Kids of all ages will have fun with this craft stick bridge STEM challenge. 

Younger kids will enjoy building and then playing with the end product.  Older kids can use this activity to learn about the different forces acting on bridges and why they are designed the way they are.  

When it comes to STEM supplies to always keep on hand, craft sticks are a favorite.  They are versatile, can be used for numerous projects, and are inexpensive.  (I love getting ours at the Dollar Store.)

Besides using them to build bridges, a favorite for kids of all ages is making a craft stick catapult. If you haven’t tried that one yet, I highly recommend it.  

Before starting this project, you may want to discuss a few different types of bridges with your child.  This is perfect to do while driving — there are so many different types of bridges you can see!

A truss bridge is actually one of the oldest forms of modern bridges. 

The sides on a truss bridge consists of a series of triangles, making it very strong. 

Craft Stick Bridge

Materials Needed:

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• Craft Sticks  (You need at least 80.)
• Hot Glue Gun
• Scissors 

To create your own truss bridge with craft sticks, you will start by making 6 triangles.  

Do this by arranging 3 craft sticks together to form a triangle, with their ends slightly overlapping.  Hot glue them together.  (Quick drying tacky glue is a great alternative for this STEM project, especially if you want to test how much weight your bridge can hold once it is built.)

Make 5 more triangles, just like the first one, until you have a total of 6.  

Once you have your triangles made, set them aside.  It’s time to make a base for the triangles to connect to.  

Lay 3 craft sticks, end to end, in a straight line.

Cut another craft stick in half.  Hot glue half of that craft stick on top of the first craft stick in your line of 3, making sure their curved ends are flush together. 

Take 2 more whole craft sticks and glue them onto the row, covering up the seams where the bottom craft sticks meet each other.  

Finally, glue on the other half of the craft stick you cut in half.  

Repeat this process, so you have 2 rows of craft sticks that have been glued together.

Once that is finished, hot glue the bottoms of 3 triangles to one of your rows of craft sticks.  Repeat with the other 3 triangles and craft stick row.   

To make the tops of your bridge’s sides, you will do a similar process.

Start by laying 2 craft sticks end to end.

Cut another stick in half and hot glue half of it on top of one of your 2 full craft sticks, making sure the curved ends match up.  

Hot glue a full craft stick, making sure it touches the edge of your half stick and coveres up the seam of the bottom 2 craft sticks.

Then glue on the other half piece.  

Repeat this process so you have 2 short rows of craft sticks glued together.  

Now glue these short rows to the top portion of your triangles.  This will complete your bridge’s sides. 

Once your sides are complete, it is time to start building the bridge’s base.

Stand your sides up and hot glue one craft stick in the middle of your middle triangle on one of the sides to the other side.  Make sure the craft stick lays flat. 

Hot glue a few more sticks across the bridge’s bottom.  I suggest placing one in the middle of each triangle, and one at the corner of each triangle.  These will be supports for the bridge deck.    

(The pic below was taken BEFORE we finished adding in all of the craft sticks at the bottom.)

To make a solid bridge deck that toy cars can travel on, you wil need to build a bridge deck.

Hot glue craft sticks perpendicular across those supports you just added.  Make sure they touch side to side.

It took us 9 craft sticks to go from one side to the other.  

You will repeat this process 3 times to make a solid base that is the entire length of your bridge.  

For added strength at the top of your bridge, add a craft stick going across the middle.  Then add a few more, spaced out evenly, going towards each end.    

Once your bridge is complete, it’s time to test it out. 

It’s perfect for driving small cars over. 

But to make it even more of a STEM activity, you may want to challenge your child to see how much weight it can hold.  

Craft Stick Truss Bridge

To test the strength of your bridge, place the bridge so its ends rest on 2 chairs.

Tie a small bucket to the middle of the bridge’s base. 

Slowly fill the bucket with small weights, such as ankle weights. 

If small weights aren’t available, you can also use sand to test how much weight it can hold.  Just weigh the bucket of sand afterwards to determine how much it weighs.  

Want to extend the activity?

