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Looking for some fun hands-on STEM education ideas? Need ideas for your next science fair project? Look no further! This is a round-up of 20 Elementary STEM science projects from my site. Check them out and try some for yourself!
For even more ideas, be sure to check out my 200+ Elementary STEM projects, for even more ideas!
20 Elementary STEM Science Projects
Elementary school is a fabulous time to introduce kids to tons of cool experiments. These STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) projects help them understand the world around them and learn how things work. The following projects include one or more of the STEM components to help you plan your next experiments and projects.
1.Dirt Battery Experiment– make a battery that lights up an LED light with dirt?! Cool.
2. Play Dough Human Anatomy– Build the human organs out of play dough with your kids.
3. Milk Cap Magnet Boats– Make these little magnetic boats out of milk caps to explore magnetism.
4. Water Clock– Learn how to build a water clock that keeps time.
5. Water Filtration Experiment– Make a simple filter to clean water.
6. Lemon Battery– Build a battery out of lemons, wire and nails!
7. Easy Engineering Experiment– Try this simple experiment with paper and pennies to learn what can hold more weight.
8. Solar Powered Lego Car– Build a car out of Legos and a solar panel that can actually go! Awesome.
9. Periodic Table Battleship– This is a game, but it teaches amazing science information as kids play!
10. Blooming Paper Flowers– This is one of my favorites- learn how water absorption affects paper and makes it move.
11. Green Eggs Chemistry Experiment– This simple chemical reaction turns eggs green- and they are still edible!
12. Lego Earthquake Experiment– Can you build a building out of Legos to withstand an earthquake?
13. Food Chemistry- Turn Juice into Solid– Try out this food science experiment to make gummy noodles out of juice & a few other ingredients.
14, Hold up Books with Paper– A roll of paper is stronger than you think! How many books will your tower hold?
15. Leaf Transpiration– Did you know leaves transpire, or sweat? Try this experiment out on a warm sunny day.
16. Insect Hotel– Make a home for bugs to come and stay, then observe their living patterns.
17. Rock Candy Geodes– These geodes are all edible and so much fun to make. Learn about real geodes and how they are formed in the process.
18. Star Viewer Craft– Learn about constellation and build your own star viewer!
19. States of Matter– Solids, liquids and gasses are an important topic to understand. This post has ideas for making this lesson fun!
20. DNA Teaching– Do you know how to extract DNA from food? Check this out and more in this post.
Science projects are some of my favorite things to do with my kids. Many of these science activities can be used in science fair projects, in STEM classes or just for fun learning activities at home. Older kids will love them, too. They are not all just for young kids!
How are you learning STEM with your kids? Learn more about How to Teach STEM & Why it Matters. What’s your favorite project?
I co-authored a STEAM book to help kids get excited about learning these important topics. Learn more about the STEAM Kids book HERE.
Find even more STEAM education ideas!
Rebecca says
Thanks so much!
Sarah says
I am new to homeschooling this year and I don’t know what we’ll be doing for a STEM program. My children love hands-on activities, so I know I need to figure something exciting out soon! I love your blogs and posts with ideas that I can use at home!
Sam says
I love STEM! Our favorite project so far has been creating rockets and roller coasters. With rockets each child was given one piece of paper and a roll of tape. The object of course was to make it fly. After some trial and error they did. There were a lot of great aha moments. With roller coasters they were gone foam pipe insulation cut in half, marbles and tape. Third goal was to create a coaster that had one loop and one jump where the marble landed in a bucket at the end. Lot of fun!
Diana M says
We love STEM projects here. Gak is always a favorite with the youngest. But my older two really enjoy physical engineering challenges, like boat or bridge building with limited materials. I love watching them be create.
Kyla Hughes says
We love marshmallow and toothpick STEM building challenges!
Traci K says
My son loves to take apart anything that doesn’t work. We try to figure out what the different parts do ( which is quite hard with some of the electronic items) but we have learned a lot. And even fixed a few things!
shelley says
We use a variety of blocks and craft materials regularly and come up with challenges as a family. We also have a science book of experiments that we like to pick from too.
Kendra Wright says
Where do you enter?
Karyn Tripp says
SORRY!!!! My form wasn’t showing up. It is there now.
Stacey Ross says
One of my favorite STEM activities is creating square foot gardens with my children. Using a seed package can yield a wide variety of mathematic concepts. The square foot garden concept allows for measuring, adding, multiplication, and division– and al of this on top of the scientific nature gardening gifts children. Children use technology to plan the design, capture changes, and share their learning.
Renee says
Stem is such a great addition to homeschool. We like to incorporate art as well (steam). This year we will have weekly stem challenges. The kids will choose from a bin of pre prepped bags and complete the challenge inside.
