5 Hands-On STEM Projects to Engage Homeschool Learning

August 19, 2024 / Heather Reyes

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Incorporating STEM activities into your homeschool learning curriculum allows children to enjoy the creativity of education through hands-on projects. These activities help develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, fostering a love for lifelong learning. Plus, they enable your child to engage in fun and interactive experiences, making them perfect for homeschoolers exploring practical applications.

There are many creative ways to integrate STEM topics into your homeschool learning. In this article, we recommend five exciting hands-on STEM and STEAM projects that you can easily include in your curriculum.

1. DIY Homeschool Learning STEM Project: Balloon-Powered Car

Create a balloon-powered car using recycled water bottles and paper straws! This simple STEM project teaches kids about physics in a fun and interactive way. It's suitable for children of all ages to get hands-on experience!

What you will learn in this STEM project:

• Practical application of concepts like aerodynamics and Newton's laws of motion.
• Exploring the effects of different engineering structures on object movement.

How to make a balloon-powered car: You can make this car using materials you have at home, like water bottles, bottle caps, paper straws, wooden skewers, tape, balloons, and string or rubber bands. If you're missing any of these items, try finding alternatives around your house.

Extension Activity Suggestions: Can you design different balloon-powered cars and hold a race? What factors will affect the car's speed?

2. DIY STEM Project: Crystal Growing Science Fair

Did you collect lots of rocks at the beach during your vacation? Turn them into dazzling "gems" with a simple experiment! This super cool STEM project will make kids fall in love with science through the magic of crystallization.

What you will learn in this STEM project:

• What is a saturated solution, and the science behind crystal growth.
• Experiment with how temperature affects crystal formation.

How to make crystallized stones at home: You'll need smooth beach rocks, borax, hot water, a glass jar, a spoon, watercolour paints, and a dropper or small brush. The process is very simple: add enough borax to hot water to form a saturated solution, then place the beach rocks in the solution. Wait overnight, and you'll have a crystallized beach rock. Let the rock dry, and use your creativity to paint it in your favorite colors—maybe turn it into a blue space rock?

Please note: Adult supervision is required when handling boiling water and borax. Borax can be harmful if swallowed, inhaled, or comes into contact with the eyes. In rare cases, contact with borax may cause a rash.

Extension Activity Suggestions: To learn more about the science behind crystallization and explore factors that may affect crystal formation, check out Science Buddies. You can also present your project as a science fair exhibit.

3. STEM Box: Repeating Crossbow

Kids often have a fascination with weaponry. Why not channel that interest into a fun STEM activity for your homeschooling? Try recreating a historical invention—the Repeating Crossbow—and build a semi-automatic "weapon". Along the way, your children will explore concepts like potential and kinetic energy, as well as lever mechanics. They’ll enjoy the hands-on learning experience!

What you will learn in this STEM project:

• Hands-on building of a repeating crossbow, and exploring its dynamics through observation and recording.
• Understand the working principles of semi-automatic weapons and learn about weapon mechanics.
• Learn how to improve mechanical efficiency by using levers.
• Conduct an experiment to determine your dominant eye and engage in a shooting game.

This STEM activity allows kids to enjoy the fun of engineering assembly while learning STEM science knowledge. Repeating Crossbow STEM Box also guides children to think about the relationship between weapons and war, whether civilians should own guns, and other deep questions related to the real world.

4. STEM Box: Chemical Tornado

Start a Chemical Tornado! Bring colourful chemistry experiments into your homeschooling plan. With this STEM Box, kids will create an electromagnetic stirrer and explore the fascinating science of acids and bases.

What you will learn in this STEM project:

• Build an electromagnetic stirrer (yes, the kind found in scientific labs around the world) and understand how it works.
• Investigate factors that affect the rate of chemical reactions, such as pressure, temperature, concentration, and stirring, through scientific experiments.
• Learn about acids and bases, and measure the pH of everyday items through experiments.
• Read the accompanying science magazine to learn about the history of pH testing, indicators, and different litmus papers, and observe chemical indicator changes.
• Make a homemade cabbage indicator and test the acidity and alkalinity of common household items. Learn about the impact of acid-base balance on nature.

If you want to spark your child's interest in chemistry through homeschooling, the Chemical Tornado STEM Box is a perfect choice. It combines book knowledge with real-life experiments and provides all the materials needed for exploration—knowledge, experiments, and devices. You don't need to do any prep work to provide young students with a fun and informative STEM learning experience.

5. STEM Box: Solar Oven

If you're looking to incorporate concepts about renewable energy into your homeschooling, the Solar Oven STEM Box is a great choice. In this project, kids will build a solar oven to understand the origins of energy, the energy we use in our daily lives, and solar thermal energy.

What you will learn in this STEM project:

• This STEM Box allows kids to create their own solar oven and use solar thermal energy to conduct a crayon melting experiment.
• Kids will learn about the working principles of solar ovens and understand concepts like heat and heat transfer.
• Read the science magazine to learn about ocean creatures powered by solar energy, different forms of energy, and energy conversion in our daily lives.
• Conduct experiments to test how temperature affects the density of objects, helping children understand the concept of heat affecting molecular movement and deepening their understanding of knowledge.
• Expand their reading by exploring Peru's Sun God Festival through fun mini-games, and learn about diverse cultures.
• Finally, you can use the solar oven to cook food by melting marshmallows with sunlight to make delicious s'mores.

This box is perfect for summer exploration. It prepares all the materials needed for learning at home. The Solar Oven STEM Box turns abstract energy concepts into devices, experiments, text, and games that are easy for kids to accept and understand. It's perfect for young science adventurers aged 6-8.

All of these projects are exciting ways to explore STEM at home. If you ask a child if they want to pursue engineering, they might give you a puzzled look. But ask them if they want to build a balloon car, and you’re likely to see their eyes light up with enthusiasm!

STEM activities and challenges are the perfect way to introduce STEM into your daily homeschooling plan. They show children how science, technology, engineering, and mathematics apply to real life, teaching them to use interdisciplinary knowledge to solve problems. They will also ignite a passion for learning and equip them with essential skills for future careers.

Start by incorporating these five hands-on STEM projects into your homeschooling plan!