3 STEM-Inspired Thanksgiving Activities

This Thanksgiving, bring meaningful moments of learning into the celebration! Through seasonal science, hands-on challenges and cooking, children can spark their inner creativity and build STEM skills along the way.

Read on to find the top activities for children to keep growing their skills over Thanksgiving.

Marbled Fall Leaves

Looking for a way to bring the vibrant foliage to life through science? Start by gathering food coloring, a pencil, a plate or tray, ruler, scissors, shaving cream, toothpicks and white paper. Once you’ve gathered your supplies, help your child trace leaf shapes on the paper and then cut them out.

Next, they can give their leaves a colorful touch! Spread the shaving cream on a plate or tray, add drops of fall-colored food coloring and gently swirl the colors with a toothpick. Have your child press each paper leaf into the mixture, lift it out and using a ruler or other flat tool, gently scrape away the excess to reveal a dazzling marbled design.

Gourd Bird Feeder

Nature is often the greatest inspiration for engineering, and this hands-on activity encourages children to use their creativity to support birds and other wildlife in their community.

Using a gourd or small pumpkin, supervised children can carve out the center with a spoon. Next, they can add wooden skewers for structure before hanging their very own bird feeder. As they design and build, children can explore how engineers create solutions to meet the needs of people, animals and the environment.

Once their feeder has been hung, children can enjoy watching local birds and recording their observations.

Fall-Themed Cooking

Fall treats are the perfect way to invite STEM into the kitchen! Whether they are measuring ingredients for pumpkin bread, decorating turkey-shaped cookies or assembling a colorful veggie tray, children can explore science and math concepts while showcasing their creativity in the kitchen.

Through collaborative cooking and baking with family, kids can make both tasty dishes and treasured memories. These hands-on experiences help bring learning to life through real-world applications that help children grow their confidence and have fun with delicious Thanksgiving treats!

Find More Ways to Explore STEM

With a few simple materials and plenty of imagination, you can turn seasonal fun into impactful opportunities to create, explore and make new discoveries. Continue exploring our blog to uncover your next STEM-inspired activity.