to Engage Your Child in Hands-On Learning
— Boston, MA
If you’re struggling to find ways to engage your child in STEM education, hands-on, experimental learning is the solution. The following elementary level activities will have kids on their feet, exploring science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Tornado in a Bottle:
Tornadoes are created when warm and humid air collides with cold, dry air. The cold air is denser, and pushes up the warm air, creating a funnel. Though tornadoes are usually large and cause immense damage, this weather formation can be recreated within a bottle so that your child can see the science behind the storm.
What you will need:
2- 1-liter soda bottles
Metal washer
Duct tape
Food coloring
Instructions:
Fill one bottle 3/4 full of water, and add a few drops of food coloring. Then, place the washer on top of the bottle neck. Put the second, empty bottle on top of the first bottle, neck facing down, and tape the two necks together. Have your child quickly flip the bottles over so that the water creates a funnel and creates a vortex at the top as it flows from the top bottle.
Solar System Math:
This math game combines a love for outer space with the practice of math facts. Once you and your child have created the game board, the object is to get two ping-pong balls into the spaces in the egg carton. There will be a number displayed on the space that each ball lands in, and your child will have to answer the math operation of your choice (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) with these numbers.
What you will need:
2 ping-pong balls
Markers
Egg carton
Black paint
Blue paint
Paintbrush
Scissors
Yellow sticky backed foam
Instructions:
Remove the lid of an egg carton and paint it black. Then add specks of blue paint to give it a galaxy look. Cut 12 stars from the foam and put numbers on the stars (these values can be chosen depending on your child's math level). Stick the stars into the spaces in the carton and begin playing!
For more ideas on how to engage your child in homeschool learning, visit:
https://thehomeschoolscientist.com/stem-activities-for-kids/