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https://theeducatorsspinonit.com/2016/03/spring-stem-activities-for-kids.html#more

Students use a balance scale to take unknown quantities of mass and compare them. (Lesson link is made for spring time however could be used anytime of the year)

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https://babbledabbledo.com/science-for-kids-scupley-ships/

Students will create boats using clay to demonstrate how when weight is spread out it can float. They will design their own boats to see if their design works and then create a story about the people inside the boat with their partner.

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Pretending you are in the era of exploration, make a plan of your voyage to America (tech, boat, number of men, supplies, route, etc.). Then compare to what way and what supplies and tech you would need today.

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https://www.weareteachers.com/stem-teaching-with-lego/#.WU2ufoVMHYU

First graders will use Lego's to show how a frog starts as an egg and grows into a frog.

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Students will use Science art and engineering skills to create a model of a cell using the whole classroom

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In Modern Language class, or in English on a unit about World Literature, our students will write about the technological advances of another country. If they are advanced enough, they will have to write in the language we are teaching. Or they can use the assignment focusing on technology to learn more about the culture of the target country.

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https://educationtothecore.com/2015/10/using-stem-as-your-time-machine-for-history/

Students would modify a prior invention, in this case it would be the plow. Students will work on finding a way to improve the shape of the blade on the plow. While doing this they will need to critically think of what shape would be most effective for going through soil for the most efficient farming method possible depending on the location that you are farming in.

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Origami & Technical Writing

Students will be given an example of completed origami. Their objective is to recreate their own origami of the same design without set instructions or directions. There are no wrong ways to recreate this origami unless their origami looks nothing like the original. Students will document the steps they took to recreate their origami example and then turn these notes into a refined step by step piece of technical writing.

Skills Learned: Complex problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration

Resources: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/why-origami-improves-students-skills-ainissa-ramirez

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Tessellations Activity integrates geometry, art, find motor skills.  http://faculty.salisbury.edu/~dccathcart/MATH230/Tessellations/StudentDrawings/Boczon2004.jpg

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http://stem-works.com/external/activity/575
In Earth science one of the biggest topics are natural disasters like earthquakes. For our activity the students will need to create an earthquake proof structure using only and marshmallows and toothpicks. In the future we will need engineers who can build real buildings that can withstand earthquakes.

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Music and English
Take a really old poem and use GarageBand to write a drum beat and melody to go underneath a reading of the poem, teaching the meaning of rhythm and rhyme in poetry and music

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Student will construct shapes from paper and measure how much weight that shape can hold.

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This post may contain affiliate links.

We love fun and easy STEM ( Science, Technology Engineering and Math) activities.

This engineering challenge activity can be done by young kids and older kids alike and uses what you already have on hand-no need to buy any supplies.

We are going to test the strength of paper, folded in differently shaped columns, by piling books on top. This is very similar to how columns are used to support buildings and other structures.

Triangle, square and circle. Which paper is the strongest?

Watch this video to see how we conducted our STEM challenge and what the results were.

{This post contains affiliate links. Your purchase helps with the costs of providing free activities on this blog. Thank you!}

The Science Behind It

The cylinder can support the most books because it's walls don't have any edges. The force of the books cannot become concentrated in a particular area. The load is distributed evenly. In other words, all parts of the cylinder are sharing the load of the books. All parts of the cylinder, therefore, contribute to it's overall strength until, finally, it collapses.

The square and triangle deform more easily. They shift the weight of the books to their edges and corners, which deforms their walls and leads to a quick collapse. They are unable to carry weight only at their edges.

Have you noticed columns in buildings and other structures, like parking garages? What shape are the columns? Are they on the inside of the building/structure to serve their practical purpose of supporting beams or arches? Or are they exterior columns which lend support but also beauty to the structure?

Early architects in several ancient civilizations used columns in architecture including the ancient Egyptians, Persians, Greeks and Romans.

We used this LEGO kit to demonstrate both interior and exterior columns in architecture.

Challenge Instructions

Use regular copy paper, not card stock for this challenge.

Fold each paper into the three shapes and secure with tape.

