Back to School STEM Activities to Energize the New School Year

August 15, 2024 / Heather Reyes

A young girl is back to school in a striped shirt and overalls leans forward, her eyes glued to the screen of a tablet. A smiling teacher, in a plaid shirt, looks on with amusement. The scene is a snapshot of learning in the digital age, with a focus on the teacher's warm and supportive presence.

It's back-to-school season! The start of a new school year is an exciting time filled with new opportunities and challenges. As children return to the classroom, it's the perfect time to ignite their curiosity and enthusiasm with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) activities.

Incorporating STEM activities at the start of the school year can help children transition smoothly from summer vacation back to school life. By engaging in these hands-on projects, children not only expand their knowledge across multiple disciplines but also develop key skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity, preparing them well for the challenges of the new school year.

This article will share creative back-to-school STEM activity ideas, strategies for integrating STEM into the classroom, and valuable resources for the season. Whether you’re new to STEM or a seasoned educator, these activities will help you kick off the school year with confidence and success!

Back to School STEM Activities

1. Design a Desk Organizer

The start of a new school year means new school supplies. How can we keep them organized on the desk? Let's design a storage solution! Children can use basic materials such as cardboard and wood to create the organizer they want and need. This activity promotes problem-solving skills and creative thinking, while also adding a personal touch to their school supplies organization.

Check out the video below:

2. Create Interactive Science Experiments

Explore science with fun interactive experiments related to the back-to-school theme. For example, students can make a DIY volcano that erupts with baking soda and vinegar or use chromatography to break down an autumn leaf and create a bookmark for the new school year. These experiments make learning fun and memorable, helping children understand scientific principles more deeply through hands-on practice.

A colorful and illustrated guide to performing chromatography with leaves. The guide is broken down into two sections: What you need and What you do. The What you need section lists the materials needed for the experiment, including leaves, rubbing alcohol, glasses or plastic cups, a pencil, sticky tape, filters or paper towels, a pestle and mortar, and hot water. The What you do section provides step-by-step instructions for performing the experiment, illustrated with colorful drawings.

3. Create a Pomodoro Timer Using Arduino

For older students, the beginning of the school year is an excellent time to cultivate time management skills by creating a Pomodoro timer system. The Pomodoro Technique is an excellent time management method, and this STEM project allows students to not only engage with technology but also learn to manage their time effectively throughout the school year.

4. Build a Model School Bus

Use engineering skills to construct a model of a school bus, bridge, or other transportation-related structures. This activity enhances spatial reasoning and design skills while connecting with students' daily experiences. Students can use LEGO bricks, popsicle sticks, or cardboard to create models that reflect real-world engineering challenges.

A young girl, with her hair adorned with colourful bows, leans over a table, intently studying the instructions for assembling a toy bus. The bus, painted a cheerful yellow, sits on the table beside her, a testament to the joy of hands-on learning and the magic of creating something new.

This activity is suitable for students of different ages: younger students can make a pull-along school bus, while older students can tackle more challenging projects.

5. Program Interactive Games or Animations

Learning to code is becoming increasingly important both now and in the future. Proficiency in programming will help students stand out in academic studies and the job market. Popular applications like Scratch and Code.org can help students learn basic coding skills. Children can create interactive games or animations through graphical programming, and they can design games based on math problems or historical facts, exploring academic knowledge through coding.

Integrating STEM Activities into the Classroom

Here are some strategies to maximize the impact of STEM activities in the classroom:

Incorporate STEM into Assignments: Encourage children to not only learn STEM in school but also bring STEM activities into their daily explorations at home.
Create Opportunities for Group Work: Group work can spark more ideas for projects and develop social skills as students work together to achieve common goals.
Connect to Real-World Applications: Start with real-world and community issues. For example, design solutions for local environmental problems or create plans to improve school energy efficiency. This approach helps children understand how STEM activities can make a difference in the world, build a sense of social responsibility, and gain positive feedback.
Provide Opportunities for Students to Showcase STEM Projects: Whether through classroom exhibitions, school science fairs, or digital galleries, showcasing their work not only boosts students' confidence and motivation but also encourages them to continue exploring more complex problems.

Back to School STEM Activity Resources and Inspiration

1. STEM Kits and Project Ideas

If you're busy and don't have much time to come up with ideas or prepare materials, STEM kits are a great option. They provide ready-made materials and ideas for various STEM activities, with fun experiments and activities suitable for different age groups, making it easier for families and teachers to integrate STEM into everyday learning.

As mentioned earlier, you can use a STEM Box to work on a model school bus project, which not only includes the materials for building the bus but also integrates concepts of urban transportation and planning, helping children understand the basics of city systems.

A child in a brown and black polka dot shirt sits on a playmat, engrossed in assembling a yellow wooden toy bus. She holds a yellow piece in her hand, ready to attach it to the bus. The scene is warm and inviting, showcasing the joy of learning and playing through hands-on activities.

Other fun STEM Box themes for back-to-school include making your own set of watercolor markers and exploring the science of color, creating a shadow play to turn your summer activities into a theatrical performance, or designing a Manta Ray sweeper to help clean up classroom clutter. You can find more project ideas at Tinkerer STEAM Box.

2. Successful STEM Activity Examples

If you need some inspiration, you can check out successful back-to-school STEM activity examples implemented by other teachers. These examples provide ideas and practical tips on how to effectively integrate STEM activities into the school curriculum. Whether you are a school teacher or a home educator, you can find plenty of high-quality examples and resources for the back-to-school season.

3. Expanding Extracurricular Exploration Opportunities

Encourage children to participate in STEM clubs, competitions, or summer camps during their free time. These activities offer additional avenues for STEM exploration. Children can meet like-minded peers, build new friendships, improve academic abilities, and hone practical skills and teamwork. This will further ignite their passion for science and technology, encouraging them to turn their interest into a love for the subject.

Cultivating a STEM Mindset for the New School Year

STEM activities are a fun and engaging way to teach children resilience, creativity, and collaboration. They motivate students to embrace challenges actively and help them develop problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and innovative abilities.

Fun and exciting STEM activities help children feel the joy of learning at the beginning of the school year, setting the tone for a successful academic journey. Schools, teachers, and families should work together to create a strong start to the new school year, fostering an ongoing supportive environment that makes STEM a part of children's everyday learning.