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STEAM Activities

Winter STEM Projects for Kids

December 28, 2020 By Terri Thompson

Snow, icicles, frost, and more! There are so many fun things to explore in the winter.

These fun Winter STEM Projects for Kids will help you and your children explore all these fun aspects (and more).

So, let’s gather some supplies and get ready to learn.

Learn and have fun with all of these winter STEM projects for kids. Explore snow, ice, cold temperatures and more winter fun.

You’ll find projects to help you explore snow and ice. Or, explore a favorite winter drink. You’ll create, you’ll explore, and you’ll learn a lot. 

Let’s go have some fun!

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Learn and have fun with all of these winter STEM projects for kids. Explore snow, ice, cold temperatures and more winter fun.

Science Winter STEM Projects

Learn about friction with our fun Hockey Science Experiment.

Practice prediction and observation while you experiment with our Melting Snow Science Experiment.

Explore a favorite winter drink with our fun Hot Chocolate Science Experiment.

Make frost and explore winter weather with this Frost Snowman Experiment from Science Sparks.

Learn and have fun with all of these winter STEM projects for kids. Explore snow, ice, cold temperatures and more winter fun.

Art Winter STEM Projects

Explore melting snow to make art with this snow process art project from Mom Explores the Smokies.

Grow salt crystals to decorate your paper snowflakes with this fun Growing Salt Crystals project from Little Bins for Little Hands.

Use science to make beautiful frosty windows with this Epsom Salt Painting idea from Babies to Bookworms.

Create beautiful colorful icicles with this Colorful Icicle Science Project from Housing a Forest.

Learn and have fun with all of these winter STEM projects for kids. Explore snow, ice, cold temperatures and more winter fun.

Winter Engineering STEM Activities

Build a snowman with this fun STEM Snowman Craft from How Wee Learn.

Explore symmetry while you build beautiful snowflakes with this fun Pipe Cleaner Snowflake craft from The Joy of Sharing.

Put together a Winter Tinkering Kit from Little Bins for Little Hands and let your kids build and explore. 

Engineer an ice lantern with this fun project from STEAM Powered Family.

Learn and have fun with all of these winter STEM projects for kids. Explore snow, ice, cold temperatures and more winter fun.

You may also like one of these fun winter activities:

10 Ways to Explore Nature in Winter

Fun Winter Nature Books for Kids

Snow Painting

The Best Winter Art Projects for Kids

Learn and have fun with all of these winter STEM projects for kids. Explore snow, ice, cold temperatures and more winter fun.

My Must-Have STEM Resources

I don’t know about you, but I don’t always have time to prep fun STEM projects. That’s why I love Green Kid Crafts Discovery boxes. The boxes are packed full of projects that are fun and inviting. You can choose to get a subscription or a one-off box based off of a specific theme. Any one you choose would be a lot of fun!

Here are some of our favorites (you can purchase and find out more at each link):

Get a monthly subscription.

Intro to Electricity Box

Physics Box

Find all their fun STEM and science boxes here.

STEAM Family Activities

Wouldn’t it be so much fun to get STEAM family activities delivered to your inbox? I think so! That’s why I’ve created this fun series, STEAM Family Fun, to be delivered to your inbox. After going through all the letters in STEAM each week with a fun activity devoted to each, you’ll start receiving a fun STEAM activity once a month. (And I’ll also pop up in your inbox occasionally if I’ve got other fun things to share.)

Fill out the form below to start receiving STEAM Family Fun in your inbox.



STEAM Family Fun Email List Sign Up

5 Fun Ways to Learn With a Daily Weather Report

December 20, 2020 By Terri Thompson

I don’t know about you, but I check the weather app on my phone every single day. Sometimes, I’ll check multiple times.

But, do you ever share this habit with your kids? You should. It’s a great way to learn.

There’s more you can do than just simply checking in the weather. Check out these fun ways to learn with a daily weather report.

This simple STEM activity is fun and requires absolutely no prep time!

Get out your phone for this simple weather report activity. You can learn so much with a daily weather report. Here are a few ideas to try.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Five Ways to Learn with a Daily Weather Report

Compare temperatures

Use your math skills to discover the difference in temperatures. Find the difference between a day’s high temperature and its low temperature.

