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Fun and familiar!

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Summer Science Choice Board- Mystery Doug

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Solid activities designed to be used right outside your front door!

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These activities are designed to be used right outside your door! Learn about and explore socio-ecological systems in your neighborhood by taking wondering walks, making observations, asking "Should We" questions, modeling data and relationships, conducting investigations, analyzing data and offering explanations, making new decisions and sharing with other families and friends. Each activity is explained in an overview document and then you can use the activity sheet to participate in the activity. If you don't have a printer, no worries! You can easily remake the activity sheets on a blank piece of paper! Photograph parts of your activities and post them to the Learning in Places Instagram page if you are inspired to share what you are learning in your neighborhood!

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Field-based Science Learning for Families

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These activities are designed to be used right outside your door! Learn about and explore socio-ecological systems in your neighborhood by taking wondering walks, making observations, asking "Should We" questions, modeling data and relationships, conducting investigations, analyzing data and offering explanations, making new decisions and sharing with other families and friends.

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This stellar collection can be done completely at home!

How to make the learning stick is a key feature of each activity (and what's more important than that?).

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By Popular Demand

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Stave off the dreaded "I'm bored" syndrome that hits partway into any vacation or downtime with a few of the BEST simple STEM activities that cost almost next to nothing. We have many easy STEM challenges to get the juices flowing, and keep the kiddos thinking and learning. As always, we have plenty of STEM projects to get you through the year. Shhh, don't tell them!

EASY STEM PROJECTS FOR KIDS TO KEEP THEM BUSY!

EASY STEM CHALLENGES

So you ask, what does costing next to nothing look like for a simple STEM activity? What materials do I actually need to do fun STEM activities? If I don't know much about STEM, can we still do these activities?

Easy STEM activities can look like grabbing items from the pantry, recycling bin, junk drawer, and maybe a trip to the dollar store too. I always like to ensure I have a few basic supplies, as you will find in our MUST HAVE STEM SUPPLIES LIST (free bonus pack too).

WHAT IS STEM?

First, STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math. STEM activities involving these fields have a huge impact on kids. Even the simplest STEM activities, like building the catapult I talk about below, provide numerous opportunities for kids to learn and explore STEM.

These STEM building activities might look like your kids are just playing, but they are doing much more. Look closely; you will see the engineering design process in motion. You will see experimenting and critical thinking in action and notice problem-solving at its finest. When kids play, they learn about the world around them!

STEM TEACHES LIFE SKILLS

These simple STEM activities for elementary to middle school work just as well in the classroom as they do for distance learning, homeschool groups, or screen-free time at home. Also perfect for library groups, scouting groups, and vacation camps.

I highly encourage you to get in on the fun if you can but hold back on providing the answers when things don't go as expected!
Read more on how STEM provides real-world skills!
Frustration and failure go hand in hand with success and perseverance. You can provide encouragement when things aren't working well and offer congratulations for a successful challenge completed. Younger kids may need more assistance, while older kids might choose to work independently.

It's always good to discuss the importance of failing with our kids. Some of our greatest inventors, like Darwin, Newton, Einstein, and Edison, failed and failed time again, only to make history later on. And why is that? Because they didn't give up.

STEM RESOURCES TO GET YOU STARTED

Here are a few resources that will help you introduce STEM more effectively to your kiddos or students and feel confident yourself when presenting materials. You'll find helpful free printables throughout.

10 SIMPLE STEM ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

So let's start with some of the best, simplest, and most fun STEM activities that will have your kids chanting your name and eagerly waiting for the next awesome idea.

Each of these easy STEM activities will provide you with a materials list or you can read about it under the descriptions below. The STEM supplies are pretty simple and you probably have most of it floating around the house.

1. Build a Catapult

Time to storm the castle with a homemade catapult that explores many parts of STEM and that is entirely playful. The kids will come back to this one over and over again. We have several popular versions of the homemade catapult, the best being made out of craft sticks and rubber bands.
POPSICLE STICK CATAPULT PENCIL CATAPULT MARSHMALLOW CATAPULT LEGO CATAPULT
2. Build a Balloon Rocket

Oh, the fun you can have with Sir Isaac Newton, a balloon, a straw, and some string. Explore Newton's Third Law of Motion when you make a balloon rocket. Have races, conduct experiments, and explore physics while you play.

Here's also our Christmas theme balloon rocket... Santa's Balloon Rocket

Alternatively, you can make a balloon car!

3. Build Structures

All you need is a box of toothpicks and a bag of mini marshmallows, gumdrops, or styrofoam peanuts. Turn it into a challenge to build a certain style of a bridge, a famous monument or simply an abstract creation. Or you can challenge the kids to build a tower 12″ tall (or any other height).
GUMDROP STRUCTURES GUMDROP BRIDGE BUILDING POOL NOODLE STRUCTURES EDIBLE STRUCTURES STYROFOAM BALLS
4. 100 Cup Tower Challenge

Grab a bag of 100 cups at the grocery store and challenge the kids to build a tower with all 100! That will keep them busy. Grab a free printable too!
CHECK OUT: 100 Cup Tower Challenge
5. Think Like the 3 Little Pigs (Architectural Activity)

What happens when you take a classic fairy tale like The Three Little Pigs and you join it with architectural inspiration from Frank Lloyd Wright? You get an awesome STEM picture book called The Three Little Pigs: An Architectural Tale written by Steve Guarnaccia. Of course, we had to come up with an easy STEM project to go along with it and a free printable pack too!
CHECK OUT: DESIGN A HOUSE (with printables)
6. Learn Basic Coding

