to Engage Your Child in Hands-On Learning
—Boston, MA
If you’re struggling to find ways in which to engage your child in STEM learning, the best way to do so is to turn to hands-on, experimental learning. The following elementary level activities will have kids on their feet and exploring various aspects in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Building Simple Machines (Catapult):
What you will need:
3 cardboard tubes
Wooden spoon
4 elastic bands
Instructions:
Lay 2 cardboard tubes side by side, then place the third on top of the first two to form a triangle shaped stack
Fasten tubes together with an elastic band
Place wooden spoon at front of tubes and loop elastic band over top of spoon, stretch it around tubes, then bring back over top of spoon to hold spoon to tubes
Take last elastic band over spoon handle, wrap around cardboard tubes and back over spoon
Hopscotch Math:
What you will need:
Chalk
Instructions:
Set up a hopscotch grid with the layout of a calculator. As a challenge, include the square root symbol and negative integer sign. Students will hop on a number, then an operation, followed by another number, the equal sign, and finally the answer. For double-digit answers, they can land their hop so that their left foot lands on the digit in the 10s place and their right foot lands on the digit in the ones place. In addition, your child can also toss a stone onto the numbers and signs in order to get equations.
Weight Estimation Game:
What you will need:
Fruits and vegetables
Balance scale
Instructions:
Line up different kinds of fruits and vegetables in various shapes and sizes. Have your child predict the order of the foods from lightest to heaviest. Then, use a balance scale to test their predictions, rearranging the foods in their actual order from lightest to heaviest. For an extra challenge, slice each food in half and have your child analyze how the density of the fruit or vegetable affects its weight.
Oil Spill:
What you will need:
Oil
Water
Feathers
Sponges or paper towels
Container
Instructions:
Mix the oil and water in a container and add a few feathers. Then, have your child use sponges or paper towels having your child try to remove the oil from the water and feathers. This activity will demonstrate how oil spills can affect the environment by showing your child how the oil affected the feathers and how difficult it was to remove it from the water.
For more ideas on how to engage your child in home school learning, visit: