interact.
What You Need:
Vegetableoil,water, food coloring, and an Alka-Seltzer tablet
What to Do:
1. Fill a clear container 2/3 full withvegetable oil.
2. Add water until the container isalmost full.
3. Add 10 drops of food coloring.
4. Break an Alka-Seltzer tablet into 4pieces.
5. Drop in one piece at a time and watchthe bubbles dance!
6. Add more pieces when the bubblingslows down.
3. Create a Rainbow in a Jar
Ever wished you could catch a rainbowand keep it forever? Now you can! In this magical activity, you'll layerdifferent liquids to create a stunning rainbow that stays put in a jar. As youbuild your rainbow, you'll discover fascinating facts about liquid density,color theory, and how different substances interact.
What You Need:
A tall jar, honey, dish soap, water, vegetable oil, baby oil, rubbing alcohol, and foodcoloring (purple, blue, green, yellow, red)
What to Do:
1. Mix purple food coloring with honey,and pour them into the bottom of the jar (about 1 inch).
2. Carefully add dish soap mixed withblue food coloring on top of the honey.
3. Pour water mixed with green foodcoloring on top of the soap.
4. Add vegetable oil mixed with yellowfood coloring.
5. Pour baby oil mixed with orange foodcoloring.
5. Finally, pour in rubbing alcoholmixed with red food coloring.
6. Watch as the colors settle into abeautiful rainbow!
4. Fly a Paper Airplane
Do you dream of designing supersonicjets? Start your aviation career by crafting the perfect paper airplane! You'llfold, adjust, and test your creation to achieve the longest, smoothest flightspossible. Have a contest with your friend to see whose plane goes the farthest.You'll learn why planes stay up in the air and how their shape matters.
What You Need:
Just A4 paper!
What to Do:
1. Fold a piece of A4 paper in halflengthwise, then unfold.
2. Fold right corners on side A (rightside in this video) to the center crease.
3. Fold the edges on side A again to thecenter crease.
4. Fold the sharpest corner to the edgeof the other side.
5. Flip the paper. Fold the wings alittle bit inwards.
6. Flip the paper again. Fold the paperplane’s head to the other side.
7. Fold the plane in half along thecenter crease.
8. Fold the wings down.
9. Adjust the wings and let it fly!
5. Build a Solar Oven
Can you really cook food using just thepower of the sun? You bet! In this brilliant activity, you'll uses the sun'sheat to warm things up—all without electricity or fire! This project teachesyou about renewable energy, heat transfer, and how different materials interactwith light and heat.
What You Need:
A pizza box, tin foil, tape, scissors, plasticwrap, a pencil, a black paper plate, and food to cook (like pizza bagels)
What to Do:
1. Cover the inside of the pizza boxwith tin foil and tape it down.
2. Cut a flap in the lid of the box tocreate a "window." (Ask an adult to help with cutting!)
3. Cover the window with plastic wrapand tape it around the edges.
4. Cover the cut-out flap with tin foil(shiny side out).
5. Use a pencil to prop up the flap atan angle.
6. Place your food on the black paperplate inside the box.
7. Take your solar oven outside andposition it so the sunlight reflects off the foil flap and into the box.
8. Wait for your food to cook!
6. Make a Balloon Rocket
Ever dreamed of launching your ownrocket? Get ready for liftoff with this awesome balloon rocket experiment!You'll create a miniature rocket that zooms across the room, powered by nothingbut air. Race with friends or parents to see whose goes fastest. You'll learnhow pushing air out makes things move forward.
What You Need:
A balloon, string, a straw, tape, twoheavy objects (like chairs or tables), and a helper (friend, sibling, orgrown-up)
What to Do:
1. Tie one end of the string to a heavyobject.
2. Thread the other end of the stringthrough the straw.
3. Tie the second end of the string toanother heavy object, making a straight line.
4. Blow up the balloon about halfway andpinch the end to keep the air in.
5. With your helper, tape the balloon tothe straw.
6. Pull the balloon and straw to one endof the string.
7. Let go of the balloon and watch yourrocket zoom along the string!
7. Create a Lemon Battery
Did you know you can make electricityfrom a lemon? It's true! In this fun experiment, you'll turn ordinary fruitinto a power source. Watch in amazement as your lemon battery lights up a smallbulb or even power a calculator! This activity will introduce you to basicelectrical circuits, electrochemistry, and how chemical energy can be convertedinto electrical energy.
What You Need:
Lemons (at least 4 for better results),galvanized nails (zinc-coated), copper pennies, voltmeter, LED light, smalljumper cables with alligator clips, and a calculator
What to Do:
1. Insert a galvanized nail (zinc side) into one side of a lemon.
2. Makea small cut in the other side of the lemon and insert a copper penny.
3. Connectthe voltmeter to test your battery:
- Red lead to the copperpenny (positive)
- Black lead to the zinc nail(negative)
4. Toincrease voltage, add more lemons:
- Connect the copper(positive) of one lemon to the zinc (negative) of the next lemon.
- Repeat for all lemons.
5. Tolight an LED:
- Connect the LED's positivelead (longer wire) to the copper penny of the last lemon.
- Connect the LED's negativelead (shorter wire, near the flat spot on the base) to the zinc nail of thefirst lemon.
- You may need all fourlemons to see a dim glow.
6. To power a calculator, connect it to two lemon batteries.
8. Build a Marble Maze
Want to design your own maze game? Howabout building a marble maze of your own? In this activity, you’ll buildtwisting paths, tricky obstacles, and challenging routes. Test your friends andfamily to see if they can solve your maze design. As you create and play withyour maze, you'll learn about gravity, momentum, and how the design of a pathaffects the motion of an object.
What You Need:
A cardboard box, straws, tape, andmarbles
What to Do:
1. Cut off the top flaps of a cardboardbox.
2. Plan your maze design on paper first.
3. Use tape to stick straws to the boxbottom, creating paths.
4. Add obstacles and dead ends to makeit challenging.
5. Cut a hole at the start and finish ofyour maze.
6. Drop in a marble and try to guide itthrough!
9. Explore Coding with Scratch
Ever wished to learn coding in a fun way?With Scratch, you can! This amazing coding methods let you build programs throughdrags and drops on a computer. You do not have to memorize all the tediousfunctions and coding structures. Instead, you just need to find the code blocksyou want and pile them together. Come and try it out!
What You Need:
A computer with internet access
What to Do:
1. Go to the Scratch website(scratch.mit.edu).
2. Click "Create" in the top navigationbar to start a new project.
3. Start coding!
10. Have fun with coding robots
If you try with a coding robot, you’llfind coding more interesting than ever. Compared with Scratch, robots candirectly react to your coding. This hands-on building and coding, this learningwith quick response gives kids a sense of achievements, and makes them alwayshappy to learn new things. Of course, we’d like you to take a look at our products, which are speciallydesigned for kids from different age groups.
What You Need:
An age-appropriate coding robot
What to Do:
1. Go to the product overview page of WhalesBot and pick a robot kit bestfor your kid’s age.
2. After you get this kit, read thequick start in the kit to start using.
3. Start fun building by following theinstructions in booklets or courses.
Conclusion
The great thing about STEM is thatthere's always more to learn and explore. Every time you try something new, ask"what if?", or figure out a problem, you're doing STEM. So what areyou waiting for? Just look around, find things you can use, and start a STEM activityas you like. Enjoy your time!
