5 Activities to Bring STEM to Your Community
What could be better than participating in fun STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities? Exploring alongside other creative thinkers and curious questioners! Our STEM activities are not just for individuals or classrooms to complete — whether it be with friends and family or with neighbors or at a community event, collaborating with peers helps you come up with bigger, better solutions to all kinds of problems.
The best part is, with so many cool ideas to uncover using just basic items from around your house, you can pick any activity that piques your interest. Now, go out to gather your team, put on your thinking caps and tackle the exciting challenges below, together!
Glide Through the Principles of Flight
Did you know that most paper airplanes are considered gliders rather than true airplanes? After the initial thrust of being thrown, the paper airplane flies by gliding. The way you bend the wings, shape the plane or add weight can impact the airtime, distance and direction of the paper airplane’s flight.
Build your own and observe how small changes make a huge impact with this STEM activity. Make it even more exciting for the group by starting a friendly competition and seeing who can make the plane with the longest glide!
Dive Into Water Cleanup
If you prefer the sea over the sky, try your hand at this STEM activity. First, you’ll work individually or in teams to design and prototype a unique water cleanup device — just like real inventors. Then, you can host a fun game of Blob Fish as a group to crown the pollution cleanup champion!
As you play, you’ll learn about the importance of access to clean water and inventors like National Inventors Hall of Fame® (NIHF) Inductee Ashok Gadgil, who created a water-disinfecting technology.
Create With Color, Consistency and Collage – Oh My!
Let your creativity run wild by experimenting with pigments like those found in nature, and then explore new and unique ways to use materials through materials science.
Think like inventors as you each extract color from unconventional items and combine textures to make your very own masterpiece in this STEM activity! When you’re all finished, host an art show to display your creations.
Go on a Water Balloon Rescue Mission
You may have heard of a water balloon toss, but have you ever participated in water balloon parachutes? As you might have guessed, the goal is to not pop the balloon in this STEM activity.
Using supplies that you likely already have, see who can keep their cargo safe even after launching it from a high, outdoor place. If your rescue mission fails and your water balloon bursts, don’t worry! Experiment with different shapes, sizes and materials for your parachute until all have made a successful landing, then celebrate your working prototypes!
Explore the Mysteries of the Sea
If you’ve ever imagined becoming the captain of a ship or dreamed of sailing across the ocean, this is the STEM activity for you!
Once you section off a large, designated “ocean” space and add your favorite sea life, you can plan your great adventure. Use innovative thinking to come up with waterproof shoes and take turns rolling some dice to determine how you must navigate across the water and earn points while avoiding any aquatic friends in your path.
Learn More!
To discover additional STEM activities that will be fun for your kids, their friends and even entire neighborhoods, we invite you to check out our blog!