Looking for STEM Night activities? Here are ten ideas for family STEM night, along with some tips on how to prepare!
If you’re new to the STEM Community, you might have heard about it from school or friends, but let me explain what a STEM night is. STEM night is a wonderful event that schools or parents host where families get together to explore, learn, and create together, while they learn more about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
I can attest from my experience putting them on that STEM nights are the perfect opportunity to engage your students or children, and the whole family in learning stations where they are guaranteed to learn something new while having a good time!
And in this post, we’ll show you the best STEM night activities to make sure yours is a success. Read on to learn more!
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Tips to Help You Host a Great Family STEM Night
Here are a few pointers to get you prepared and excited for this fun-filled evening:
- Make a list of the activities you want the families to participate in.
- Find out how many people will be attending.
- Find a room or hall that is big enough to fit everyone.
- Buy all the necessary supplies beforehand, and make sure you have extra of everything.
- Print out and laminate all the instructions and put them on the respective tables where the certain activity will take place.
- Make sure everyone has a seat or spot assigned.
- Create a flow with the activities, letting groups move from one table to the one next to them to keep them from walking around too much.
- Assign a leader for each station.
If you are a homeschool parent, this can be another great way to involve the whole family in the learning fun and you can have it right in the comfort of your own home! It may even be a great opportunity to meet up with other homeschool students and give them a chance to socialize and learn together.
No matter if you are a traditional schoolteacher or a homeschool teacher, this list of activities can help you host the perfect STEM Night!
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10 Activities to Ensure Fun and Learning at Your Next STEM Night
#1 Make Elephant Toothpaste
Just because elephants are animals doesn’t mean their breath can’t smell minty fresh! Give your students and families the opportunity to learn more about chemical reactions with this project that is just bursting with fun!
All you need are a few items you can find in your pantry or medicine cabinet and an empty bottle. Also, make sure you have protective eye wear and a towel to clean up the mess afterward.
Get the full project: Elephant Toothpaste
#2 Edible 3D DNA Model
Every STEM night needs some snacks, but instead of going out and buying some, why not let everyone make their own? This flavorful activity will teach your students all about the structure of DNA and the various parts that make up the twisted double helix!
You will need some sort of rope-type candy like twizzlers, toothpicks, and then soft gummy candy with at least four different colors of candy to represent the four nitrogen bases- Adenine, Thymine, Guanine, and cytosine.
Make sure to have a printed version of the DNA molecule so that everyone will know how to build it and which candies represent which parts.
Get the full project: Edible DNA Model
#3 Build a Tower Challenge
Kick off the night with a little tower-building challenge to get everyone hyped up and ready for fun! There are countless materials you can use for this activity, like paper cups, toothpicks, balloons, pipe cleaners, straws, and so much more!
You can divide the room into 2 separate groups, or even let each family build their own, you get to make the rules, and which factors will decide the winners. It can either be for the tallest tower, the most creative tower, or simply the tower that stays standing the longest.
Your students will learn a bit more about engineering, and structural stability while learning who in their family can lead and who might have some trouble listening to instructions. It’s important to note that the grown-ups shouldn’t overpower the students, so it might be a good idea to appoint the students as group leaders.
Get the full project: Build-a-Tower Challenge
#4 Planet Scavenger Hunt
Everyone loves a good scavenger hunt! Make this scavenger hunt extra fun by taking it out of this world!! The Sky View App is a great way to teach your students about the planets and our solar system while they work together with their friends and families to spy the extraterrestrial bodies in our night sky!
The parents can download the app on their phones, or you can supply tablets for them to use. Create or download a scavenger hunt checklist for them to keep handy and check off once they spy the planets in the sky.
Get the full project: Planet Scavenger Hunt
#5 Virtual Coloring
Coloring may seem boring, and not exactly a STEM activity, but if you combine it with technology, you can help your students bring their very own coloring creations to life!
‘Quiver’ is an app that will allow your students to move their drawings, zoom in and out, and even create a quiz using augmented reality. You can choose any STEM-related picture and let your students and their families color in the pictures and watch it come alive.
This activity is a great way to allow students to be creative while learning more about the pictures they are coloring. It can be anything from a rocket to a DNA molecule.
Get the full project: Virtual Coloring
#6 Scribbling Doodle Bot
Do you want to build a robot…? With this fun project, your students and their families can become engineers with a few simple tools! A scribbling doodle bot is a device made from scratch that can walk around and doodle and draw on large pieces of paper!