Challenge your child to make a longer bridge and see how much weight it can hold. 

Can they figure out how to construct it so it can hold the same amount of weight?  Can they make it stronger?  

How a Truss Bridge Works

Bridges have lots of forces that act on them.   Gravity is one of those forces since bridges don’t have ground under them to help support them.

Bridges also have to deal with changing loads, not only do they have to support their own weight, but also the weight of whatever may travel over them, which is constantly changing.   The triangle shape on a truss bridge helps with this.  

Truss bridges use triangles to help make them stronger.  Triangles are a very strong shape because the force added to a triangle gets spread out evenly on all 3 of its sides.  

There are also several other factors that act on a bridge, such as tension (a force that stretches and pulls outward) and compression (a force that squeezes inward).  In a truss bridge the triangle shapes help distribute these.

You can find out more about how different types of bridges work at Bridge Masters Inc.  

If you liked this craft stick bridge STEM activity, you will also like:

• Craft Stick Rubber Band Shooter
• Mechanical Hand Made with Straws
• How to Make a Lemon Battery
• Build a Paper Cup Water Wheel

The post Engineer a Truss Bridge with Craft Sticks first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

The egg drop challenge is a favorite when it comes to STEM activities for kids.  

The idea behind it is designing a container that can hold a raw egg and keep it from breaking when dropped from a high place.

It’s simple enough that younger children can participate, but it can easily be modified and made more challenging for older kids.

The egg drop is fun when done on its own.  But it’s also a great Horton Hatches the Egg STEM activity.  

And with spring just around the corner, it is the perfect time to get outside and give it a try.

Affiliate links have been provided below.  See my full disclosure for more information.

Horton Hatches the Egg Activity 

We decided to pair this STEM activity with one of our favorite Dr. Seuss books, Horton Hatches the Egg. 

It fits perfectly with the story, as Horton is faithful in his promise to protect the egg.  The message of being faithful and doing what you promised, even when it isn’t easy, is so important.

We had fun making nests that would protect the egg, just as Horton promised he would do.

It has become one of our favorite Dr. Seuss STEM activities, and it’s perfect if you are looking for Dr. Seuss activities for older students.

If you have enough materials you can challenge your kids to each make 2-3 different egg drop containers to see what works best. 

If you are doing it with a large group of children you could have them work in pairs.

You can find a variation of this and 50 other engineering projects in my new book, Awesome Engineering Activities for Kids.

Egg Drop Challenge

For this activity you will want to have scissors and tape on hand, plus a variety of building materials for kids to explore. 

You will also need a few raw eggs for this STEM project.

Suggested Materials: 

• Small Boxes
• Cardboard Tubes
• Plastic or Paper Cups
• Shredded Paper
• Bubble Wrap
• Packing Peanuts
• Cotton Balls
• Plastic Shopping Bags (can be used as parachutes or for packing)
• Drinking Straws
• Yarn
• Pipe Cleaners (Chenille Sticks)
• Craft Sticks

Part of the engineering process is experimenting with different designs and materials.

Let your child test their ideas out and make changes if needed.  

Remind them that this is how scientists and engineers learn.  They make mistakes and they come up with new ideas to try.

Once the egg drop containers are built, and the eggs are safely tucked inside, it’s time to find a high spot to drop them from.   

If you have a ladder handy you can carry the containers up and drop them from the top of the ladder.

You can also stand on a sturdy picnic table like we did or even drop them out of a second story window.

Once they’ve been dropped, carefully open each container to see if it was successful.

Egg Drop Ideas

Once your child has been successful, you can increase the difficulty level and have them try it again.  

• Allow kids to only choose 2-3 items from your box of materials.
• Try dropping the containers from increasingly higher positions to discover which containers continue to work.
• Assign the items and the quantity they can use.  (For example, “You may only use cardboard tubes and 3 feet of tape.”)

This egg drop activity makes a perfect Horton Hatches the Egg STEM activity to go with the classic Dr. Seuss book.

Get freebies and more fun ideas like this delivered to your email by subscribing to our newsletter. 

