This post is sponsored by National 4-H Council
“Wow, a high school magnet program in engineering?” marvel fellow parents upon hearing my daughter has started her freshman year in high school. “Has she always liked STEM? What inspired her to apply to an engineering program? What kind of engineer does she want to be?”
Since nearly two-thirds of American teens have never considered a career in engineering, my 15-year-old’s path may seem a bit unusual compared to others her age. I’m often asked what I did to foster her interest in engineering and I like to say that I fostered her curiosity by incorporating STEM into everyday activities.
At their cores, young children are filled with curiosity. Their seemingly endless questions about everything under the sun, desire to experiment, and need to do things themselves is how they’re making sense of the way things work. As their questions get more complicated, we have a choice. We can shut down the conversation by saying we don’t know the answers, let feelings about grades in high school or college level classes get in the way, or stay open minded and willing to learn with our kids.
These days there are no shortage of available STEM products, classes, and experiences designed to foster scientific knowledge. However, some of the best learning can be done at home thanks to free resources from 4-H STEM Lab, which offers easy to follow activities that use household or easily accessible store-bought materials.
About 4-H STEM Lab
4-H STEM Lab, supported by HughesNet, is a free online resource that provides families with fun, straightforward, hands-on STEM activities for kids of all ages. STEM Lab focuses on making STEM accessible for kids everywhere. Hands-on projects using inexpensive materials are designed to instill curiosity and critical thinking skills because 4-H wants to inspire kids to do. STEM Lab activities inspire kids to be actively engaged and learn necessary skills that allow them to be successful in life.
With engaging activities to match every child’s interest, subject, and grade as well as the ability to filter by estimated time it will take to complete the project, 4-H STEM Lab makes it easy to fit STEM into any part of your day. 4-H makes it easy to get started by sorting project materials according to things you’re likely to have at home and materials you may need to purchase. Clear explanations of the STEM concepts are provided, and The Messy Meter gives a sense of how much clean-up time you’ll need before you even get started!
Engineering Challenges for All Ages from 4-H STEM Lab
STEM Lab is a unique site because it allows parents to filter by topic to better match activities to interests so you can work STEM into everyday projects and activities. In honor of National Engineers Week (February 17-23, 2019), here are some age appropriate suggestions of how you can match your child’s interests to age appropriate projects that will inspire them to think like an engineer.
STEM Lab Activities for Preschoolers and Early Elementary Ages
Capitalize on innate curiosity by involving preschoolers and early elementary ages (grades K-2) in hands-on activities that will get them designing, building, using simple machines, and applying math and science concepts to solve problems. These two STEM Lab activities will not only impress young learners but will also require them to use creativity and problem solving skills, two key skills used constantly by engineers.
Who knew that the citrus fruit you have on your counter can teach chemistry and engineering! Fruit Batteries is an activity that teaches kids about the key parts of what make a battery work and the chemical reaction that makes it possible. Grab two pieces of citrus you have on your kitchen counter, some pennies, and nails to create circuits that will wow you and your preschooler or early elementary aged student. Scroll down for a bonus challenge to try to beat the Guinness World Record for the fastest time to light an LED with a fruit battery, questions you can ask your kids about what you did, and an explanation about the science behind what you did.
- Concepts taught: chemistry, electricity, and engineering
- Estimated time: 25 minutes
- Messy Meter Rating= clean
How Can We Use Wind to Lift a Load
Raid your home office for supplies to build a windmill to learn how wind can be converted into energy! In just 11 steps, you’ll construct a windmill that can be used to power a pulley system to lift a bucket, thanks to mechanical engineering and wind power. Wondering how many pennies a windmill might be able to lift? Challenge your kids to add one penny at a time to test the load capacity!
- Concepts taught: mechanical engineering
- Estimated time: 30 minutes
- Messy Meter Rating= clean
STEM Lab Activities for Tweens
Tweens are at a critical age where interest in STEM topics need to be fostered. These activities make connections between scientific principles and math to develop solutions to problems.
Physics meets engineering in a challenge that requires tweens to figure out how to parachute an egg safely to the ground. This project requires kids to create a parachute out of a plastic garbage bag and lightweight string that will safely deliver a raw egg when cradled in tissues nestled in plastic or foam cups and tissues. Tweens will love this engineering challenge where they harness the power of physics and air resistance to develop different parachute designs to deliver their egg safely to the ground.
- Concepts taught: physics, engineering
- Estimated time: 30 minutes
- Messy Meter Rating= moderate
- Best for grades 3-5
Get ready for your kids to raid your recycling bin as they upcycle materials to build a four-wheeled car as they learn about the engineering design process and physics concepts like potential and kinetic energy. Experimenting with different objects for the wheels and car body provides a fun engineering challenge as kids experiment to determine the fastest design. Maybe your family’s design will beat the Guinness World Record for the farthest distance traveled by a home-made rubber band vehicle!
- Concepts taught: physics, engineering
- Estimated time: 45 minutes
- Messy Meter Rating= clean
- Best for grades 3-5
STEM Lab Activities for Teens
Photo by Nicolas Thomas on Unsplash
Since engineering is such a broad topic, it’s important to help teens make connections between their interests and the various fields and specialties. Take some time to learn about the six types of engineering (civil, mechanical, chemical, petroleum, electrical, and aerospace) together and help them understand how their knowledge of math and science can help with the design of engines, machines, structures, and electrical systems to help solve the world’s problems.
In addition to STEM Lab activities available for free on the site, 4-H has programs all over the country that focus on engineering and technology that provide a chance for older kids to collaborate on longer term projects. Hands-on activities in robotics, rocketry, computer science and electrical engineering are designed to teach problem solving, creative and critical thinking, while building excitement about the fields. Featured programs include Tech Wizards for grades 4-12 and Robotics, a program that helps develop an interest in robotics engineering and technology.
About 4-H
Founded in order to provide young people opportunities to improve the world around us through hands-on learning, 4-H recognizes the need for today’s youth to have digital skills that will enable them to use technology to solve problems. The organization has a 100-year-old history as the nation’s largest youth development organization. Their goal is to help kids and families gain necessary skills to be proactive forces in their communities and develop ideas for a more innovative economy through in-school and after-school activities, clubs, and camps that suit a variety of interests, budgets, and schedules. For more information, visit the 4-H website, like 4-H on Facebook, and follow 4-H on Instagram and Twitter.
This post was written on behalf of 4-H. Although I received compensation for participating in this campaign, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Some images courtesy of 4-H.
