Science is everything. Science is the words you’re reading to the air you are breathing. Dive into the world of wonders with these amazing at-home STEM engineering activities and projects to get you on the path to a higher understanding of the world around you!
Don’t let the opportunities to learn about amazing inventions pass by you. Explore the science of engineering. Some of these projects are familiar, but we believe all of them will blow your mind. These projects are designed to express the mind-boggling complexities behind our reality’s sciences without having to be in a classroom or lab.
Fill your free time discovering secrets and building inventions. Possibilities are endless when science is involved, but we hope these experiments are just what you need to realize your love for science. We will be learning about the inventions humanity created to help build the world in which we live.
There will be no shortage of amazement at the STEM researched mechanical marvels you will be capable of constructing using this article as a guide. Together, we will work our way through a list of jaw-dropping ways to have fun while learning something new.
Benefits of STEM
STEM provides an approach to learning that allows an in-depth perspective to the scientific disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Rather than teach each discipline separately, STEM meshes the disciplines using real-world applications to create a cohesive curriculum.
There are many ways STEM can help you get a leg up in your education.
- Inspires creativity and ingenuity to incite further inventions
- Bolsters resilience by stressing the value of failing as a learning experience in a safe environment
- Encourages teamwork by expressing a need for people to work together, using their strengths and weaknesses to overcome objectives they couldn’t have independently.
- Stimulates critical thinking by engaging and honing their problem-solving abilities.
- Encourages adaptation as a valuable aspect of the learning process to be prepared for issues as they appear.
The American education system has increased schools implementing STEM into their curriculum, making it a vital part of what they are teaching in their classrooms. This article will focus on fun ways to learn the aspects of STEM in your very own home.
4 Fun Projects to Get Your Kid Excited About Science
Whether you are looking to get your kid started in the beautiful world of science or just looking for something to keep them busy, you will find something you can use. With this list of projects we have compiled, we hope to give you an inside look at how we strive to engage interests.
This list will have projects suitable for children K-12. By providing a broad spectrum of projects, we give a chance to anyone with a heart for learning.
Build a Bridge using Popsicle Sticks
Design a popsicle-stick bridge that is 12 inches in length and capable of holding a goal weight, typically using toys to judge weight capacity.
Supplies you will need to build the bridge of popsicle sticks.
- Glue - Hot glue will dry faster, but craft glue will do in a pinch.
- Popsicle sticks
- A ruler
- Parchment paper - to keep the project from being glued to the surface you are using.
How To Get Started on Your Bridge Building Challenge
Step 1: Predict the outcome of your design.
By understanding the possibility and effects of potential failure, ingenuity is stimulated early in the problem-solving process.
Step 2: Begin the construction of your bridge
Many different possible bridge designs may make or break your efforts. By leaving the design decisions up to the child, you help begin them on the path of critical thinking.
Step 3: Test the design of your bridge.
After construction, we move on to the Testing aspect of this challenge. By placing the bridge between two chairs, we can add weight to the bridge to test its sturdiness.
You can test your specific goal or add weight to test the maximum capacity. However, the testing goes, study the outcome to see what could be changed.
Constructing Your Miniature Catapult
The catapult we will be constructing will be the Mangonel Catapult, or tension catapult, which uses the tension built up by the rubber bands to launch your ammunition.
Supplies you will need to get started on the catapult.
- Ten pencils
- 16 rubber bands
- A spoon
- A ruler
- Ammunition (small candies, pennies, bottle caps, etc.)
Steps to building and testing your catapult
Step 1: Construct your machine.
- Start with connecting four pencils with rubber bands in the shape of a square. Lay the base flat to ensure the positions of the parallel pencils line up.
- Bind two pencils together at one end. Do this twice and then connect the free ends, in the shape of a ‘v,’ to the base's inside corners.
- Then connect the tops of the ‘v’s’ with another pencil. This pencil will act to stop the lever arm and send the projectile sky-ward.
- Next, we will bind the spoon to the middle of another pencil to create our lever arm. This pencil will determine the lever’s anchor point, so make sure it is nice and snug.
- Attach the lever arm to the frame, making sure to measure closely to ensure that the spoon has room to launch.
- Finally, add the rubber band that puts tension on the spoon. You can increase the force by twisting the rubber band before attaching it.
Step 2. Predict the efficiency, Test, and Measure
By setting goals for your construct, you manage expectations and leave room to work on improvement.
Load the bowl of the spoon and fire away to see if you fall short of, meet or exceed your expectations. By tinkering with the final form, you can see what changes you can make to improve the design.
Improve the Distance of your Paper Planes with a Paper Plane Launcher
Paper planes are neat on their own, but they can reach new heights when launched using engineering wonders.
What you will need
- Large rubber band
- Two sturdy points
- A few sheets of paper
- A paper clip
What you will need to do
Step 1. Connect the two points
Using the rubber band, connect the two points. Make sure the points are secure for safety.
Step 2. Build your paper airplane with the paperclip in the nose
The design of the plane is important, but there are many with their pros and cons. The paper clip adds weight to the nose and creates a point to hook the aircraft onto the rubber band to build tension.
Step 3. Form a Hypothesis on the outcome, launch your plane, and measure the distance
Discuss the possibilities before hooking your plane to the rubber band, pulling it back, and letting it fly.
Adjust your plane’s design, the angle of trajectory, or even the rubber band's tightness to fine-tune the construct to your goals.
Use Engineering to Protect Eggs in the Egg Drop Challenge
Another classic in the world of home projects, the Egg Drop, continues to be one of the leading methods of expressing engineers’ importance.
This project will leave the nature and efficiency of the contraptions in the hands of its developer.
Necessities for the project
- Raw egg
- An assortment of materials for them to use
What to do
Step 1. Plan your defense
Formulate a comprehensive plan on how you would like to build the egg's housing.
Step 2. Make a prediction
Consider how your construct might succeed or fail.
Step 3. Drop the egg
From an elevated position, drop your egg to see how your design fared.
Whether it works or not, try fiddling with the designs to test different possibilities.
Here to Help With the Big Projects too.
Established in 1990, Engineered Mechanical Systems (EMS) has created quality products and fantastic customer service. Providing Custom fabrication, Laser cutting and forming, reverse engineering, close tolerance machining, and much more, EMS has helped make strides in engineering.