water rainbow stem project

The Monthly Edge: July 2024

8 Super Fun STEM Projects You Can Do at Home

Keep your kids learning this summer with these creative STEM projects. It’s a great opportunity to have fun together and inspire your children to explore how things work.   
 
Most everything you need is already in your house, so turn your kitchen or outdoors into a laboratory. 

1. Walking Water

In this cool experiment, you’ll make a rainbow of colors with “walking water.” You will start with the primary colors: red, yellow and blue. Can you guess which colors you will create?

Supplies:
7 clear plastic cups
Pitcher of water
Food coloring – red, yellow, and blue
Paper towels – 6 pieces

1. Pour water (about half way up) into the 1st cup. Skip a cup, then pour water into the 3rd cup. Skip a cup and then pour water into 5th cup. Skip a cup and then pour water into the last cup.

2. Take red food coloring and put about 5  drops in the first one. Then put 5 drops in the last one.

3. Take your yellow food coloring and put about 5 drops into the 3rd cup.

4. Take your blue food coloring and put about 5 drops into the 5th cup.

5. Stir the water and food coloring to make sure it’s mixed.

6. Fold the paper towel piece the long-way and fold it in half again. Then bring the two ends together and fold. It should look like a triangle. Make 6 of these.

7. Put one end of the folded paper towel  piece in the 1st cup (with the water and red dye) and the other end in the second empty cup.

8. Take another piece and put one end in the empty cup and the other end in the 3rd cup (with water and yellow dye).

9. Continue to do this for all of your cups and paper towel pieces.

10. You’ll start to notice the dyed water coming up the paper towel.

11. Wait awhile (an hour or so) and see what happens with  the empty cups. Notice the new colors created in them.

2. Straw Flutes

Your children will learn how sound can be created and manipulated by creating simple straw flutes.

Supplies:
Straws
Child scissors
Tape

1. Have your children chose several straws (8 is good but fewer is fine too).

2. Cut about one inch off of the first straw, two inches off of the next straw, three inches off of the next straw and continue in this pattern cutting each straw one inch shorter than the previous. (You can of course cut them in whatever length you’d like but this pattern provides a more even musical pattern in the end).

3. Tape your straws together in order by height.

4. Blow across the top of the straws (not into them)

5. Listen carefully! It’s a very soft sound but indeed the sound of each straw changes as you blow across them.

6. Get creative! Mix up the order of the straws. Add different heights. Tape them all together and see what you get. Color a band to wrap around the flute with the your child’s name on it. Have FUN!

3. Ice Cream in a Bag

Perfect for summer, this activity teaches about the effects of freezing and mixing. Plus, you can explain how rock salt causes the ice to melt at a lower temperature than normal. The best part: you’ll all get a sweet treat at the end.

Supplies:
1 small zip top plastic bag (quart)
1 large zip top plastic bag (galloon)
1 cup of half and half
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
½ cup rock salt
Ice

1. Put the half and half, sugar, and vanilla extract in the small plastic bag. Combine ingredients, push out air and seal.

2. Fill the large plastic bag half-way with ice. Add rock salt.

3. Put the small plastic bag inside the large one and seal.

4. Shake vigorously for 10 to 12 minutes, until the mixture has turned into ice cream. The 10 minutes may go slowly, so turn on some music, take turns, and make up a game as you go.

5. When you are done, serve and enjoy.

If you want to read up on more of the science behind this project, visit this website.

4. Backyard Scavenger Hunt

Have your kids create a treasure box and then go explore to fill it with natural treasures. You can make this a family event and work as a team to find the items you come up with. When you find them, place them into a slot into your treasure box.

Supplies:
Plastic Pencil Case
Yard or park
Gloves
Paper
Markers
Glue

1. Using the paper and markers, make a cute sign for your storage case, which will be your treasure box. Glue or tape your sign to the inside top of the case.

2. Cut a piece of paper to fit the bottom inside of the case. Draw squares for each item you will be searching for. You can write the name of the item in the top of the square.

3. Create a list or use the list to below of what you’ll search for:

  • A rock
  • A flower
  • Grass
  • Dandelion
  • A stick
  • Piece of bark
  • Feather
  • Something you consider a treasure
  • Something you think is beautiful

4. Place the items in each labeled square. Use glue to secure each item in place.

5. Sink or Float

Supplies:
Plastic tub filled halfway with water.
Towel to catch any spills.
Aluminum foil
Pennies

1. Have your children build a few different sized boats using aluminum foil.

2. Place the boats in the water. Let your kids push downward on their boats to feel the water pushing back up and resisting. That shows the concept of surface tension in water.

3. Start adding a penny at a time to each boat. Keep counting to see how many they can hold before they sink.

You can learn more about the science behind this project here.

More Great Projects….

Institutions such as NASA and science museums also offer great ideas and project templates you can find online. Here’s a sampling.

6. Homemade Lava Lamp

Courtesy of the Minnesota Children’s Museum, here’s how to make a homemade Lava Lamp with vegetable oil and either baking soda or an antacid tablet so your kids can see chemistry in action. Important safety tip: Do NOT put a lid on the jar or bottle while the mixture is active and bubbling.

7. Paper Mars Helicopter

NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter was a great success! Learn how to create and test your own helicopter with their fun video guide and downloadable template.

8. Magnetic Maze

You can create your own magnetic maze using a plastic bottle, magnet and coin. From the Science Museum Group, this activity gives your kids a chance to think about how magnets work, and why they only attract certain materials. 

Registration Is Open for the 2024-2025 School Year

We are excited for the upcoming school year and all the fun and learning we’ll have with our students. Our lab-based approach, which includes STEM, Reading, Art Enrichment and Physical Labs, means your children will always have unique and engaging activities each day. 
 
Spaces are filling. Be sure to register soon to ensure your child’s spot. 
 
If you have any questions, our Family Services Team is happy to help. 
Call 1-800-341-5791 or email support@leadsschools.com.

Register today.