Luckily, there are many resources available for educators wanting to incorporate more STEM activities into their classroom, or for those looking for some new ideas that will get kids excited about learning.

Contrary to popular belief, STEM activities don’t need to be overly complicated or expensive. Plenty of engaging STEM activities can be done with easy-to-obtain inexpensive items. For exploring building concepts, items as simple as jelly beans and toothpicks can be used, for example. Legos and Playdough lend themselves to many activities, and worksheets and journals can easily be made as well. For those who don’t have the time or want a wide variety of ideas, several online resources exist, including The Stem Laboratory, a site dedicated to STEM activities with free and affordable resources targeted to students in kindergarten through second grade.

Just by reading some of the STEM activity titles, you can get a sense of how engaging and entertaining they will be for students, and how much they will enjoy the activities while they’re learning real world concepts and cooperating with each other to accomplish the project. Titles of projects include: The Disappearing Egg Shell, Walking Water, Tornado in a Jar, Magic Balloons, Disappearing Skittles, Rainbow Milk, Volcano in a Jar, Sink or Float, Peppermint Fireworks, Lava in a Cup and so many more.

The really valuable part about STEM activities is that they harness a child’s curiosity, illustrate a real world problem and teach additional skills at the same time. Soft skills taught by STEM activities include creativity, teamwork, critical thinking, attention to detail,  and collaboration, while enhancing their inquiry skills. Students also practice problem solving, following directions and presentation skills when sharing their findings. 

When STEM activities are done in small groups, it’s also a chance for students to enjoy a sense of community and belonging as they work together to solve problems and report the results. It can be an opportunity to mix up the class dynamics and help with social and emotional learning as students will excel in different aspects related to the activity.

STEM activities also may inspire students to explore career fields they might not have considered otherwise. That could include becoming an environmental scientist, biochemist, psychologist, anthropologist, archeologist or medical scientist. Technology jobs include computer programmers, web developers, software systems developers, etc. Different engineering disciplines include mechanical, electrical, chemical, civil, aerospace and environmental. And in mathematics, accounting and economics are just a couple.

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STEM challenges come in many forms. For some schools, the challenge is a lack of budget to provide the curriculum that’s needed to teach STEM concepts. In other cases, teachers may not be trained or have the resources needed to create engaging STEM content. 

Whatever the case, there are ways to address it with free or affordable resources that have also been designed and tested by educators.

The challenge is not to get children interested in STEM activities – the challenge is to get the projects and activities in front of them. By their very nature, STEM projects are very engaging for children, who have a natural curiosity about the world around them, which is one of the reasons STEM curriculum is so important.

By combining two of the primary components of STEM like science and math, STEM projects can help introduce concepts to students in ways that help them understand and remember them. Even as adults, we might not remember what is told to us, but if we do it ourselves and use multiple senses, then the lessons are stronger, more memorable, and likely more entertaining – all components of successful teaching.

When we talk about needing to overcome the challenges associated with teaching STEM skills, we’re not just talking about learning math, science, technology and engineering in a new way. We’re also talking about practicing creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and honing inquiry skills. 

In addition, students get to practice problem-based learning as well since curriculum focuses on student engagement and participation with teacher facilitation.

Another feature of STEM curriculum that meets the challenge of teaching the whole student is the personalization of learning and the individual support of students through advising, flexibility in teaching and career preparation.

Working in small groups, good STEM projects also engender a sense of community and belonging as they work together to solve problems and report the results. That helps with social and emotional learning, which can be a challenge for many students.

These are skills that are applicable to future educational endeavors and careers in just about every field, which is increasingly containing tech components as computers become more and more commonplace in every industry.

Good ideas for STEM projects can be found in multiple locations for those not familiar with them, including The Stem Laboratory, a website chock full of ideas and downloadable resources.

If you have the time, just scrolling through this website and others can get your mind started on possible STEM activities, or you can download a few to see all the components that make for a complete activity including reporting worksheets. 

Some educators believe that one challenge to teaching STEM concepts is the cost of supplies, but activities can be done with easily obtainable supplies like toothpicks, jelly beans, etc.  

Students at a young age are particularly curious, and although it may feel challenging, you are providing them the best possible learning experience when STEM concepts are introduced in the early years and they can learn about the world around them, while mastering all the soft skills that STEM projects bring with them.