This is one of my all-time favorite STEM projects, mixing technology, engineering, and art together to create art and fun! This is also the perfect activity for your next STEM night since it can be made and enjoyed by people of all ages!
You do need a few pieces of technology like batteries, pullies, and a motor, but the rest of the robot can be built with things you can find around the classroom.
Get the full project: Scribbling Doodle Bot
#7 Make Your Own Bouncy Ball
What goes up, must come down… and go up again, and come down again! Mix a little chemistry with the simple laws of physics and watch as your students and their families create and bounce around their very own bouncy balls!
The activity may seem simple, a little like a game, which is the beauty of STEM! STEM is designed to make students learn valuable lessons while they interact and have fun with it.
In this activity, students will use common household items and create a little chemistry by combining just the right amounts to create their very own bouncy balls. They can make it whichever color they like, and also add a little glitter to make it sparkle!
Get the full project: DIY Bouncy Balls
#8 Balloon Hovercraft
This balloon hovercraft is a sure way to entertain and mesmerize your students and their families! You only need a few items from home, like a CD, balloons, a glue gun, and a bottle top.
Families can also decorate their own hovercrafts with paper and markers before they start playing around with their hovercrafts! The science behind it is simple- the air in the balloon presses down onto the surface and makes the CD hover and move around until the balloon is completely deflated.
Get the full project: Balloon Hovercraft
#9 Balloon-Powered Car
This balloon-powered car is sure to be a big hit with the students and adults in attendance! It is a simple activity, that requires only a few materials to make, but it is still a great activity to teach your students about the laws of motion and engineering.
All you need is a small empty bottle or other container, straws, skewers, bottle caps, a balloon, and some tape. Parents can help their children build the car and they may even race their cars once everyone is done.
The car moves forward from the force of the air that comes out of the balloon, explaining Newton’s third law, for every action there is an opposite but equal reaction.
Get the full project: Balloon-Powered Car
#10 Cup Stacking Challenge
It’s not that hard to stack plastic cups, is it? Well, what if I told you that you’re not allowed to use your hands? This fun stacking challenge requires families to work together and steady their hands in order to create a stack of plastic cups.
You can create a challenge to see who can create the largest tower in the shortest amount of time, or who can keep their cups up the longest. This is a fun way to get families to communicate and come up with creative solutions to their problems.
Get the full project: Cup Stacking Challenge
Want more ideas and activities for your STEM night and future STEM projects?
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Why is STEM such an important part of learning and development?
STEM has become somewhat of a buzzword these last couple of years, though the idea behind it has always been present. STEM clubs, activities, projects, and events- like STEM Night- have received more and more traction since the benefits of it can be seen in everyone who participates. Some of the benefits are listed below:
STEM activities often involve hands-on, interactive experiences that allow children to explore, experiment, and discover concepts through practical application. This approach makes learning more engaging and memorable. And combining this hands-on experience with fun and laughter with their family makes it even more memorable.
STEM activities help to promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills. By allowing children to engage in activities like puzzles, experiments, and challenges, children learn to think critically and creatively to solve problems.
Many STEM activities also encourage teamwork and collaboration. This is why STEM Nights are a great way for families to bond. Families can work together on projects, fostering a sense of belonging and the ability to collaborate effectively with their friends and family members.
STEM subjects are almost always directly linked to real-world applications, which helps children see the practical significance of what they’re learning, and how they might one day apply it in their own lives. This can also inspire them to pursue STEM-related careers in the future and pave the way for the development of our world.
STEM nights provide opportunities for parents to actively engage in their child’s education. Parents can learn alongside their children, strengthening the parent-child bond and demonstrating the importance of lifelong learning.
STEM activities also encourage creativity and innovation. Children are given the opportunity to think outside the box, invent new solutions, and experiment with different ideas.
Beyond academic knowledge, STEM activities teach life skills like patience, persistence, and the ability to learn from failure. These skills are valuable for success in any area of life. And with STEM Nights they also learn to value their family and the uniqueness they bring to the table.
STEM activities are designed to be enjoyable and captivating. They make learning fun, which can motivate children to explore and learn more about STEM subjects.
STEM nights often bring together families from the same community, fostering a sense of togetherness and shared learning experiences. This can help create a supportive network for parents and children alike.
STEM activities and STEM nights offer numerous benefits for families, combining education and entertainment in a way that encourages children to explore the wonders of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. For more information and a detailed list of all the benefits, check out our comprehensive guide.
You can also subscribe to our STEM Made Easy Digital Subscription for our monthly list of fun project guides and resources right in your inbox!
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