8 Summertime STEAM Projects

With a new school year right around the corner, now is a great time to get your kids’ brains back in gear for learning… and STEAM activities are an excellent way to do it.

STEAM stands for activities that focus on the core subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. It’s a common acronym in education, but these activities can be done anywhere – including your own kitchen or backyard!

STEAM activities are great for helping your child creatively problem-solve, learn about their everyday world, and have fun. Here are 8 fun activities to help transition them back to the classroom:

1. Make oobleck. If you’ve never played with this simple mix of cornstarch and water, get ready to be amazed. It’s fun and messy, and great for experimenting a non-Newtonian substance in real life. (It’s firm when you hold it balled up in a tight fist and almost instantly begins melting through your fingers.)
2. Create a DIY bug jar. Summer is the season for bugs. Help your kids catch, identify and observe bugs together.
3. Lego building challenges. Think beyond the block with these fun ideas.
4. Build a pool noodle periscope. You’ll need scissors, a pool noodle, 2 small round mirrors, tape, glue and a protractor – but the reflections will be worth the effort!
5. Turn water and 3 kinds of salt into amazing mineral formations.
6. Is there a lot of rain where you live? Transform a simple plastic soda bottle into a rain gauge.
7. Have a child who can’t get enough water play? Click here for 30 fun water-based experiments.
8. This NASA-inspired project turns a simple straw into a rocket.