• Marshmallow Peeps Catapult Game 
• Engineer a Coffee Filter Parachute
• STEM Challenge:  Build a Boat That Floats
• Build a Shelter Outdoors 
• Simple Gardening Activity for Kids 

Updated from February 26, 2018.

The post Classic Egg Drop STEM Challenge first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

STEM projects challenge kids to get creative and to problem solve, all while having fun with science, technology, engineering and math. 

And the best part is, you don’t have to have a lot of special materials when it comes to doing STEM at home.

Elementary aged kids will have fun exploring this mechanical hand STEM project, which uses items you probably already have at home. 

This drinking straw STEM activity is a simple mechanical engineering project geared towards elementary kids. 

Younger kids can get in on the fun, too, with these STEM activities for preschoolers.  

Mechanical Hand STEM Activity 

Materials Needed:

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• 4 Drinking Straws (Can be plastic or paper)
• Yarn or Heavy String
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Stapler

Interested in trying more of these projects at home? 

Keeping a small collection of  STEM supplies, on hand will eliminate the need to run to the store for items you need for future STEM ideas.  Plus, having the materials together in one spot will encourage your child to experiment and explore on their own.  

You may also want to check out the following ideas:

Marble Roller Coaster — Kids of all ages will have fun designing and engineering their very own mini roller coaster using pool noodles.  Can they get their marble to go through a loop-de-loop?  How many hills can the marble travel over?  

Paper Plate STEM —  Paper plates are an inexpensive material for kids to build and experiment with.  Turn one into a sundial.  Create a mini water wheel and explore hydro power.  

Rubber Band Boat —  Turn an empty bottle into a paddle boat, powered by a rubber band.  Then see if you can get it to move across the bath tub or a swimming pool.  

How to Make a Mechanical Hand with Straws

Start by measuring 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the end of your first straw.  If you are using bendable straws, you will want to use the end opposite of where the straw bends.  

At the one inch point, bend the straw in half, and use the scissors to snip off a corner of the bent area.  

When you unfold the straw, there should be a small diamond-shaped hole.

Next, use your ruler to measure down 2 inches (5 cm) from the end.  

Once again, bend the straw and snip off the corner.  Make sure when you snip, it is on the same side of the straw as your first cut.

Make one more fold and snip at 3 inches from the end (7.5 cm).  

Do this with each of your other 3 straws.  

Now, cut 4 pieces of yarn, 12 inches (30.5 cm) long each.

Thread one piece of yarn through each of your straws.  

We discovered a simple trick to getting the yarn through the straw.  Push the yarn in as far as you can, and then suck on the straw on the opposite end.  The suction will pull the yarn through.   

You could also try using a wood skewer to push the yarn through the straw.

Once the yarn is through each straw, tie a double knot on the end closest to the diamond cuts.  

Then place a staple over the knot and tie one more knot.  This will keep the yarn from slipping through the straws.  

As an alternative, if you have them available,  you could tie a pony bead onto the end of the yarn instead of using the stapler to keep the knots from slipping through the straw.

Once the yarn is secure, bend each straw at each of the three cut out diamond shapes, creasing the straw so the diamond cuts fold in on themselves.  

Now your finger joints are ready to test out.  

Use a piece of masking tape to secure the 4 straws together, making sure the cut out spots all face the same way.  

Hold your straw hand in one hand, and pull the 4 dangling pieces of yarn with the other hand.  

Each of the straw fingers should curl up at their 3 joints.  

If one of the joints doesn’t bend, try bending it again with your fingers to give it more of a crease.

Once you’ve made your straw fingers, try using them to pick up a few objects around your home.  

How the Artificial Hand Works

There are 3 bones in each of your fingers. (There are 2 in your thumbs)  These bones are called phalanges. 

Just as the bones in your fingers meet at 3 separate joints, there are 3 joints in each of the straw fingers.  

But the straws aren’t really acting as bones in this model. 

Instead they represent tendon sheaths, and the yarn represents tendons.  