For example: Today’s high is 88 degrees and the low is 59 degrees. I use subtraction to find the difference. There will be a 29 degree difference today!

You could compare temperatures over the week. Record the temperature at the same time everyday. For example: What was the temperature at 3:00 pm every day? Find the temperature difference over the week. Find the difference between the week’s highest temperature and the lowest temperature. Or, simply find the difference between Monday’s 3:00 pm temperature and Tuesday’s 3:00 pm difference.

Get out your phone for this simple weather report activity. You can learn so much with a daily weather report. Here are a few ideas to try.

Learn to read a radar

Nowadays, we carry a weather report around in our pocket and can access it anytime. Because of that, I consider it a life skill to be able to click on the radar and know what it is telling you.

Do you know what all the colors mean? Do you know how to make the radar move and understand what it tells you?

Share this information with your kids and teach them how to understand what you’re seeing on the radar.

Note: You will want to pick a rainy or snowy day for this. There’s not much to see on the radar on a clear day!

Get out your phone for this simple weather report activity. You can learn so much with a daily weather report. Here are a few ideas to try.

Learn about predictions

Weather forecasting is all about making predictions. But, these predictions are pulled out of thin air, they’re based on a lot of information like weather patterns, radars, climate, and more.

You can learn more with one of these informative books:

Weather Forecasting by Gail Gibbons

Weather Words and What They Mean by Gail Gibbons

What Will the Weather Be? by Lynda DeWitt

Or, you can try this activity to learn more about weather prediction. Record the weather first thing in the morning. At the end of the day, go back to this prediction. Was the weather forecast correct? What changed?

Next look at the extended forecast and find the prediction for three days from now and five days from now. Was the forecast correct? What changed? Can you come up with some reasons why?

Get out your phone for this simple weather report activity. You can learn so much with a daily weather report. Here are a few ideas to try.

Use the weather report to plan the week

How does the weather report help you plan for the day or for the week? It can tell you whether you need to wear a winter coat or a light jacket. Or whether or not you need to grab an umbrella.

Are you planning a trip to the pool? Sit down with your kids and the extended forecast and have them help you pick the best day to go.

Look at the weather report before picking out your clothes for the next day. How did the weather report help you plan?

Get out your phone for this simple weather report activity. You can learn so much with a daily weather report. Here are a few ideas to try.

Other weather report activities

What else can you learn with a daily weather report?

You can find all sorts of information: rain totals, wind speed, air pressure, pollen count, etc.

You can look up cities around the world and see how it is different from what where you live.

Can you come up with some more ways to learn with a daily weather report?

Get ready to learn with these fun daily weather for kids activities. Learn to read a radar, use the weather forecast, and more.

You may also like one of these fun STEM activities:

Easy Sun Prints STEM Activity

Melting Crayons Science Activity

Melting Snow Science Experiment

What Causes Storms? Science Experiment at Frogs-and-Fairies

Learn More With a Book About the Weather

Combine this weather activity with a fun book to learn even more. Here are some great weather books that I’d recommend:

Do want more STEM activities?

Wouldn’t it be so much fun to get STEAM family activities delivered to your inbox? I think so! That’s why I’ve created this fun series, STEAM Family Fun, to be delivered to your inbox. After going through all the letters in STEAM each week with a fun activity devoted to each, you’ll start receiving a fun STEAM activity once a month. (And I’ll also pop up in your inbox occasionally if I’ve got other fun things to share.)

Fill out the form below to start receiving STEAM Family Fun in your inbox.



Fun STEM Building Toys for Kids

November 26, 2019 By Terri Thompson

One of the foundations of STEM education is engineering. I love this part because it is so creative.

If you want to encourage your kids to experiment with engineering, here are some fun STEM building toys you can have at home.

They’re great open-ended toys that will encourage creativity and STEM learning.

Encourage STEM learning at home with these fun open-ended STEM building toys for kids that will encourage creativity and engineering projects.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

What Does STEM Toys Mean?

What exactly is a STEM toy?

It’s one that encourages kids to learn a combination of science, technology, engineering, and math in a hands-on way.