Computer coding with LEGO® is a great introduction to the world of coding using a favorite building toy. Yes, you can teach young kids about computer coding, especially if they are highly interested in computers and how they work.
PRINTABLE ALGORITHM GAMES LEGO CODING ACTIVITIES CODE YOUR NAME IN BINARY
7. Build a Marble Run

Building a marble run is full of design possibilities and encourages those engineering skills. You can build it on the wall with cardboard tubes and tape, LEGO bricks on a baseplate, or in a box top with tape, craft sticks, or straws.
LEGO MARBLE RUN CARDBOARD TUBE MARBLE RUN POOL NOODLE MARBLE RUN
8. Paper Chain Challenge

Only one sheet of paper needed to get started with this super easy to set up STEM challenge. As long as your kiddo can use scissors safely, this is a great challenge to try! Perfect for different ages, groups, and team building!
CHECK OUT: Paper Chain Challenge
You can also find more easy STEM activities with paper here.

9. Egg Drop Challenge

If you can stand to give your kids a carton of raw eggs, this type of STEM challenge will be a blast. Have each kid design a mechanism that will protect a raw egg from breaking when dropped. Look around the house for items that could work. Challenge your kids to only use what they can find and not buy.
CHECK OUT: EGG DROP PROJECT
10. Build A Simple Machine

Simple machines make our lives so much easier. Do your kids know all 6 simple machines? Have them do some investigative research and find a simple machine they can build from materials on hand.
LEGO SIMPLE MACHINES HOMEMADE PULLEY SYSTEM BUILD A WINCH
CHECK OUT MORE FUN STEM ACTIVITIES

Printable STEM Pack for Kids

80+ Doable Engineering Projects in one convenient pack!

Full instructions with sample images

Activity-specific instruction sheets

Data Collection Sheets

Questions for Reflection

Architecture Building Cards: Try the tallest tower challenge

Bridge Building Cards: Explore different types of bridges to build your own.

Paper Chain STEM Challenge: Who can make the longest chain? Great icebreaker or quick challenge!

3 Little Pigs Architectural Pack: Design a house that won't blow away!

Great marshmallow challenge: A classic challenge kids love!

Real-world STEM challenge lesson but don't know where to start? Our easy-to-follow template shows the steps!

What's the difference between a scientist and an engineer?

Crossword and word search with engineering vocabulary.

Engineering vocabulary cards

Design a one-of-a-kind invention and write about it with this 5-page activity!

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Easy STEM Activities For Kids - Little Bins for Little Hands

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Pull out our list of the best ever easy STEM activities the kids will love. Simple STEM challenges with cheap supplies.

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This one's got it all!

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Welcome to Crash Course Kids! This bi-weekly show from the producers of Crash Course is all about gradeschool science. We’ll look at Earth, Habitats, Space, Chemical Reactions, Engineering, and much much more with host Sabrina Cruz. So, join us every Tuesday and Thursday for new uploads. This series is beginning with 5th grade science, so we’ll be delving into Earth Science, Physical Science, Biology, Geography, Engineering, and Astronomy. Have a look at our playlists on each subject!

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Key Science Idea to Consider: How does each organism's structures relate to its functions?

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Highly engaging science videos...and so much more!
LOG IN: PineKnob
PASSWORD: Tigers

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Online Science Videos & Lessons For K-8 | Generation Genius

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Get instant access to hours of fun, standards-based learning videos, lesson plans, activities, quizzes & more.

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Bounteous (and high-quality) science games here!

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We offer free Smithsonian STEM games and simulations online or for download! Our games are designed with clear learning objectives, vetted by our team of curriculum experts, and are used by students around the world!

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We offer free Smithsonian STEM games and simulations online or for download! Our games are designed with clear learning objectives, vetted by our team of curriculum experts, and are used by students around the world!

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Not all science requires expensive and hard to find chemicals or fancy laboratories. You can explore the fun of science in your own kitchen. Here are some science experiments and projects you can do that use common kitchen chemicals.

Click through the images for a collection of easy kitchen science experiments, along with a list of the ingredients you will need for each project.

More Kitchen Science Experiments To Try

Here are more fun and interesting kitchen science experiments you can try.

Candy Chromatography

Separate the pigments in colored candies using a saltwater solution and a coffee filter.
Experiment Materials: colored candies, salt, water, coffee filter

Make Honeycomb Candy

Honeycomb candy is an easy-to-make candy that has an interesting texture caused by carbon dioxide bubbles that you cause to form and get trapped within the candy.
Experiment Materials: sugar, baking soda, honey, water

Lemon Fizz Kitchen Science Experiment

This kitchen science project involves making a fizzy volcano using baking soda and lemon juice.
Experiment Materials: lemon juice, baking soda, dishwashing liquid, food coloring

Powdered Olive Oil

This is a simple molecular gastronomy project to turn liquid olive oil into a powdered form that melts in your mouth.
Experiment Materials: olive oil, maltodextrin

Alum Crystal

Alum is sold with spices. You can use it to grow a large, clear crystal or a mass of smaller ones overnight.
Experiment Materials: alum, water

Supercool Water

Make water freeze on command. There are two easy methods you can try.
Experiment Materials: bottle of water

Edible Water Bottle

Make a ball of water with an edible shell.

This content is provided in partnership with National 4-H Council. 4-H science programs provide youth the opportunity to learn about STEM through fun, hands-on activities, and projects. Learn more by visiting their website.

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Over 20 Fun Kitchen Science Experiments for Kids

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Not all science requires expensive and hard to find chemicals or fancy laboratories. You can explore the fun of science in your own kitchen. Here are some science experiments and projects you can do that use common kitchen chemicals.