Slowly pile books on top of each shape.

How many books can you pile on top of each shape? We did this experiment three times and got three different results, although the cylinder always bore the weight of three to four times the amount of books as the square or triangle.

We were inspired to do this experiment by Janice VanCleave's 200 Gooey, Slippery, Slimy, Weird and Fun Experiments .

More fun STEM activities for kids:

Share this idea on Pinterest:

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STEM Activities for Kids: How strong is a piece of paper? | Creekside Learning

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This post may contain affiliate links. We love fun and easy STEM ( Science, Technology Engineering and Math) activities. This engineering challenge activity can be done by young kids and older kids alike and uses what you already have on hand-no need to buy any supplies.

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We will do musical water glasses to relate Music, math, And science through fractions and sound waves.

blog.connectionsacademy.com/experiment-with-musical-water-glasses/

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For secondary education, subject history, we decided while teaching about protesting and the revolution songs in the 60’s and 70’s, we would have our students take one of their own personal problems and create their our protest or revolution song/rap/or poem. This is applying STEAM by taking fine arts elements like music and language arts and incorporating
theminto history.

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Students will compose a song/piece utilizing varying frequencies in audacity versus utilizing the western keyboard. This will teach students concepts that they are learning not only in the music classroom, but also their science and math classrooms. They will then have to calculate what pitches they wish to use and engineer where these said pitches fundamentally belong.

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First graders will construct the final product of legos, based on the illustrated problem.

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http://www.gophersport.com/blogentry/steam-and-physical-education-meeting-the-curve

PE Steam integration

We came up with an idea for a lesson inspired by the article where students could be given a set of equipment, then design a game or PE activity based on using every piece they have. Students could be required to come up with three different activities, and appropriate rules for each. Students could write down the rules and procedure of the game, draw pictures, and create a board or trophy for the winner.

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Students will be given fake money to buy materials to build a boat. Once they build the boats they have to estimate how many pennies it will take before the boat sinks.

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Students will learn how to make slim as a science project. They will learn about different states of matter or just mixing ingredients together to see the final product.

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Have the students create 3 different columns with different shapes as the base. There will be a cylinder, column with square base, and column with triangle base. The students will put different amounts of books on each column and see which one will withstand the longest.

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Ceate inventions from the time period that we are studying. For example, making a Tesla coil while studying the late 1800s or looking at the differences between ac and dc power.

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We will have differing sizes of PVC pipe for students. With adult supervision, they can either make a wind instrument by putting holes into it or use a couple to make a small xylophone.
Source: Pinterest

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During a history unit, kids will become "inventors" and create new machines to do tasks common in the era being studied. They will use marshmallows and toothpicks to make their inventions. Done. Boom. *mic drop

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Catapult Physics Lesson

http://livingwellmom.com/2015/05/catapult-for

Students will be given tacky glue or hot glue, rubber bands, popsicle sticks, and a soda bottle cap to create a catapult and launch pom poms across the room. Through this STEAM activity students will be learning about trajectory and angles in motion. This project will help develop problem solving skills and critical thinking approaches, encouraging students to experiement and invent solutions to problems.

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Whitney Raider-Wexler & Kelsey Mackeprang

https://buggyandbuddy.com/paper-plate-marble-maze/

The students will make a marble maze using strings, paper, tape and more on a paper plate. Then they will have to be able to get their marble from the starting place to the end. This will be tied in with a lesson about gravity, this can be shown by how the marble is able to move without anyone touching it.

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Students will design a house that can withstand hurricane forc
e winds, yet still appeal to homeowners.
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/STEM-Challenge-Project-Hurricane-Defender-Build-a-Hurricane-Proof-House-3145618

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Water Color Houses

Students will cut out template, and trace onto water color paper, and cut it out, and figure out how to fold the template appropriately to configure it into a house. Students will tape it together, use watercolors to add designs. Students can use dripping, splattering, brushing, or squirt guns. Students will explore the way colors mix together to create different colors and patterns. This can help students explore architecture and building.
https://leftbraincraftbrain.com/watercolor-paper-houses-steam-activity-for-kids/

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Students will read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom to practice their reading fluency and letter recognization. Next, students will build a three-dimensional tree out of wood blocks, popsicle sticks, and alphabetic magnets. The purpose of this is for students to work together to create a tree that holds the most letters. Students then draw a picture and write about what letters their final tree holds!