There are a ton of STEM toys to choose from, but this list focuses only on engineering toys, specifically STEM building toys.

These toys are so much fun and are great investments. Your kids will have hours of fun!

Is LEGO a STEM Toy?

Absolutely!

LEGO Bricks encourage building and engineering skills both by designing and building your own structures or by learning to read instruction when you put together a fun set.

Or, use your Bricks to do one of these fun LEGO STEM Challenges!

I’ve included some great basic sets in this list as well as a fun add-on to use your LEGO Bricks to build basic machines.

STEM Building Toys for Kids

Encourage your kids to learn and have fun with this collection of open-ended STEM building toys. They're perfect for your little engineers!

LEGO Classic Large Creative Brick Box (790 Pieces)

Photo Credit: amazon.com

LEGO is the classic STEM toy. While there are a ton of fun themed sets, a classic set like this will encourage kids to be create and come up with their own designs.

Klutz LEGO Gadgets Science & Activity Kit

Photo Credit: amazon.com

Combine your LEGO bricks with this fun LEGO Gadgets set so you can build fun and simple machines.

LEGO DUPLO All-In-One Box of Fun (65 Pieces)

Photo Credit: amazon.com

If your kids are still too little for the classic LEGO bricks, get a fun bin of Duplo blocks which are perfect for preschoolers and toddlers.

Tinkertoy 30 Model Super Building Set

Photo Credit: amazon.com

I love LEGOs as a kid, but I also loved my set of Tinkertoys. Here is a fun updated version of this classic building toy.

Jumbo Cardboard Blocks

Photo Credit: amazon.com

Build big structures with this set of cardboard blocks. They're lightweight, safe, and easy to use.

Crazy Forts Building Set

Photo Credit: amazon.com

Use this fort building set to build giant structures that you can actually play in.

Marble Run Set

Photo Credit: amazon.com

Marble runs are a great STEM engineering project and you can make them over and over again with this fun marble run set.

Brain Flakes Interlocking Plastic Disc Set (500 Pieces)

Photo Credit: amazon.com

You can build anything you can imagine with this fun interlocking discs building set.

Magna-Tiles Clear Colors 100 Piece Set

Photo Credit: amazon.com

Magnetic tiles are an extremely popular STEM building toy. These are so many fun options, but this 100-piece set is a great starting point.

Magnetic Rods and Balls Building Blocks

Photo Credit: amazon.com

Or, you can try a different sort of magnet building set with this fun magnetic rods and balls building set.

Learning Resources Gears! Gizmos Building Set

Photo Credit: amazon.com

Strengthen your problem-solving and engineering skills by building with this fun Gears and Gizmos building set.

Roller Coaster Challenge STEM Toy

Photo Credit: amazon.com

Design and build roller coasters with this fun Roller Coaster Challenge set.

Which of these STEM building toys to you think would be fun to have at home?

Encourage STEM learning at home with these fun open-ended STEM building toys for kids that will encourage creativity and engineering projects.

You may also like one of these fun STEM activities:

Paper Plate STEM Projects

Easy Sun Prints STEM Activity

Marshmallow Engineering STEAM Building Challenge

Egg Carton Building Blogs at The Pinterested Parent

Subscribe to get STEAM Family Challenges delivered to your inbox

Wouldn’t it be so much fun to get STEAM family activities delivered to your inbox? I think so! That’s why I’ve created this fun series, STEAM Family Fun, to be delivered to your inbox. After going through all the letters in STEAM each week with a fun activity devoted to each, you’ll start receiving a fun STEAM activity once a month. (And I’ll also pop up in your inbox occasionally if I’ve got other fun things to share.)

Fill out the form below to start receiving STEAM Family Fun in your inbox.



Edible STEM Projects for Kids

October 7, 2019 By Terri Thompson

Isn’t STEM fun? Kids are able to experiment, play, and get hands on while they learn. It doesn’t get better than this?

Well, it can get better…

What if your STEM experiment resulted in something you can eat? These fun edible STEM projects will help you kids learn some science, engineering, math, and more with results that are safe to eat. Fun!