Muscles and tendons are needed to move your bones.  The muscles that help move your fingers are actually in your forearm.

There are long tendons that go from these muscles, all the way up to your fingers.  

The tendons are inside what’s called a tendon sheath, which is a straw-like tunnel.  This sheath is attached to each of the bones in your fingers and thumb.  It helps to keep the tendons in place. 

When you contract the muscles in your arm, the muscles pull on these tendons and move your finger bones.  

You can easily turn this project into a fun anatomy lesson! 

Challenge your child to create bones from cardboard to attach to their model.  Or, try at this version of DIY robot hand.

Your child will have fun creating their own straw mechanical hand in this STEM activity.  

You may also enjoy:

• Straw Weaving Bracelets
• Craft Stick Catapults 
• Balancing Toy STEM Activity 

The post Simple Mechanical Hand STEM Project first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

And although this year may look different, one thing that has stayed the same is that kids need the opportunity to get creative and learn how to problem solve.  

This is why STEM activities for kids have become so popular.  STEM gives kids a chance to get creative, think outside the box, and problem solve, all while having fun.  

With fall approaching, and the return to school, this apple wrecking ball STEM challenge is perfect to do with your child this month.

They will have lots of fun designing and engineering their very own wrecking ball with an apple.  

Fall is the perfect time for apple activities for kids.   It’s one reason preschool and kindergarten classes tend to do”apple units,” with a variety of activities, all with an apple theme to them.  

When my own kids were that age we had fun with this apple-themed sight word game.    

Even though they are older now, they still enjoy doing activities with a theme…and this apple activity was a favorite.  

For more fall-themed STEM fun, check out our catapulting pumpkins.  

Apple STEM Challenge

Why is this a challenge and not an activity? 

Instead of a predetermined structure the kids are supposed to build, this is an open-ended STEM challenge that encourages kids to get creative in order to solve the problem.  

It’s possible that each child will have a different product at the end of the challenge.  

You can easily change the level of difficulty by varying the materials you allow them to use.  

You might choose to allow younger kids to use the cardboard tubes, wood skewers, yarn, and tape without limits.  Or, you may limit them to 1 foot of tape per person/group.  

For older kids you could choose to eliminate the cardboard tubes, and even the skewers.  You might include a hot glue gun instead of tape.  This would encourage them to design something that would be more challenging, using the craft sticks and hot glue to form the main structure.    

You could also have students design a wrecking ball that needs to knock smaller objects, like Lego figures, from the cardboard blocks, without disturbing the blocks.  This would pose a whole different level of difficulty as they work to get the string length just right on the hanging apple.  

Apple Wrecking Ball 

When it comes to engineering a wrecking ball with an apple, there are a variety of materials you could use.  Below you will find the materials we found most effective, but feel free to substitute as you see fit.  

Affiliate links have been used below.  See my full disclosure for more details. 

Suggested Materials:

• Apples
• Wood Skewers or Small Dowel Rods
• Variety of Cardboard Tubes
• Yarn, Twine, or Heavy String
• Pipe Cleaners (Chenille Sticks) 
• Drinking Straws
• Craft Sticks  
• Tape & Scissors
• Hot Glue Gun
• Small Cardboard Boxes or Cardboard Blocks (to knock down)

Decide which materials you plan on allowing your child to use, and if you will limit the amount of each item they can use.  

As a side note, I had to laugh at myself when we did this challenge. 

I left the materials for the wrecking balls on a couple of our kitchen chairs.  My daughter took it that the chairs were part of the materials…and designed the idea below, based off the pendulum painting we had done previously.  

While the top portion was fairly simplified.  I was impressed by how she hung the apple — using the wood skewer to poke a hole through the fruit, and then sticking a straw through the hole so she could thread the yarn through it.   

Teaching Kids the Engineering Design Process

If your child isn’t familiar with the engineering design process, this is the perfect time to go over this child-friendly version with them.

• Ask Questions (Identify the problem.  What are the constraints?)
• Brainstorm Solutions
• Plan (Draw a picture of your idea.  Make a list of materials needed.)
• Create (Build a prototype.)
• Improve  (What works?  What doesn’t?)

