Easy STEM Activities for Elementary and Middle School Kids

Looking for easy stem activities for elementary and middle school kids? Check out these stem projects and stem subscription boxes for kids.

As a parent, you want the best for your kids, and that includes teaching them the skills they will need to survive in the world! Did you know that by the year 2020, nearly 100% of new jobs will be in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics? With these statistics, it is more important than ever before to encourage STEM learning at home.

What is Stem?

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.  It also includes teaching skills and subjects in a way that resembles real life. Part of the STEM learning approach, is that kids learn science better when they are actively involved. Learning like this can be done in a school setting but also can be done at home.

Here’s your guide to the best easy stem activities that can be done at home.

Complete Science Experiments

Science is all around us; in the food we eat, the plants we see, and the physical world we live in. Here are a few great science experiments you can do at home.

Work on Observations with fruits and veggies.

What happens as a fruit or vegetable starts to decay? What does it look like, smell like? Answering questions about real-world items puts science into a perspective they can understand. These are great stem activities for preschoolers and elementary students

Make Volcanoes

This is one of the most fun for kids. They can create a realistic volcano and watch it erupt. This teaches them chemical reactions as well as gives a real-world example of how volcanoes erupt as the pressure builds up.

Here are directions for a simple volcano for preschoolers.

Here are directions for a more in-depth volcano experiment for elementary and middle school children.

Make your own rock candy

That’s right, there is science behind candy. And, if you thought candy was all hardened sugar, you were right. All you need is water, sugar, a pan, a stove, and a glass jar. My daughter did this with her brownie troop and loved it.

Here are easy directions to make your own rock candy

Utilize Your Technology – Best STEM apps

In this day of digital natives, kids love technology. Though you may not want your kids looking at a screen all day, technology is a key component of the STEM learning, and there are many apps that incorporate science, technology, math, and engineering without your children knowing they are learning. Here are some of the best STEM apps.

SkEye Astronomy: A great app to see what’s in the sky. If you are interested in viewing the heavens above with your telescope, try the SkEye : Astronomy app. SkEye is an advanced sky mapping application that doubles as a PUSHTO guide for telescopes. It works by using your phone’s sensors as a guide for telescopes. All you need to do is briefly strap the phone onto the telescope’s optical tubes; from there, you can navigate the night-sky with your telescope.

Toca Lab: Chemistry has never been so fun with Toca Lab. Explore the colorful and electrifying world of science and meet all 118 of the elements from the periodic table. Discover elements by experimenting with the lab tools!

Crazy Gears – Are you ready to watch your child kick their learning into high-gear? Crazy Gears is a new-aged digital puzzle game, designed with a real mechanical engine and with children’s critical thinking skills in mind! Hours of fun guaranteed for everyone who is up for the challenge, yes, even you Mom & Dad!

Hopscotch – Coding For Kids – Learn to code and make your own games with Hopscotch. Easy-to-use visual tool makes programming fun and social.

Get a STEM Subscription Box

Subscription boxes are very popular these days, and why wouldn’t they be? Everyone loves getting something with their name on it in the mail (except when its a bill). Now, you can bring the fun of science, technology, math, and engineering right to your doorstep on a monthly basis. Here are some of the best STEM subscription boxes that include fun stem activities and stem projects for kids.

Green Kids Crafts

With a new theme every month, you get 4-8 science, technology art and math kits per month for kids ages 2-10. Looking for educational toys, science kits, STEM subscription, monthly subscriptions for kids, monthly crafts for kids, a monthly science box, monthly craft box or kids craft subscription? Green Kid Crafts, maker of award-winning science and arts and craft subscription boxes, has you covered!

You can now take 50% off the first month of a Junior Discovery Box Subscription (ages 2-4) or a Discovery Box Subscription (ages 5-10+). Green Kid Crafts’ award-winning Discovery Boxes pack a lot of fun and learning into convenient packages. Each monthly box contains up to 8 STEAM Science and Art Kits including a free 12-page kids magazine and bonus extension activities. Sibling and literary add-on options are available, too. Offer expires midnight October 31, 2018. Use code STEAM50

Learn more about Green Kids Crafts Here

Genius Box

Genius Box provides a creative hands-on approach to learning science, math, technology, and engineering. Genius Box provides a creative, hands- on exploration of science, technology, engineering, and math concepts that engages curious kids in the world around them. Genius Box is recommended for kids ages 8-12.

Click here to learn more about Genius Box

Tinker Crate

For ages 9-16, the Tinker crate gives your child the tools to create and explore engineering in a whole new way.  Get 30% of Your First Month’s Order with code SHARE30.

Each month you get:

• Materials to create a creative, innovative STEM project
• Detailed step-by-step instruction
• Tinker Zine,
• Additional science experiments and activities
• Online tutorials with tips and tricks

Learn More about Tinker Crate Here

What other ways have you found to incorporate STEM learning in your home? Share your STEM projects in the comments below!