Fun and yummy STEM experiments you can actually eat! These edible STEM projects will help your kids learn math, science, engineering, and more.

Edible STEM Projects

You can learn so much with these projects. Learn how crystals form when you create sugar crystals. Make candy versions of different types of rocks. Or, enjoy some hot chocolate after you experiment with temperature. Yum!

Edible STEM Projects

Fun and yummy STEM projects where you can actually eat the results!

Hot Chocolate Science Experiment

Learn about temperature with this fun experiment and as a bonus, you'll have hot chocolate to drink when you're done.

Making Butter - Little House Inspired Science

Make your own butter with this fun Little House inspired science project.

Edible Igneous Rocks Activity

Photo Credit: rainydaymum.co.uk

Learn about igneous rocks when you make this edible candy version.

Easy Rock Candy Tutorial

Photo Credit: www.happinessishomemade.net

Rock candy is also a crystal-making process. Such yummy science!

Lemon Taste Test

Photo Credit: www.homeboundbuthopeful.com

Practice data collection with this fun lemon taste test (project #2 in this post).

Say Cheese! Snack Time STEM

Photo Credit: www.homeboundbuthopeful.com

Build yummy cheese structures with this fun snack time STEAM activity.

Gorgeous and delicious Candy Geode Kitchen Science

Photo Credit: www.steampoweredfamily.com

Make your own geodes with this fun candy-making project.

Simple Homemade Ice Cream In a Bag Edible Science

Photo Credit: littlebinsforlittlehands.com

Learn the science of ice cream with this fun ice cream in a bag experiment.

Meringue Towers

Photo Credit: www.science-sparks.com

Learn how to make meringues and use them in a building project with this fun STEM activity.

Cell biology for kids - Plant cell model

Photo Credit: www.science-sparks.com

Create an edible plant cell model with this fun project.

Rock Cycle Candy Recipe – Making Metamorphic Rock

Photo Credit: jdaniel4smom.com

Learn about metamorphic rock when you make your own candy version.

Kid Science: Make orange soda!

Photo Credit: www.pinkstripeysocks.com

Drink the results when you use science to make your own orange soda.

3 Awesome Ways to Explore Math with a Watermelon

Photo Credit: preschooltoolkit.com

Use watermelon to explore different math concepts such as shapes, fractions, and weight.

Edible Slime - Candy Corn Slime Recipe

Photo Credit: www.funwithmama.com

Use candy corn to make an edible version of slime.

Pumpkin Candy STEM Activity

Photo Credit: therelaxedhomeschool.com

Create sculptures with your leftover Halloween candy.

Solar Eclipse Activities & Party Ideas for Kids

Photo Credit: www.kcedventures.com

Learn about solar eclipses with this fun edible sandwich version.

Which of these fun edible STEM projects do you want to try with your kids?

Fun and yummy STEM experiments you can actually eat! These edible STEM projects will help your kids learn math, science, engineering, and more.

You may also like one of these fun STEM ideas

Fun Popcorn Science Experiments for Kids

Marshmallow STEM Activities

Melting Snow Science Experiment

Easy Sun Prints STEM Activity

Subscription boxes to make STEM easy

I don’t know about you, but I don’t always have time to prep a fun science project. That’s why I love Green Kid Crafts Discovery boxes. The boxes are packed full of projects that are fun and inviting. You can choose to get a subscription or a one-off box based off of a specific theme. Any one you choose would be a lot of fun!

Have some STEM family fun!

Wouldn’t it be so much fun to get STEAM family activities delivered to your inbox? I think so! That’s why I’ve created this fun series, STEAM Family Fun, to be delivered to your inbox. After going through all the letters in STEAM each week with a fun activity devoted to each, you’ll start receiving a fun STEAM activity once a month. (And I’ll also pop up in your inbox occasionally if I’ve got other fun things to share.)

Fill out the form below to start receiving STEAM Family Fun in your inbox.



Mount Vesuvius Activity STEM Challenge

September 18, 2019 By Terri Thompson

I’m not sure if there’s a kid these days that hasn’t made a volcano. It’s such a classic science experiment. It’s fun to put together and it’s fun to watch the eruption.

