STEM Resources for Educators

Keep Students Engaged With These Hands-on Activities

Our Ready, Set, STEM Handbook is filled with free and accessible STEM activities for elementary and middle school classrooms. You also can share it with parents for fun and learning at home. Best of all, these activities allow children to tap into their natural curiosity through the act of play.

Download Our Activity Handbook for Your Classroom

Free STEM Activities to Turn Your Classroom into a Collaborative, Creative Space

Ultimate Train Car Challenge

Students design a one-of-a-kind sleeper car for a train

Create Vintage Photographs

Students explore the art of photography with cyanotype paper

Smart Skyscraper City

Students are challenged to build a mini smart city with an amazing skyscraper
STEM Activities

STEM Activity: Create a Field Notebook

STEM Activities

STEM Activity: Exploring Colors in Nature

STEM Activities

STEM Activity: Create a Leprechaun Trap

STEM Activities

STEM Activity: Fashion Invention

STEM Activities

STEM Activity: Exploring Shadows on Groundhog Day

STEM Activities

STEM Activity: Magic Milk-y Way

STEM Activities

STEM Activity: Static Electricity Snowflakes

STEM Activities

STEM Activity: Create a 3D Design

STEM Activities

STEM Activity: Make Your Own Snowball Launcher

STEM Activities

STEM Activity: Power Up Your Battery-Operated Toys

STEM Activities

STEM Activity: Carbonation Chemistry

STEM Activities

STEM Activity: Internet Invention Quest

STEM Activities

STEM Activity: Solar Soaring

STEM Activities

STEM Activity: Solve a Math Story Mystery

STEM Activities

STEM Activity: Discovering the Science of Slime

STEM Activities

STEM Activity: Back-to-School Name Creations

STEM Activities

STEM Activity: Out-of-This-World Geology

STEM Activities

STEM Activity: Sweet and Sunny Solar Oven

STEM Activities

STEM Activity: Summer Solstice Shadow Watch

STEM Activities

STEM Activity: Tasty Fun With Flavor Layering

STEM Activities

STEM Activity: Baking With STEAM

STEM Activities

STEM Activity: Create a Morse Code Bracelet

STEM Activities

STEM Activity: Shaping Connections

STEM Activities

STEM Activity: Creating Colorful Ice Jewels

Inductee-Inspired Activities
These fun activities are a great way for students to unwind and learn more about the world’s greatest innovators: National Inventors Hall of Fame® Inductees.
Match the Inventor
Coloring Sheets
Word Search
Crossword Puzzle
Activity Sheets
Find an Innovation Icon
Read Inductee Stories
Watch Inductee Stories

Read Industry White Papers

Moving From STEM Anxiety to STEM Confidence

Explore the latest research on how invention education can help students reach their potential, decrease their anxiety in science and math, and other benefits.

Addressing Chronic Absenteeism in Schools Nationwide

Explore the causes and impacts of chronic absenteeism, and one way that National Inventors Hall of Fame programs can help address it through student engagement.

Promoting Family Engagement and Student Success Through Invention Education

Learn how schools are using invention education to provide students with family engagement opportunities, leading to positive academic and health benefits.
Part 3

Building the I Can Invent Mindset Through Real-World Lessons From Inventors

Learn how you can inspire your students with stories and lessons from inspiring National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees.
Part 2

Building the I Can Invent Mindset Through Real-World Lessons From Inventors

Explore three components of the I Can Invent® Mindset alongside three inspiring National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductee stories that exemplify the skills.

Simplifying Differentiated Learning With Invention Education

Explore research about differentiated learning along with a few strategies you can use in your district to integrate it into various learning environments.

How to Prepare Students for the Jobs of the Future

Read highlights from the World Economic Forum’s recent report about skills needed for the jobs of tomorrow, and learn what you can do to prepare your students.

SEI Research Shows NIHF Program Boosts Attendance, Grades and Test Scores

Learn how National Inventors Hall of Fame® invention education programming helps increase students’ grades, attendance and more.

