Going stir crazy at home? Starting to feel like a mad scientist? Pick out activities that you can do at home with your elementary and middle school aged students either all at once or pace yourself throughout the week.
As you and your student work your way through various engineering challenges, science experiments, and STEM-focused activities, please share your photos and videos with Walking Mountains Facebook to be featured in our Tuesday
STEM @ Home blog posts and learn what is in store the next Friday!
Show your support for Walking Mountains' STEM @ Home activities:
Elementary Resources
Slime Recipes - “Slime is life,” a Girls in Science student once said. Check out some tried and true slime recipes tested out by Girls in Science staff and students! Make a scientific mess while learning about reversible cross-linking polymer gels! Just be sure to not let your creation bond with the carpet!
LINK TO SLIME 1 LINK TO SLIME 2 LINK TO SLIME 3
Cloud in a Jar - Just how exactly do clouds form and where does the rain inside of clouds come from? Create your own cloud in a jar and watch it “rain” while learning about different types of clouds. On your next walk around the neighborhood, see what clouds you can identify in the sky!
Marbled Paper/Paper Tie Dye - Sometimes science can be artistic, and sometimes art can be scientific! Make a foamy mess and create a design to “print” on a piece of paper while learning about properties like hydrophilic and hydrophobic molecules.
Oobleck - Oobleck is a non-newtonian fluid. That is, it acts like a liquid when being poured, but like a solid when an outside force is acting on it. You can grab it and then it will ooze out of your hands. Make enough Oobleck and you can even walk on it!
Hot Ice - Say what?! Hot ice? This slightly messy vinegar and baking soda project combines magic and science! Try this science experiment, it uses just 2 ingredients that you probably have on hand.
MIDDLE SCHOOL RESOURCES
Rock candy geode - Create an edible geode out of sugar! See how sugar crystals grow from a supersaturated solution to form geode-like crystals. Make inside of a rock-looking fondant shell or a dark chocolate shell, both are edible when you’re done!
Build a Water Clock - Counting down the minutes until you can go play with friends again? Do so with your own, homemade water clock! This experiment involves building the world's oldest known timekeeping device. You’ll just need a plastic cup, string, popsicle stick, and a bell or something else to act as your alarm.
Grow A Snake! - This experiment involves fire, so grab an adult, some baking soda, and powdered sugar to grow a magic snake! Watch as the chemical reaction of burning sugar and baking soda expands into a rapidly growing long black “snake!”
Baking Soda Powered Boat - Create a boat that moves using thanks to chemistry! Harness the power of baking soda and vinegar to propel your boat with CO2 gas. Bonus experiment: how does changing the size of your “engine” hole affect the speed of your boat?
Walking Water - Make water “walk” from one glass to another! Investigate how the physical properties of water allow it to move up a wick--the same principles that let trees get water from their roots to their leaves. All you need are some clear cups, paper towels, food coloring, and of course, water!
We are only sharing these links/activities with the intent of sharing these resources with our community for purely educational purposes during the prolonged school suspension as a result of COVID-19. We do not own any of the intellectual property that we share.