Both of my girls have done this experiment before. In fact, they’re old hands at it. So, it was time to kick it up a notch and combine some history, some science, and a good book into one fun STEM project. We’re going to learn about Pompeii with this Mount Vesuvius activity.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Pompeii History for Kids

Have you read any of the books in the You Wouldn’t Want To series?

We discovered them about a year ago and have been enjoying them whenever we find them at the library. This series is such a fun way to learn about history. You learn about the gritty and real parts of history in a kid-appropriate way.

You Wouldn't Want to Live in Pompeii Volcano STEM challenge

Recently, we brought home You Wouldn’t Want to Live in Pompeii! A Volcanic Eruption You’d Rather Avoid by John Malam.  Pompeii is such a fascinating story. It seems like the plot of a good fiction book, only it’s very, very real.

In this book we became a resident of Pompeii. We learned about what life was like in the town in AD 79. We lived through the days leading up to the eruption, we experienced just how frightening it was during the eruption, and we learned what life was like for those who survived. This book covered a lot of good stuff.

Building out Mount Vesuvius model with clay.

Mount Vesuvius Activity

Once we were done reading, we were ready to recreate the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. We used a small cup and some modeling clay to create our volcano.

We were very aware that our model was not an accurate model of the volcano. But, nonetheless, we talked about the different parts of a volcano we learned about in our book. The cup represented our magma chamber (the space under the mountain that is filled with molten rock). We build a mountain around it using the modeling clay. (You can also use play dough for this step.)

Learn about pompeii history for kids with this fun STEM challenge.

Once Mt. Vesuvius was complete, we put it in the corner of our plastic tray and got to work building Pompeii.

Note: You’ll want to do this experiment on an enclosed surface. It will get messy! We used a plastic tray. If you don’t have a plastic tray, a baking sheet will also work well. 

We used our Legos and built a tiny town to represent Pompeii. We had houses, a library, a school, a vineyard, and a river made out of clay.

Combine history with science in this fun Mount Vesuvius activity. Your kids will learn all about Pompeii and volcanos with this STEM challenge.

Erupting Mount Vesuvius

Finally, it was eruption time! My girls filled the cup half full of baking soda. We wanted a big eruption. Then, they added the white vinegar. Boom! Mount Vesuvius erupted and the lava flowed toward Pompeii.

We knew our STEM challenge wasn’t quite complete. We missed the tremors that happened for days before and also the ash that fell from the sky before the lava started flowing. So much ash and pumice fell that roofs began to collapse and started burying the town. By the time it was over, the ash, lava, and volcanic debris completely buried the town.

But, wait a minute! What about the science?

Baking soda is a base and vinegar is an acid. When the two meet, a chemical reaction occurs which creates carbon dioxide – the bubbling, fizzing reaction. The carbon dioxide creates a pressure which pushes your mixture out of the cup similar to the pressure that pushes the molten rock out of the volcano.

Combine history with science in this fun STEM learning activity for kids. Learn about Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius and create your own volcanic eruptions.

I’ve always loved bringing history alive. It’s such a great way to explore and learn about the world, both past and present. And, it was so much fun to tell the story of Pompeii through our volcano STEM challenge. It’s a lesson we’ll never forget!

You’ll also love these STEM activities:

Paper Plate Layers of the Earth Project

LEGO STEM Challenges for Kids

Phases of the Moon Mobile

20 Cool STEM Activities to Learn About Ancient Times at Techie Homeschool Mom

Mount Vesuvius Books for Kids

For our Mount Vesuvius activity, we used the book You Wouldn’t Want to Live in Pompeii!, but that’s not the only book you can use. Here are some other great books about Pompeii for kids.

Family STEM Challenges

Wouldn’t it be so much fun to get STEAM family activities delivered to your inbox? I think so! That’s why I’ve created this fun series, STEAM Family Fun, to be delivered to your inbox. After going through all the letters in STEAM each week with a fun activity devoted to each, you’ll start receiving a fun STEAM activity once a month. (And I’ll also pop up in your inbox occasionally if I’ve got other fun things to share.)

Fill out the form below to start receiving STEAM Family Fun in your inbox.



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