Going stir crazy at home? Starting to feel like a mad scientist? Join us weekly on Fridays for our Walking Mountains’ staff favorite STEM activities. 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.
Every Friday Megan (Girls in Science Coordinator) and Paul (STEM Curiosity Lab Coordinator) will share a variety of Walking Mountains STEM approved activities covering a variety of topics from growing your own geodes to building a homopolar motor.
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
Marshmallow Constellations - Star gazing during the summer is one of Megan’s favorite activities! Learn about some of the constellations we can see from our backyards by making models out of toothpicks and marshmallows!
Pool Noodle Periscope - A great engineering challenge that explores the science of image refraction!
Solar S’mores - Harness the energy of the sun to make one of the best snacks ever invented! No campfire necessary!
Backyard Bottle Rocket - Create a fire free firework for your summer celebrations! Using baking soda, vinegar, and potential energy see if you can launch a soda bottle into the air!
Sizzling Sunny Science - Ever wondered why things like snow and ice melt in the sun? It’s because of radiation, which is when the suns rays transfer thermal energy to an object. Set up this science experiment in a sunny spot to see what kinds of everyday objects are affected by the sun’s rays!
MIDDLE SCHOOL RESOURCES
Egg Drop Challenge- This is one activity that should definitely be done outdoors! Build a safety vessel for an egg and see how high you can drop it from without breaking your egg. Use stairs, bleachers, or windows to find the perfect height! Make sure to clean up, dried egg can stain!
Check Out Fossil Beds - Our local McCoy Fossil Beds are a great place to look at fossils in Eagle County! Search for ancient sea life which lived in the shallow sea that once covered most of Colorado.
Build a Bird Feeder - Watch the birds squawk and squabble as they enjoy your homemade bird feeder! See if you can identify birds that come to your feeder, and keep an eye out for raptors looking for a snack of their own.
Build a Boat - Can you make a boat that floats? How much weight can you add to your boat? This fun activity challenges your inner engineer to come up with a creative design. Use a pond or just a bucket of water to test your boat with different weights. Do you think you could build a boat big enough to keep you afloat?
Erosion in a Bottle
See the power of water to cause erosion and whether you can slow this force of nature. You will need a 2 liter soda bottle, soil, rocks, sticks, and plants to try to prevent erosion in your bottle!
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.
