What Makes a STEM Activity Great?

A successful activity sparks the imagination and gives kids creative skills they can use daily.

The right STEM activities possess a unique set of characteristics that help enhance the learning experience. If you’re looking for new ways to connect with your students, learning how Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math better them as individuals and scholars is key. The lessons that you teach to the kids you’re in charge of today can significantly benefit the world in the future as many young students grow up and work in positions where the skills come into play.

The six characteristics of an excellent STEM activity are explained below.

Characteristic #1: Real-world issues and challenges are emphasized.

Whatever is going on in society, the economy, and the environment is explored through STEM activities. Students learn how they can affect these areas positively.

Characteristic #2: The engineering design process guides the lesson being taught.

Children learn to identify problems as well as create and develop solutions. They get to experience big picture thinking and directly influence the outcome of a situation.

Characteristic #3: Students get to ask questions and get fully immersed in a hands-on experience.

Students collaborate to come up with the best solution. They get to see how things work personally by having a hand in the creative thought process.

Characteristic #4: Teamwork is key to the lesson’s success.

Kids work with their classmates to build upon one another’s unique ideas and skills. This facilitates faster and better solutions overall.

Characteristic #5: Students get to apply the math and science lessons they’ve already learned to the STEM activity.

Taking knowledge that they already possess, children get to apply it to STEM lessons. They see why the information was important in the first place.

Characteristic #6: There is no one right answer and failures are seen as yet another step to learning.

Kids learn that there are many outcomes with each lesson. They also learn to see failure as a part of the learning process.

Now that you know what characteristics make a STEM activity great, you’ll be better able to plan activities for your own classroom. You’ll be able to add value to your students’ day by sparking meaningful discussion following a successful science, technology, engineering, and math event. The skills that the kids in your class learn are ones they can use in everyday situations.

A Fun STEM Challenge for Kids Involving a Paper Plate and a Marble

When coming up with creative and fun STEM challenges for kids, you don’t have to look further than your closet at school for materials. All that is needed to create a mind-stimulating maze is a paper plate, construction paper, glue, scissors, and a marble. Kids today may not have any experience playing with pinball machines but after some simple instructions, they’ll be pros at paper plate pinball!

Here’s what needs to be done to make this project successful:

• Acquire all of the supplies needed for each student. If you don’t have these items on hand, see if any parents want to donate them. They may have a huge supply of paper plates leftover from their last barbecue and not know what to do with them. That’s great news for you as it ensures you have the supplies you need to carry out this project without a hitch.
• Demonstrate how to create simple arches and bumpers using construction paper. Create a sample paper plate pinball machine that can be used to demonstrate the process. You may want to experiment with different types of arches, bumpers, and obstacles so your students know what options await them.
• Assist your students in cutting out paper strips and adhering them to the plates. Depending on how late in the day you teach this STEM project determines whether the glue will be dry in time to try out the pinball machines. You may have to extend the project into a two-day time period to ensure that all arches and bumpers are secure on the plates.
• Have fun ‘scoring’ points with the marbles. Let your students explore their games by tilting them to try to get the marble into the proper slot. If your students wrote out scores for the different areas of the game, have them keep track of theirs so they can share it with the class later.

This STEM activity is easy to do. It requires little effort to execute and teaches students in a truly memorable way. It’s one way to incorporate fun and science in the classroom.