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Use your favorite read aloud books to create fun and hands-on ways to challenge children's thinking and problem-solving skills with Preschool STEM activities.

STEAM is the combination of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. STEAM activities help promote essential 21st-century skills, which is important in preparing our children for an unknown future.

This post contains affiliate links to products I personally recommend. Click here to read my full disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting Hand Made Kids Art.
A STEAM challenge is designed for children to help inspire creativity, collaboration, communication, and encourage critical thinking, otherwise known as the 4 C's.
You do not need expensive or fancy equipment to set up STEAM activities for children. Many STEAM challenges may be accomplished with simple classroom supplies. Check out our alphabet inspired STEAM challenge below!

STEAM Challenge:

Can you build an alphabet tree?

How many letters does it hold?

Objective: Build a three-dimensional Chicka Chicka Boom Boom alphabet tree that can hold the most alphabet letters.

Materials: Alphabet Letters, Craft Sticks, Blocks

Read the story, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.

Ask: How can we build a tree that can hold different alphabet letters using these materials?

Imagine: Give students time to experiment and play with the materials.

Plan: Discuss and collaborate together or in small groups, on how to build a tree that can hold more than one letter. Students may wish to draw their design.

Create: Build your tree.

Improve: Discuss how you can improve your tree. Allow students to redesign their tree to try and hold more letters.

Share: Draw a picture of your final tree with the alphabet letters. Share with parents or other classmates.

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Storytime STEAM with Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

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Use your favorite read aloud books to create fun and hands-on ways to challenge children's thinking and problem-solving skills with Preschool STEM activities. STEAM is the combination of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. STEAM activities help promote essential 21st-century skills, which is important in preparing our children for an unknown future.

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Have the students create a magic move on keynote where they will show the healthy foods put into the human body. This will be for health class for 3rd grade. Students will use
creativity and technology.

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http://www.playdoughtoplato.com/water-cycle-bag/http://www.playdoughtoplato.com/water-cycle-bag/

Students will learn about the water cycle by seeing how is works in a small simulation

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https://games.legendsoflearning.com/game/WyJnYW1lcyIsNDg2XQ==https://games.legendsoflearning.com/game/WyJnYW1lcyIsNDg2XQ==
Game that introduces students to the idea of population distribution

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http://bsbooklove.blogspot.com/2016/09/stem-in-english-language-arts-class.html

Students will create a tiny house inspired by a specific author or book. Students will use design tools and fine arts skills to build these houses along with research about the text.

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We are going to read the book “Bartholomew and the oobleck” and then we will have the students make their own oobleck as a science experiment. This will connect our English lesson with our science lesson creating a sciencfic experiment that they can take and use. This would be ideal for a 5th grade class and then they Luke grate a story using imagination to tell their story story about their oobleck

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http://pin.it/8s87Fk0

Students create a marble maze on a paper plate. Students have to be create and use problem solving skills to solve the maze.

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Jillian Jantz
Michelle Bradshaw
Elementary students will create their own business. They will decide what they will sell, how much they will need to buy, cost of product, advertisement, etc. this will cover math, art, English, business, and more!

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Students will create ancient civilizations in social studies using household materials.

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This project incorporates physics concepts of motion and maths application of the quadratic motion into an engineering project

https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/popsicle-stick-catapult-kids-stem-activity/https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/popsicle-stick-catapult-kids-stem-activity/

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March Madness Basketball Shooter: Nicole Davis, Ashleigh Kingsland 

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March Madness Basketball Shooter: Nicole Davis, Ashleigh Kingsland 

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https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/March-Madness-STEM-Challenge-Basketball-Shooter-NGSS-Aligned-3025678
Students plan, design, and execute their own ideas for creating a basketball shooter and goal. After they have completed their activity, there is time for reflection on what worked and what didn't

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Genius Hour - this activity allows students to think of their own passions and interests to choose their own project. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Genius-Hour-Printable-AND-Digital-for-Google-Classroom-Starter-Kit-4th-5th-6th-3376190?utm_source=Promoted+Pin&utm_campaign=Genius+Hour&pp=0

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For a secondary English classroom, we could make a lesson that incorporates technical writing into the classroom. We would have the students read a piece of technical writing and then respond using formal diction.