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Some examples of good STEM projects can be found at The Stem Laboratory – an online resource for teachers looking for proven, affordable STEM projects.

For example, you can order a kit with 30 different science projects for just $9.99. They all include easy-to-follow instructions using common household supplies. And these good STEM activities also include a no-prep science journal so kids can keep track of their results.

Here are just a few of the good STEM projects you’ll receive – activities that kids will love while they learn. Projects like The Disappearing Egg Shell, Walking Water, Tornado in a Jar, Disappearing Skittles, Dancing Raisins, Lava in a Cup and so much more.

As you can see, they even sound fun and engaging! And because they are teacher-tested and approved, they are guaranteed to blend seamlessly into your curriculum and have the kids wanting more. They won’t even know they’re learning.

It’s especially crucial tht STEM projects be introduced early in a kid’s education as their curiosity about the world around them peaks with constant “Why” questions. But that enthusiasm can fade without ongoing nourishment. And with so many STEM careers making up a huge part of the economy, the ability to innovate, be technologically fluent, and understand how and why things work is incredibly important. 

It can be hard to create STEM projects on your own, or make sure that the ones you’ve been using are still relevant in today’s world. Ordering and using STEM resources like this is a great way to keep your kids and yourself entertained and engaged in learning.

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Middle school students can be tough. Kids may be starting to get a little more cynical about school and it can be harder to keep them engaged and enthusiastic. That’s where great STEM projects come into play. 

What student wouldn’t be interested in making a Tornado in a Jar or Disappearing Skittles? You’re already wondering about them just by hearing the title, so imagine how entertaining it would be to facilitate these activities in a classroom.

Other compelling middle school STEM projects include Candy Chromatography and making Water Walk. In fact, there are hundreds of possible projects and activities available through The STEM Laboratory, with easy-to-understand instructions and easy-to-source materials.

The activities and projects available through The STEM Laboratory can be adjusted for older students, and can work differently for those kids at different levels of learning.

Scientific journals can be used to record results and students can develop hypotheses and draw conclusions. 

STEM activities incorporate real world disciplines like architecture, construction, biology, math, chemistry, physics, technology, economics, geography and more. STEM activities seek to take the application off the page and into 3D with hands-on learning that introduces students to concepts and helps them understand the world around us. Students start to see the things around them in new and different ways.

For middle schoolers, it brings skills and lessons beyond simply the concepts being illustrated. It teaches students to be flexible, detect patterns, find connections, and evaluate information. What are some other benefits?

Many STEM careers need creativity as well as analytical skills we tend to associate with STEM subjects. In fact, many STEM jobs will include coming up with solutions to problems, and problem solving is often being creative and thinking about things in new ways. 

At the same time, STEM subjects require research, attention to detail and a critical approach. This is useful in any profession or subject. STEM is not just a way to explain teaching Math and Science, it’s preparing students for future success with hard and soft skills.

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Rather than searching out “award-winning” STEM activities, find those that offer the reward of children responding to them, and learning the concepts they were designed to demonstrate.

Here’s what makes STEM activities “award-winning” in terms of rewards:

Does it foster curiosity?

Does it demonstrate a real world situation/problem?

Is it appropriate for the ability of those participating?

Is it engaging and interesting?

Does it have teachable concepts that pertain to a bigger picture?

Are there opportunities to expand it with record keeping or other related activities?

Does it foster teamwork?

Activities that foster these concepts help solidify ideas for children and because the great ones are interactive and address all these criteria, they provide tangible benefits and results.

One way to ensure you’re getting “award-winning” STEM activities for children is to source them from reputable websites like The Stem Laboratory. Here you’ll find activities that meet all the criteria listed above, and the added bonus of knowing they’ve been road tested and continually enhanced based on real classroom experiences.

Developed for pre-K, kindergarten and first grade children, thousands of teachers are finding it much easier to incorporate STEM activities into their curriculum, as it can be intimidating knowing where to start. Teachers that use these STEM activities for their children are having reactions like Dawn, a 1st grade teacher. “I hadn’t been trained in STEM and didn’t really understand how it would work in my classroom. This was perfect for lower elementary students and VERY engaging. The trainings were thorough yet to the point. My first two centers are already made and ready to use!”

Activities are designed to be easy to implement and use common items like toothpicks, modeling clay (or marshmallows, jellybeans, etc.) Besides downloadable activities, there are also options for training that come with professional development credits. 

