November 8th is National STEM Day. National STEM Day highlights the importance of integrating science, technology, engineering, and math in the classroom. STEM learning comes with many benefits for your students, from preparing them for future careers to enhancing their critical thinking skills.
During our #TeachingSTEM2021 Twitter Chat, AdoptAClassroom.org asked our community of expert educators to share their most engaging STEM activities from last school year. Their suggestions, which we compiled below, require inexpensive or easy-to-find materials. These activities are perfect for your lesson plans on National STEM Day or any other day of the year!
Whether you’re purchasing construction paper or robotics kits, STEM materials for your students shouldn’t come out of your own pocket. AdoptAClassroom.org is a funding platform for PreK-12 educators. Register your classroom on AdoptAClassroom.org to be eligible for grants, giveaways, and crowdfunding.
Six Activities for National STEM Day:
1. Hurricane-Proof Houses
This clever construction project will help students think critically about weather and the impact it can have on people’s lives. A household fan makes this fun challenge accessible in a distance learning or in-person setting.
2. Get Electric by Making Foil Circuits
For National STEM Day, spark a love for science in your students with a lesson about conducting electricity!
3. Utilize Sustainable Supplies
Inspire the next generation of architects to create the sustainable buildings of the future! Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle by using everyday objects for a variety of STEM activities.
4. Build Ramps
Building ramps with students from items found around the home is a practical and engaging way to teach physics. We love that this teacher is also teaching valuable parking skills students are likely to use when they grow up!
5. Design a Lunar Base
This STEM project encourages hands-on, creative problem solving while connecting students with current scientific news. This in-depth project will expand long past National STEM Day. It’s the perfect combination of art and engineering; especially for this educator’s student, who prioritized their love of music by putting a piano on their lunar base.
6. Keep the Classics
Counting with Cheerios is a time-honored math activity for Pre-K and Kindergarten students. Students who may be learning at home can still eat the Cheerios as a snack once they’re done counting!
More than ever before, teachers are struggling to afford the supplies they need to keep their students engaged. We want every teacher to have access to the learning tools their students need, without having to spend their own money. Whether you need lithium batteries for an electric circuit project, or supplies for a classroom garden, we can help.