Present the problem to your child.  “You need to figure out how to make a wrecking ball, using an apple, that will knock over these blocks.”

Let them know what materials they are allowed to use.  Will they be limited in how much tape they can use?  If so, they will need to plan wisely!  

Give them a few minutes to brainstorm ideas and then sketch down a picture of what they think their finished product will look like.  

Then comes the fun part.  Give them time to build.  

As they build, they may discover their original idea doesn’t work.  That’s okay! 

Remind them that that is part of the engineering process.  They can always change their design if they discover it doesn’t work the way they thought.  

Once your child has finished building and troubleshooting, make sure they have plenty of time to demonstrate their wrecking ball.

You could even take the challenge further, and have them make adjustments so it is able to knock down smaller objects (like Lego figures) without knocking down the cardboard blocks.  Or, see if their wrecking ball can knock over heavier items.  

Once you’ve finished with the apple wrecking ball STEM challenge, try a few of these fall STEM activities:

• Build an Apple Tree
• Make a Pumpkin Pulley
• Pumpkin Sink or Float (perfect for toddlers and preschoolers)
• Pumpkin Volcano
• Vanishing Ghosts
• Build a Candy Tower

The post Engineer an Apple Wrecking Ball — Simple STEM Challenge first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

But what about the younger learners?  Toddlers & preschoolers are naturally curious, making STEM activities for preschoolers perfect for doing at home or in the classroom.  

Why Is STEM Important in Early Years?  

Not only are STEM challenges for preschoolers fun, but they are a great way to work on early math development.   Preschool STEM challenges often deal with counting, one-to-one correspondence, measuring, and recognizing if a quantity is “more or less.”  

The use of STEM education also helps support critical thinking and problem solving skills.  

When it comes to group STEM activities, young children develop necessary communication skills as they learn to collaborate and work together to solve a problem.  

Preschool STEM Activities

Music Instrument STEM — Toddlers and preschoolers will have fun creating their very own musical instruments.  Once they’re made, you can use them to make your own mini marching band.  

Cardboard Tube Marble Run — Use cardboard tubes to create your very own marble run.  Preschoolers will have fun dropping the marble through the maze to see if it works.  

Plastic Egg Submarines — Preschoolers love experimenting with what floats and sinks.  Challenge your child to figure out how to get the plastic eggs to sink like submarines.   In the fall, your child will love this pumpkin sink or float, too! 

Build a Tree — This would be a perfect preschool STEM activity for fall.   Challenge kids to build a free-standing tree, using craft sticks, play dough, and colorful leaves.  

Icy Dinosaur Egg Excavation —  How can you get the toy dinosaur out of the frozen egg?  Kids will have fun experimenting with different techniques and rescuing the dinos.  

Fireworks in a Jar — This is a colorful twist to the classic oil and water experiment.  

Sunscreen Painting —  This is a fun STEAM activity to demonstrate how sunscreen works.

Making Sun Prints — Use objects around the house and the power of the sun to create silhouette art.  

DIY Water Wall — Water is always a hit when it comes to toddlers and preschoolers.  Kids will have fun using recyclables to design a path for water to flow through.  

Engineer a Stuffed Animal Chair — Challenge your child to use recyclables to make a chair for their favorite stuffed animal

Fizzy Blocks — Challenge your preschooler to build a tower with their favorite blocks.  Then amaze them with a simple science twist.

Coffee Filter Parachute — Kids will love making a mini parachutte for their favorite toys.   Once finished, they will have fun testing out how well their parachute works.  

Bucket Pulley — Little ones will have fun making this simple pulley and using it to pull toys up the stairs.  

Walking Water Experiment —  Demonstrate what happens when colors mix, all while doing a simple and fun science experiment.

Magic Wand Explosions —    A drop of soap on the end of a toothpick becomes a “magic wand” in these 2 super simple science experiments.   

Penny Cleaning Experiment —  Have a preschooler that loves to get messy?   This hands-on experiment is perfect for getting messy and learning a little about chemistry.  

