STEAM Activities for Middle School at Home

10 Activities

Overview

This Playlist gives middle school aged students fun engineering and design activities that can be done at home or in small groups.

Build Your Own Roller Coaster

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Build Your Own Roller Coaster

6 - 8

1 Hour

Students create their own roller coasters! Working in teams, students get as creative as they want to make the best roller coasters.

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Build Your Own Roller Coaster

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Gumdrop Structure Challenge

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Gumdrop Structure Challenge

6 - 8

1 Hour

Students use gumdrops to design a structure that can hold the weight of a textbook. Students engage in a fun activity, expanding their knowledge and creativity.

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Gumdrop Structure Challenge

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Build An Extension Arm

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Build An Extension Arm

6 - 12

45 Minutes

In this activity, students learn about engineering as they design, build and test an extension arm.

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Build An Extension Arm

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Design Challenge: Paper Tower Marshmallow Challenge

STEM, Arts

Design Challenge: Paper Tower Marshmallow Challenge

3 - 5

35 Minutes

Students work in teams to complete a challenge to build the tallest free-standing structure out of paper that can support a marshmallow. Along the way, teams will be asked to reflect on what they've been doing and how they're feeling as they experience what it means to have an entrepreneurial mindset. It will also help students start building some key entrepreneurial skills including creativity, teamwork, and prototyping.

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Design Challenge: Paper Tower Marshmallow Challenge

STEM, Arts

Cotton Catapults

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Cotton Catapults

3 - 8

1 Hour 15 Minutes

Students create a catapult to launch cotton balls.

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Cotton Catapults

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Modeling an Elbow

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Modeling an Elbow

6 - 8

45 Minutes

In this activity, students use rubber bands and a foam board to construct a working model of an elbow joint. By experimenting with the model, students observe that muscles work in pairs to bend joints and move body parts. Flexing and extending the arm at the elbow joint is one example.

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Modeling an Elbow

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

A History of Epidemics

9 - 12

45 Minutes

Youth learn about historical examples of epidemics and public health crises and compare them to recent crises such as the coronavirus pandemic of 2020.

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A History of Epidemics

Modeling How the Heart Works

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Modeling How the Heart Works

3 - 5

45 Minutes

In this activity, students use paper cups and coffee stirrers to model a human heart. They use the models to examine how the heart pumps blood. This activity builds an understanding of the structure and function of the heart muscle.

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Modeling How the Heart Works

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Building a Buzzer Alarm

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Building a Buzzer Alarm

6 - 8

45 Minutes

Students create a circuit that causes an alarm to trigger. In addition, they learn about electrical currents and circuits!

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Building a Buzzer Alarm

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Building Card Houses

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Building Card Houses

6 - 8

1 Hour

Students work with cards to complete a structure-building challenge.

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Building Card Houses

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

STEAM Activities for Middle School at Home

Grades 6 - 8

8 Hours 35 Minutes

Overview

Build Your Own Roller Coaster

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Build Your Own Roller Coaster

6 - 8

1 Hour

Students create their own roller coasters! Working in teams, students get as creative as they want to make the best roller coasters.

Discover Activity

Build Your Own Roller Coaster

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Gumdrop Structure Challenge

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Gumdrop Structure Challenge

6 - 8

1 Hour

Students use gumdrops to design a structure that can hold the weight of a textbook. Students engage in a fun activity, expanding their knowledge and creativity.

Discover Activity

Gumdrop Structure Challenge

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Build An Extension Arm

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Build An Extension Arm

6 - 12

45 Minutes

In this activity, students learn about engineering as they design, build and test an extension arm.

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Build An Extension Arm

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Design Challenge: Paper Tower Marshmallow Challenge

STEM, Arts

Design Challenge: Paper Tower Marshmallow Challenge

3 - 5

35 Minutes

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Design Challenge: Paper Tower Marshmallow Challenge

STEM, Arts

Cotton Catapults

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Cotton Catapults

3 - 8

1 Hour 15 Minutes

Students create a catapult to launch cotton balls.

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Cotton Catapults

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Modeling an Elbow

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Modeling an Elbow

6 - 8

45 Minutes

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Modeling an Elbow

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

A History of Epidemics

9 - 12

45 Minutes

Youth learn about historical examples of epidemics and public health crises and compare them to recent crises such as the coronavirus pandemic of 2020.

Discover Activity

A History of Epidemics

Modeling How the Heart Works

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Modeling How the Heart Works

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Discover Activity

Modeling How the Heart Works

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Building a Buzzer Alarm

STEM, Nature and Wildlife