Alyssa Ziegler says
I was teaching 5/6 science and math. I connected the two subjects and incorporated other subjects to create STEM projects. This past year we created gravity cruisers and presented our projects to the entire community. This year I was moved to 4th grade the week before school started! STEM is still something I want to incorporate so I am looking for new ideas for a different grade level.
Mary W says
Using an extra large suntan lotion bottle ( which I received from a friendly drug store display) we compared the size of items for a person who used a regular sized suntan bottle Most of which are are about one human hand tall. This introduced our nut on ratio and proportion. It also used estimation and opened their eyes to actual applications.
runak6 says
As we are entering this wonderful world of STEM in our homeschooling, I am so excited to have this opportunity to enter such an awesome give-away! Thank you thank you!
Becky says
Such great ideas. My guys love chemistry. Making bouncy balls and goop are a favorite. I need to try some of these other experiments.
Kelly Kiggins-Lund says
My favorite STEM based activities are biology and chemistry based. We’ve even done crime scene investigation science studies as my father is a retired police officer.
Danielle Evans says
I give a building challenge every day and that is our favorite stem activity!
Miranda says
I love having my students in eighth grade learn about velocity by building their own marshmallow guns using a variety of materials and then testing the effectiveness.
Sunnie says
I need help with stem, we don’t do it enough!
Andrea Peak says
Making a volcano is one of our favorites
becky says
We love to do anything related to physics. My kids had fun hitting a plate out from under an egg and watching the egg drop straight down into a cup of water.
AmyC says
We’ve really enjoyed garden projects this season. Music lessons are in their honeymoon stage & I’d be excited for ways to continue their enthusiasm. We’re looking into Rube Goldberg now! I’d love to play more games with our 7 & 10 year old kids.
Samantha L says
Dr. Bonyfide! Everything on my science list! Thank you!
Anne says
Love all of these, especially the solar-powered lego car!
Samantha L says
I pinned a STEM page from your site. Your jpg file won’t link and allow your giveaway to pin. Missing image?
Teri Knight says
What is your favorite STEM project to do with your kids/students? We are beginning to enjoy loads of stem activities. We have made a rocket and launched it, put together a jumping frog robot, and constructed bridges and volcanoes and towers. We are planning on adding a ton more stem activities this year as my kids have showed an incredible interest in these areas. This would be a terrific asset. Thanks for the opportunity.
Rebekah says
I’m totally new to this STEM concept, so I haven’t done any projects yet, but I’m looking forward to incorporating some this school year!
BunnyMom says
So many great experiments to choose from…..Lately we have been doing lots of exploding Chemistry on our Table of Science (said in a loud, booming voice!). Elephant toothpaste has been a HUGE hit!
Cheryle Smoot says
My boys love anything they can build/create with their hands. I am looking forward to seeing their minds blossom this year as we increase these kinds of projects.
Isa Melvin says
My boys love all types of robotics and putting together electrical components. However, I prefer life science projects so we mix up our activities to cover all types.
Rita says
My favorite STEM projects are anything with legos.
Leigh says
Thanks
Erin says
Our favorite STEM activity is making oobleck! Also, breaking open geodes!
Sasha says
My boys love to work with the snap circuits, and Legos.
Jray Jhones says
Love it
Mitzi Cline says
I’m fairly new to science, but last year my 7th grader students loved making goop that was runny unless under impact. Probably their favorite!
Kate Johnston Tucker says
My kids love hands on building activities. Legos, cubes, systems.
Angela Klenke says
We have enjoyed gardening projects, along with many other projects.
Jennifer says
SO we just organized my youngest rock collection into buckets on a toy shelf by type, color, etc. He now has his own geology station! One of my twins loves all things physics and experimented with flight one at science fair for his explanation of overcoming gravity. Basically, some people run, dance, read, paint……ummm… we science.
Karyn Tripp says
Haha!! I love this!!! We Science, too. 🙂
JOAnn Johnson says
Love building roller coasters!
Yukendra says
I don’t have a favorite, yet, but I’m looking forward to doing a sink/float activity that is connected to our summer book James and the Giant Peach!
D'vorah says
Anything SCIENCE 😀
Dotty G says
Great stuff.
Sally D says
We haven’t done any STEM projects yet, just starting kindergarten this year!
Chrystal Stalzer says
We love making volcanoes, but are kind of new to the STEM world. I am really looking forward to incorporating more in our home school this year. thanks for the opportunity to win!
Jessica Justice says
We haven’t had the chance to do any STEM projects. Hoping to get started on some soon. This is my first year, and I’m still getting a feel for things.