Color Explosions — Toddlers and preschoolers will have fun dripping water from eye droppers and watching the colored marker dots spread out across their coffee filter.  You can use this same science to make colorful coffee filter suncatchers.   

Lava Lamp Sensory Bottle —  Start with the basic oil and water experiment…and give it a fun twist.  This preschool science activity can double as a calm down bottle once you’re finished.  

Engineer a Boat that Floats — This one is perfect for all ages.  What objects from the recycling bin, or nature, can you use to build a boat that really floats?  

Icy Lantern STEAM Activity — Preschoolers will love creating their very own lanterns, made of ice!  

Building Shapes — Learn about shapes while building your own with marshmallows & toothpicks.  

Melt a Frozen Heart — Can you get the plastic heart out of the ice?  Young scientists will have fun experimenting with how to get it out.  

Fizzy Halloween Science —  Mix up some fun with this preschool science experiment that’s perfect for October.  

Fizzy Rainbow — Young kids will love this baking soda experiment that results in a bubbling rainbow of colors.  

Melting Snowmen —  Preschoolers will have fun dropping their “snowman” into the water and watching it slowly disappear.  

Paper Cup Phone  —  Young kids will have fun engineering their very own working phone made with paper cups.  

If you liked these STEM activities for preschoolers, you’ll also like:

• Preschool Mad Scientist Lab
• How to Do the Egg Drop Challenge
• CD Hovercraft STEM Activity 
• Build a Balloon Powered Boat
• Preschool Vehicle Activities for the ABCs

 Check out my Youtube channel for more preschool STEM. 

The post STEM Activities for Preschoolers first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Ask any elementary student and I bet they’ll say some of their favorite assignments have been STEM activities.

These Paper Plate STEM Challenges are perfect for doing in the classroom or at home.

This year there is so much uncertainty when it comes to school. 

Maybe you’re a teacher trying to plan engaging lessons for your kids to do in the classroom, that they could also do at home if needed.  Maybe you’re a parent and trying to gather ideas to keep your child busy and learning.    

Whatever situation you find yourself in,  STEM is a great place to start.  

It keeps kids engaged, and STEM (or STEAM) doesn’t have to be expensive.   Many times you can find the materials you need right in your recycling, like in this simple cardboard tube marble run  and this simple mechanical hand project.

All of the materials in these STEM activities with paper plates can be found at your local dollar store.  

Paper Plate STEM Activities

Paper Plate Water Wheel —  Explore how water wheels work and the power of water with this fun hands-on activity.  

Paper Plate Fractions —  Is your child learning about equivalent fractions?  Create your own set of manipulatives to help them better visualize and understand what all those fractions mean.  

Window Greenhouse —   Make your own mini greenhouse to hang in the window.  This simple project is perfect for showing kids how seeds sprout and grow.  It would be fun to do with preschoolers or as part of a botany unit with elementary students.  

Paper Plate Roller Coaster — Use the edge of thick paper plates to engineer your very own swirly marble roller coaster.  

Interactive Paper Plate Calendar —  Kids will have fun building their very own interactive calendar to keep track of the days of the week and the date.  

Paper Plate Marble Maze —  Colorful paper tunnels make this simple maze activity a fun preschooler STEM activity.  

Paper Plate & Straw Maze —  Kids of all ages will have fun designing mazes for their friends to try.  

Paper Plate Spinners — Make colorful spinning tops using coins and paper plates.  Then test to see which coins work best.  

Magnet Maze — This is a simple hands-on activity to demonstrate the power of magnets.  Can your child keep their bell on the squigly maze by using their magnet?  

Sundial Activity —  Whether your child is learning about ancient civilizations or how the planets move, this paper plate STEM project is fun to make.  

No matter what age your child is, they will have fun with these paper plate STEM challenges.  

They’ll also enjoy:

• How to Make Crystal Egg Geodes
• Building an Electromagnet
• Pendulum Painting
• Taking Apart Electronics 

The post Easy STEM Activities with Paper Plates first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.