How Can Invention Education Boost Students’ Engagement and Agency?

Learn how educators can use Self-Determination Theory to build a classroom environment that encourages students to be engaged in their learning.

How to Build a Strong STEM Pipeline

Explore some common gaps in the STEM pipeline and learn how one teacher developed her own STEM pipeline with the Camp Invention program at its base.

Keeping Students Engaged in Out-of-School Time

Learn how the U.S. Department of Education’s Engage Every Student Initiative can help schools provide valuable out-of-school-time learning opportunities.

How Invention Education and Free-Choice Learning Inspire Lifelong Exploration

Discover how free-choice learning and invention education can empower students and transform formal learning.

How Invention Education Prepares Students for the Future

Can you teach creativity? Explore this age-old question and learn how invention education can create a safe environment where children are free to dream and create.

Inventive Solutions for Uncertain Learning Environments

Discover how school administrators can support their students and teachers during times of uncertainty with flexible learning solutions and classroom strategies.

Making Children's Learning Visible Through Invention Education

Learn how invention education not only helps students develop key 21st-century skills, but also empowers them to make their learning visible.

Now Is the Time for Invention Education

Explore how invention education can help educators develop activities to support students' mental health.

Prioritizing Engagement in Summer Learning Recovery Planning

This white paper provides educators with tips they can use when planning student engagement strategies and designing summer learning recovery plans.

Helping Children Overcome the Fear of Failure

Learn about a few strategies educators can use to help students learn that failure is simply a part of the learning process.
Part 1

Building the I Can Invent Mindset Through Real-World Lessons From Inventors

Unpack parts of the I Can Invent® Mindset and see how students learn about them through the stories of National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees.

Using Invention Education to Support Social-Emotional Learning

Examine how invention education supports the development of key skills like collaboration and teamwork.

Implementing Project-Based Learning in At-Home Environments

Learn how a project-based learning approach can help distance learning programs adapt to each child’s interests and educational needs.

The I Can Invent Mindset: The National Inventors Hall of Fame’s Approach to Invention Education

Discover the key 21st-century skills that make up the I Can Invent Mindset — the foundation of National Inventors Hall of Fame STEM education programs.

Essential 21st-Century Skills for a Post-Pandemic World

Find out how you can help prepare your students to thrive in our rapidly changing world by developing 21st-century skills like critical thinking and collaboration.

How to Encourage an Innovative Mindset

Learn how teachers can help students develop an innovative mindset, which better equips them to face challenging situations in the future.

The Power of Intellectual Property Triangulation

Discover the inspiring story of the invention of the Post-it® Note as an example of how intellectual property protection can help new inventions succeed.

Stopping Summer Slide

Explore some of the solutions that educators can use to prevent summer slide with Title I funding.

How to Use Your Title I Resources Most Effectively

Learn about the history and evolution of Title I funding, and how these funds can be used to support students in your school district.

The Value of Project-Based Learning in STEM Education

Examine the benefits of incorporating project-based learning principles into STEM programs.

The Benefits of STEM Education at the Preschool Level

Learn about the benefits of STEM education for preschool learners and how these programs use the power of play to unlock students’ creative potential.

How Exposure to Innovation Helps Close the Gaps in STEM Fields

Explore the causes and the consequences of STEM gaps, as well as the need for role models in these fields.

The Importance of Early Exposure to Innovation

Explore how educators can use the power and influence of STEM role models to inspire children to become the creative leaders of tomorrow.

How to Cultivate a Maker Mindset in Your Makerspace

Discover how you can help students develop a maker mindset through interactive and empowering STEM activities.

Why Intellectual Property is Essential to STEM Education

Learn why intellectual property is a vital part of STEM education and understand the role these protections have played in American history.

How to Prepare the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs

Explore a few ways to help students build the key entrepreneurial skills they’ll need to become the leaders of the future.

What Do Children Want to Be When They Grow Up?

Discover how educators can use out-of-classroom learning opportunities and STEM role models to inspire students to become innovators.