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https://education.minecraft.net/https://education.minecraft.net/ using the program Minecraft education have students be placed into an environment with limited resources and challenge them to create sustainable structures that work with the environment. Have them journal about their attempts what worked what didn’t what they changed along thr way.

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Have the students create an iMovie project where they are reenacting as a group a civil rights or major historical event. They will be utilizing the technology and arts aspect of STEAM by using iMovie to create the project while also integrating their creativity through what they've learned in the social studies lesson.

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In this lesson students work with water and oil and find what materials clean up an oil spill. http://scienceafterschool.blogspot.com/2012/07/oil-spill-connecting-stem-activities-to.htmlhttp://scienceafterschool.blogspot.com/2012/07/oil-spill-connecting-stem-activities-to.html

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Use cardboard, scale up, and make group project. Roles could be interior designer, architect, construction science, engineer, etc. Must have 20 different furnishings so volume and area of house must be calculated correctly.

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Build A Tiny House! Project Based Learning Activity, A PBL

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If you've been watching TV or reading magazines, chances are you've seen a tiny house. These little homes are everywhere...and now, we're asking students to make their own 3D version! Build A Tiny House is a project based learning (PBL) activity that'll put the designing into the hands of the students.

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educationtothecore.com

Solve everyday problems faced by a culture; everyday challenges.  ?

Design shelters that withstand natural disasters. Build off resources founded in that area.

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http://onelittleproject.com/shaving-cream-rain-clouds/

How clouds and rain work together and rain goes through the clouds and makes it way to the earth.

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Foreign Language Secondary
Collaborate with students in the target language country to have pen pals  using Skype. This incorporates technology and real world collaboration.

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http://www.firstgradenest.com/2014/01/stem-making-boat.html

Make a boat that floats using straws and plastic wrap, see how many penny’s they can put on the boat. Collaboration, building, and critical thinking are required in this stem activity. This could be a science lessons in which students are introduced to a deeper thinking process.

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Have students use marshmallows and toothpicks to practice building 3D geometric shapes.

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Aram Boyajian and Lizzie Eades and Richard Carlson

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Aram Boyajian and Lizzie Eades and Richard Carlson

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https://educationtothecore.com/2015/10/using-stem-as-your-time-machine-for-history/
Create a Conestoga wagon using paper, toilet paper rolls, etc.

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http://pin.it/bH6oEc0

The Cup Challenge asks the students to build a structure out of 100 cups in order to race a friend in either height or time.

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http://pin.it/aXuSC_Ghttp://pin.it/aXuSC_G

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How communication has changed throughout the years.
Activity: students will create their own communication tool using cardboard, bottles, tape, and other various tools to portray their invention. Once finished, students will present to their classmates describing their creation and what it does.

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Having the students create a 3D model of a plant cell with spaghetti and marshmallows, then candy for the inside organelles.

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The activity that we selected is vocabulary basketball, students get a point for knowing the word, and get a shot if they know the definition. We are incorporating a popular sport with an activity that everyone will enjoy. http://4theloveofteaching.blogspot.com/2016/02/vocabulary-basketball.html

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m-chhttps://frugalfun4boys.com/2016/10/25/strong-spaghetti-stem-challenge-kids/
Engineering and science and math to see how much weight the uncooked noodles can hold. It can teach students how to place and problem solve to see how much support is needed.

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http://www.playdoughtoplato.com/cloud-in-a-jar

This activity incorporates critical thinking, teamwork, and relations to real world experiences.

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http://www.housingaforest.com/compass-painting/

Students use paint brush with a compass to paint instead of a pencil and then measure radius or circumference.