Hey there, young scientists and explorers! Are you ready for some amazing adventures? We've collected a bunch of 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 get ready to step into the wonderful world of STEM. Let's make, create, and discover together!
1. Build a Catapult
Ever seen a catapult in action? Ancient warriors often use it to throw huge rocks over castle walls. Now, you can make a catapult of your own! Build a mini launcher and watch things fly across the room. Try different objects to see what flies best. You'll learn about machines, 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 to the bottom of the stack to form a cross shape.
3. Use a rubber band to attach a plastic spoon to one end of the bottom stick.
4. Put a small marshmallow in the spoon.
5. Pull back the tongue of the spoon and let go of the marshmallow.
6. Try to put different things in the spoon. Also, try to adjust the number of popsicle sticks stacked together!
2. Make a Lava Lamp
Want to make colorful blobs dance? Let’s create our own lava lamp! Now, mix a few things and watch bubbles rise and fall. It's like having a tiny, colorful volcano in a bottle. This fun experiment teaches you about density, chemical reactions, and how different liquids interact.
What You Need:
Vegetable oil, water, food coloring, and an Alka-Seltzer tablet
What to Do:
1. Fill a clear container 2/3 full with vegetable oil.
2. Add water until the container is almost 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 watch the bubbles dance!
6. Add more pieces when the bubbling slows down.
3. Create a Rainbow in a Jar
Ever wished you could catch a rainbow and keep it forever? Now you can! In this magical activity, you'll layer different liquids to create a stunning rainbow that stays put in a jar. As you build 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 food coloring (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 with blue food coloring on top of the honey.
3. Pour water mixed with green food coloring on top of the soap.
4. Add vegetable oil mixed with yellow food coloring.
5. Pour baby oil mixed with orange food coloring.
5. Finally, pour in rubbing alcohol mixed with red food coloring.
6. Watch as the colors settle into a beautiful rainbow!
4. Fly a Paper Airplane
Do you dream of designing supersonic jets? Start your aviation career by crafting the perfect paper airplane! You'll fold, adjust, and test your creation to achieve the longest, smoothest flights possible. 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 half lengthwise, then unfold.
2. Fold right corners on side A (right side in this video) to the center crease.
3. Fold the edges on side A again to the center crease.
4. Fold the sharpest corner to the edge of the other side.
5. Flip the paper. Fold the wings a little bit inwards.
6. Flip the paper again. Fold the paper plane’s head to the other side.
7. Fold the plane in half along the center 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 the power of the sun? You bet! In this brilliant activity, you'll use the sun's heat to warm things up—all without electricity or fire! This project teaches you about renewable energy, heat transfer, and how different materials interact with light and heat.
What You Need:
A pizza box, tin foil, tape, scissors, plastic wrap, a pencil, a black paper plate, and food to cook (like pizza bagels)
What to Do:
1. Cover the inside of the pizza box with tin foil and tape it down.
2. Cut a flap in the lid of the box to create a "window." (Ask an adult to help with cutting!)
3. Cover the window with plastic wrap and 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 at an angle.
6. Place your food on the black paper plate inside the box.
7. Take your solar oven outside and position 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 own rocket? Get ready for liftoff with this awesome balloon rocket experiment! You'll create a miniature rocket that zooms across the room, powered by nothing but air. Race with friends or parents to see whose goes fastest. You'll learn how pushing air out makes things move forward.
What You Need:
A balloon, string, a straw, tape, two heavy objects (like chairs or tables), and a helper (friend, sibling, or grown-up)
What to Do:
1. Tie one end of the string to a heavy object.
2. Thread the other end of the string through the straw.
3. Tie the second end of the string to another heavy object, making a straight line.
4. Blow up the balloon about halfway and pinch the end to keep the air in.
5. With your helper, tape the balloon to the straw.
6. Pull the balloon and straw to one end of the string.
7. Let go of the balloon and watch your rocket zoom along the string!
7. Create a Lemon Battery
Did you know you can make electricity from a lemon? It's true! In this fun experiment, you'll turn ordinary fruit into a power source. Watch in amazement as your lemon battery lights up a small bulb or even powers a calculator! This activity will introduce you to basic electrical circuits, electrochemistry, and how chemical energy can be converted into electrical energy.
What You Need:
Lemons (at least 4 for better results), galvanized nails (zinc-coated), copper pennies, voltmeter, LED light, small jumper cables with alligator clips, and a calculator
What to Do:
1. Insert a galvanized nail (zinc side) into one side of a lemon.
2. Make a small cut on the other side of the lemon and insert a copper penny.
3. Connect the voltmeter to test your battery:
- Red lead to the copper penny (positive)
- Black lead to the zinc nail (negative)
4. To increase voltage, add more lemons:
- Connect the copper (positive) of one lemon to the zinc (negative) of the next lemon.
- Repeat for all lemons.
5. To light an LED:
- Connect the LED's positive lead (longer wire) to the copper penny of the last lemon.
- Connect the LED's negative lead (shorter wire, near the flat spot on the base) to the zinc nail of the first lemon.
- You may need all four lemons 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? How about building a marble maze of your own? In this activity, you’ll build twisting paths, tricky obstacles, and challenging routes. Test your friends and family to see if they can solve your maze design. As you create and play with your maze, you'll learn about gravity, momentum, and how the design of a path affects the motion of an object.
What You Need:
A cardboard box, straws, tape, and marbles
What to Do:
1. Cut off the top flaps of a cardboard box.
2. Plan your maze design on paper first.
3. Use tape to stick straws to the box bottom, creating paths.
4. Add obstacles and dead ends to make it challenging.
5. Cut a hole at the start and finish of your maze.
6. Drop in a marble and try to guide it through!
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 through drags and drops on a computer. You do not have to memorize all the tedious functions and coding structures. Instead, you just need to find the code blocks you 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 navigation bar to start a new project.
3. Start coding!
10. Have fun with coding robots
If you try with a coding robot, you’ll find coding more interesting than ever. Compared with Scratch, robots can directly react to your coding. This hands-on building and coding, this learning with quick response gives kids a sense of achievements, and makes them always happy to learn new things. Of course, we’d like you to take a look at our products, which are specially designed 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 best for your kid’s age.
2. After you get this kit, read the quick start in the kit to start using.
3. Start fun building by following the instructions in booklets or courses.
Conclusion
The great thing about STEM is that there'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 are you waiting for? Just look around, find things you can use, and start a STEM activity as you like. Enjoy your time!