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STEM activities can take many forms, but let’s start by clarifying what STEM represents. It’s not just science projects – STEM is more than an acronym for science, technology, engineering and math. It’s understanding how the world around us works. It helps develop critical thinking – something that is necessary to prepare students for the 21st century workforce and to be able to contribute to solving complex problems of today and the future.

A STEM activity helps foster the skills of creativity, inquiry, observation and problem solving. It also helps teach the difference between fact and opinion.

STEM educators create activities that work with problems, challenges and solutions that are based in the real world. This is crucial at a time when children’s minds are developing and they are intuitively exploring their world. 

As an example, one of the STEM activities available through The Stem Laboratory is the very popular center called Toothpick STEM Structures. 

This simple activity helps with the following:

Develop abstract thinking, design and build skills

2d and 3d shape recognition

Shape knowledge

Scientific recording of data

Creativity

Teamwork

All that’s needed is a box of toothpicks and a container of playdough. You can also use jelly beans, marshmallows or gumdrops depending on the situation and preference for different materials, or to simply change it up if you’re repeating it with a twist.

After they build the requested shapes (or create some of their own) they can take their learning one step further and record the number of vertices and edges.

You can tie it into the real world by having photos of real life structures that they are “replicating” as far as the basic shape – a great first step for future engineers and architects! 

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It can be challenging to find resources and activities that are geared to STEM learning for kindergarten and first grade. They need to be easily understood and completed, but convey the theories and ignite the passion for learning in subjects including science and math as well as concepts in engineering and technology.

Since STEM is not just teaching these subjects individually, but also combining philosophies found in all four, it can feel like even more of an obstacle when teaching kindergarten and first grade. But when done correctly, STEM activities really lend themselves to real world applications, not just academic learning. And we all strive for those light bulb moments with our students.

The good news is that children are naturally curious. And since we all learn better by doing, that’s why proven hands-on STEM activities work so well while making learning fun at this critical juncture with kindergarten and first grade students.

For example, The Stem Laboratory has a wonderful kit of 30 science experiments that could easily be incorporated into your kindergarten or first grade lesson plans throughout the year. Help students talk about and look forward to Science Fridays each week! Who wouldn’t be excited for easy and low prep STEM activities and projects that create magic rainbow milk, make Skittles disappear, produce fireworks in a jar and so many more? At a low cost of just $9.99, this collection of proven STEM activities for kindergarten and first grade students can relieve a whole lot of stress and provide a valuable amount of learning. 

AND, your new junior scientists will also get a no-prep science journal so they can easily keep track of their results!

As teacher Jennifer M. said,  “There were so many options in this bundle! I can easily do these either in distance learning or in person. I’m looking forward to spreading these out throughout the remainder of the year. The kids have enjoyed the ones we’ve done so far!” 

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Although it’s natural to put a large emphasis on learning to read for first grade, it’s also crucial that students’ natural curiosity be utilized to get them excited about concepts related to STEM with engaging and memorable activities.

STEM-focused education that includes science, technology, engineering and mathematics is more important than ever, with studies estimating that STEM workers tend to earn more than 25% more than non-STEM workers and demand for workers in these fields is projected to continue to be strong, indefinitely.

Creativity through STEM activities promotes innovative thinking and when project-based learning is used, opportunities for authentic growth and development present themselves. Students get to see, touch, hear, experiment and create together.

With targeted STEM activities for first grade, teachers are opening the door for students to become tomorrow’s entrepreneurs, movers and shakers. STEM is a way for students to start understanding the world around them with hands-on learning. They can understand more, read and write more and explore more about why things do what they do. STEM can help answer questions they may have and start them down a wonderful path of exploration.

STEM activities and resources for first graders available through The Stem Laboratory provide innumerable options for teachers utilizing projects that feature commonly available items. First grade projects and STEM activities like Toothpick STEM Structures help kids develop abstract thinking, design and build skills as well as 2D and 3D shape recognition and shape knowledge. Using just a box of toothpicks and a container of playdough (or jelly beans, marshmallows or gumdrops) first grade students are ready to start problem solving, while they label the number of vertices and edges and record other relevant data. Other options abound and can easily be incorporated into existing core curriculum to provide creative outlets as well as introduce and reinforce concepts.

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