I am so excited for summer, and it’s not because we finally get a break (which is obviously exciting), but it’s because we get to do all the fun summer STEM activities! I’ve made a list of four fun summer STEM activities. This bundle of activities is perfect for the end of the year or for a summer STEM camp!
I chose these resources based on their summer theme or things that I can prep over the summer. Check this out!
With that being said, here’s a list of my top 4 summer STEM activities.
Oil Spill STEM Challenge
- Oil Spill STEM – I love this STEM activity for the summer because this gives us a chance to play in the water! I start by setting up centers where students get to experiment with oil and water. They learn about density and how oil affects ecosystems. After, we do a little research on what happened during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Students learn how scientists worked to clean up the oil spill as quickly as possible. Scientists used control burns, booms, and other tactics to clean up oil.
Then, students create a boom to clean up an oil spill in a pool of water. It’s a fascinating topic that keeps your students engaged and teaches them how to solve problems in the real world.
Rocket STEM Challenge
2. Rocket STEM – This is a fun STEM challenge where students research the fast, growing company SpaceX. Students research the mission statement of SpaceX and create a rocket that matches their mission statement.
This means the the rocket must be efficient in costs, parts, and fly as far as possible!
Students measure the distance of their rocket, and using a formula; they determine the efficiency rate of their rocket. This end-of-year activity is a BLAST!
Ice Cream STEM Activity
3. Ice Cream STEM – I love this resource for so many reasons! Students learn about thermal energy in this project. I included a reading passage that breaks down how this happens in easy-to-read tidbits. Students create ice cream in a bag and experience the magic of heat transfer in their hands!
Finally, they enjoy a bag of delicious ice cream that tastes like my Grandma’s homemade ice cream. Add some toppings, and enjoy!
Sea Turtle STEM with the Arts Activity
4. Sea Turtle STEAM – This is my most favorite activity out of all of these! This sea turtle challenge is exciting! Students start by researching sea turtles and learning about the different species, life cycles, habitats, and ecosystems of sea turtles. Then, they create informative writing (choosing whichever topic they’d like to write about). Finally, they create tissue paper art.
Tissue paper art is effortless. They tear off a piece of tissue paper and glue it to the paper. After they’ve glued all the pieces, they take a mixture of water and glue and paint over the tissue paper to lay it all down. Once the paper has dried, they trace the turtle with a black marker. Finally, they cut the turtle out and paste it into a piece of construction paper.
To make it even more exciting, I purchased jumbo sensory beads. We started the lesson by laying the “eggs” in water and let them “mature” (or grow) while we worked. By the end of the day, our turtle eggs were ready to go home. Each student took home three or four in a baggie. They loved it!
This entire Summer STEM resource is available in my TpT shop in a bundle at a discount.
These are a lot of fun! If you need some supply request forms, be sure you grab these free forms! I have summer-themed request forms that help get supplies to your classroom.
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