Angie says
My 6 year old daughter loves any hands on science experiment.
Dawn S. says
Love science and can’t wait to get my student more involved.
VICKY BRAME says
My kids love to play with polymers.
Amy says
Volcanoes, explosions, etc.
HELOIZA CASTELLANA says
Nice ideas!
Amber Green says
We need to do more STEM projects! Our biggest thing right now is technology so we work on web design and making simple computer games.
Wendi B. says
Anything involving Legos 😉
Debra Perez says
This is so exciting!! My kids love stem!!!!
Kristina U says
My kids love creating things with legos and snap circuits.
Tamara Hinkle says
All the things! All the books. 🙂 Ahhh!
She reads books as one would breathe air, to fill up and live. -Annie Dillard
April says
What is your favorite STEM project to do with your kids/students?
Last school year we made a paper skeleton with the bones and organs. We learned a lot along the way and plan on putting “her” on poster board so we can refer back to what we learned.
Thanks for the opportunity to enter this great giveaway!
andrea says
STEM is new to me. Thank you for all the great ideas!
Terri Holbrook says
Our favorite stem project so far has been the robotic fuel cell car that we made from a kit last year. This year we plan on building different types of bridges and seeing how they fare during earthquakes!
Darlene Hicks says
Free periodic tables battleship? Free STEM giveaway? Yup, sign me up please!
Kelly M Barnett says
My 10 year old is a budding engineer, this would be right up his alley.
Intisar Khanani says
My kids are still young so we are very much still exploring STEM. They love building things – legos have been great, marble runs, etc. Still so much to discover, though!
Magda Miller says
We love science in our household 🙂 <3
Tonya says
Our co-op is doing a STEM class this year and my daughter is super excited. Science experiments is an area I struggle in teaching, so this could really help.
Danielle Hull says
The younger kids definitely enjoy the edible ones 🙂
Freda says
I’d love to get these items, to share in a coop setting I’m in as well as the fun I find in exploring in these ways with kids!
Robin E. says
My favorite STEM project to do with my kids is making and building stuff. Real stuff, not just projects I come up with. They design and build Lego, Minecraft, their own toys, forts, kites, coding, small engine repair, and so on.
Kyra c says
We love the experiments but I’m not sure if we have a favorite. Love anything with magnets.
Angel says
We love all science projects.
Amanda Adams says
We are new to STEM but have done several experiments that are hands on that my boys love.
Kathy says
My husband and son love doing projects together to see how things work!
Kim G. says
Honestly I am new to this so I don’t have a favorite yet, but I see you have a lot of great ideas and I am book marking your site!!
Christy says
We don’t have any one favorite, they just love anything science related!
Lise McGuinness says
My daughter’s favorite thing is “chemistry experiments” (i.e. a tray of many ingredients from the kitchen, with bowls for mixing and experimenting).
Thanks for the chance to win!
Julie P says
Our favorite activities are definitely building challenges.
Lynne B says
Circuits & robotics are favorites around here but regular sink volcanos never fail to please!
Shonnon says
My 4 boys love any STEM project involving Lego or changing states of matter.
Lori H says
Blocks and crafting.
Judith Martinez says
We love to do kitchen science while cooking.
Rebecca Kvenvolden says
i like playing stem like toys with the kids
Cathy Hall says
I am excited about beginning more STEM activities. We are new at homeschooling so just beginning to discover so much that we can do.
Melanie says
We need to do many more STEM projects. But we love anything volcano related and my boys build rockets with my husband and love that.
jessica medina says
anything that explodes
Karyn Tripp says
I have to agree!! 🙂
Melinda says
My boys love any STEM project that involves building, or making a mess. Volcano was their favorite last year 🙂
Lacey Carmichael says
THe 3d pen looks neat. We are starting to homeschooling this year.
Lisa T. says
Lego Physics Kits!
Tracey M says
Volcano, solar oven, and slimy polymer experiments are her favorite STEM activities.
Lynna @ Homeschooling without Training Wheels says
My kiddos and I recently read “String, Straightedge and Shadow” and experimented with dividing a circle into six segments with a compass!
Karyn Tripp says
oh! I have not heard of that book! Off to check it out!
Connie Johnson says
Last week it was nature study! Next week it might be physics! 🙂
Robin Walkington says
We are working on chemisty this year. My daughter loves stem projects
Robyn says
All of this looks pretty great. 🙂
Mindy says
My kids like anything that explodes (the messier the better!) or flys.
Nicole Eisenman says
I love doing snap circuit Jr. with my oldest.
Nicole Lancaster says
My favorite STEM project to do with kids is Fireworks In A Jar.
Julia Cosgrove says
I love to do building challenges with my boys.