Springtime is here!
Whether you’re looking for great STEM activities for Earth Day or simply want spring themed science experiments, here’s our weekly dose of STEM activity inspiration.
Table of Contents
1. Golden Slime for St. Patricks Day
How pretty is this slime? I love the fun and ease of creating a great slime. This activity is perfect this spring on St. Patrick’s Day. I know that I’d love to find that golden goo at the end of a rainbow! Here’s the complete recipe.
2. Rainbow Crystals
Another great STEM activity for St. Patrick’s day (or really any day.) These colorful crystals are made with borax. We got crafty with our crystal science and turned them into a suncatcher.
3. Create a Rain Gauge
Weather science experiments are perfect in the spring. This experiment comes from NASA and includes everything you need as a teacher for a complete lesson plan. Follow this link to download the free teacher guide PDF.
4. Mini Terrarium Necklace
These adorable necklaces combine both the “Science” and “Art” in STEAM. Witness the water cycle in your enclosed garden. Because you’re growing the seeds in such a small container, it’s also interesting to see the different root formations as they bump into the glass.
5. Create Recycled Paper
Many of our STEM activities include recycled materials. (After all, our STEM bin is stuffed with old shoe boxes and paper tubes.
This science activity is perfect for Earth Day.
Making paper is really quite simple, and once you let it dry out, you’ll have a paper you’ll want to use for your next art masterpiece or birthday card. Students will learn how fibers can be recycled and reused to create this eco-friendly paper product. You can even use other fibers, like string or cotton, to give your paper something extra.
6. Soil Testing Experiment
I love gardening! And I absolutely can’t wait for it to warm enough for me to get out in the year. Until then, we’ve already started seeds indoors. Learn how different soils retain moisture differently and contribute to a plant’s growth.
I recommend using an easy, fairly fast-growing seed such as peas or corn. But if you want to replant the seedling in your yard, any seed can work for this simple spring science experiment.
BONUS: Download this Free PDF from Virginia Tech for a full lesson and experiment on plant growth – including testing sunlight, soil, and more.
7. Create a Sprout House
A great pre-school or kindergarten activity to learn the magic of plant growth. Create a sprout house with seeds, sponges, and some toothpicks. The kids will water the sponges and see their sprouts grow.
8. S’Mores in a Solar Oven
Learn about renewable energy this spring with a classic STEM activity – a solar oven. S’mores work great in these ovens, but I also love putting pita pizzas in these little ovens. They make for a great lunch – just spread sauce, cheese and your favorite pizza toppings of pita bread. Pop them in these ovens on a sunny day.
9. Rainbow Flowers
Learn how water travels through plants by creating your own rainbow flowers. The rainbow flowers look beautiful! You can also use celery stalks, which really show the capillary action as the stalks pull up the water.
10. Wind Energy Experiment
Create a pinwheel that can lift a cup to demonstrate how wind can be turned into energy. As an extra challenge, add pennies to the cup to see which “windmill” can lift the heaviest load.
11. Daffodil Dissection
Get outside on a walk to enjoy the springtime weather. While on the walk, challenge students to find a flower – daffodils are easy flowers to identify all of the parts. Once back in the classroom demonstrate dissecting the flowers and identifying the different parts. This is also a great science experiment for homeschooling where you don’t have to worry about picking all of the school’s flowers.
12. Grow Seeds in a Jar
Another great seed themed STEM activity. In this experiment, kids can watch the roots as they grow. Draw diagrams of the different types of seeds roots structure and compare how they’re different.
13. Oil Spill Clean Up Experiment
A great Earth Day science experiment that demonstrates how difficult it is to clean up after an oil spill and how we need to protect our oceans. Only a few materials are required for this activity. For a complete lesson, this activity pairs well with the picture book Oil Spill.
14. Erosion Experiment
You can do this experiment alongside this free erosion lesson plan on Teachers Pay Teachers. Show how run-off affects the water quality. As well as how plants help decrease erosion.
15. Ocean Zones in a Jar
These jars are beautiful and a great way to demonstrate the different zones of our ocean for another Earth Day science project this spring. I save all of my old pasta jars for this type of experiment.
Wrapping Up
Spring is a great time to get outside for nature-based science experiments and STEM activities! Earth science has always been one of my favorite topics to cover. There are so many great activities to inspire kids to appreciate and protect our earth.
Want more? Make the most of every science experiment at home or in the classroom with our free scientific method worksheet.
Thanks for such a great list of stem activities! We finally have good weather too, and I can’t wait to get outside to do some of these!