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100 Brilliant STEM Activities Using Everyday Items

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Hands-on STEM learning makes learning come alive, but I’ve always been science-phobic. My kids not so much. So, STEM learning has to be easy in my home and nothing is easier than using everyday items.

Your kids will love these 100 brilliant STEM activities using everyday items. I know you’ll find one or two STEM activities you can use.

STEM learning has to be easy in my home and nothing is easier than using everyday items. Your kids will love these 100 brilliant STEM activities using everyday items.

6 Engaging STEM Activities from Teachers are Terrific
10+ Awesome Homemade Marble Runs from Buggy and Buddy
BioFilm Experiment from The Homeschool Scientist

Build a Drinking Straw Roller Coaster from Frugal Fun 4 Boys
Build a Lemon Battery from Inspirational Laboratories
Build an Area and Perimeter City from Teach Beside Me
Building Structures with Candy Gumdrops from Lemon Lime Adventures
Candy Cane Science from Inspirational Laboratories

Homeschool STEM Activities

Candy Corn Catapults from 123 Homeschool 4 Me
Charcoal Water Purifying Experiment – The Homeschool Scientist
Chemical Reactions: Make a Penny Turn Green from Buggy and Buddy

Circuit Maze Stem Activity from The Homeschool Scientist
Cleaning Pennies Experiment from Teach Beside Me
Collect Iron Bits from Cereal from Scientific Americanl
Constellations Geoboard from School Time Snippets

DIY Geodes From Egg Shells from Planning Playtime
DIY Magnetic Slime from Frugal Fun 4 Boys

DIY Oobleck from Babble Dabble Do
DIY Rock Candy from Growing a Jeweled Rose
Easy Bird Feeders at The Homeschool Scientist
Electricity STEM: Lighting Up a Shoebox Tiny House

Homeschool Science

Edible Earth’s Layers from Left Brain Craft Brain
Edible Science for Kids from Little Bins for Little Hearts
Elephant Toothpaste Experiment at From ABCs to ACTs
Engino Discovering Stem: Levers, Linkages & Structures Building Kit

Gingerbread House Building STEM from Science Kiddo
Glow In The Dark DIY Play Dough from DIY Candy
Grow a Potato Indoors at What We Do All Day
Grow Your Name in Grass from iFamily

Homemade Glow in the Dark Slime from A Pumpkin and A Princess
Homemade Glow-in-the-Dark Bouncy Balls from Growing a Jeweled Rose
How Many Ways Can You Stop a Pipeline Leak? at Teachers are Terrific
How to Grow Bacteria from No Time for Flashcards

How to Make a Rainbow at Inspirational Laboratories
How to Make a Sinkhole – Education Possible
How to Make a Solar Oven at Education.com
How to Make a Worm Observatory from 123 Homeschool 4 Me
How to Make Edible Glass from Go Science Girls

How to Make Ice cream in a Bag from 2 Little Hooligans
How to Make Lightning from Learn, Play, Imagine
How to Open and Close a Pinecone from Lemon Lime Adventures
How to Shrink an Egg from Science Sparks
How to Turn Milk into Plastic from How Wee Learn

STEM Activities Using Everyday Items

How to Use Squishy Circuits: The Technical Side of STEM from Schooling a Monkey
Invisible Ink with Baking Soda and Juice from Share it Science
Invisible Messages with Wax and Watercolors from Share it Science
Juice Box Balloon Car from Raising Whasians
Keva Planks – Structures, 200 Plank Set

STEM learning has to be easy in my home and nothing is easier than using everyday items. Your kids will love these 100 brilliant STEM activities using everyday items. CLICK HERE!

LEGO Brick Plant Cell from LEGO Ideas
Magic Bending Water at Frugal Fun 4 Boys
Make a Mold Terrarium at The Homeschool Scientist

Make a Simple Solar Still to Distill Water at Teach Beside Me
Make an Electroscope from The Homeschool Scientist
Make Your Own Compass from Gift of Curiosity
Make your own Electromagnet from The Naked Scientists

Make Your Own Tinker Box Robot from KC Edventures
Medieval China STEM Activity from Student Savvy
Morse code with beads at Mama Smiles
Pencil Catapult STEM Activity from Little Bins for Little Hands
Pitsco Heavy Density Balsa Wood Strips

Plastic cups in love – experimental demonstration of Bernoulli’s principle from Reeko’s Science
Playdoh Layers of the Earth from Playdough to Plato
Poolside Stem using Pool Noodles from My Little Poppies
Pop Rocks Science Exploring Viscosity at Little Bins for Little Hands

Rubber Band Helicopters – Instructables by LanceMakes in Education
Simulate a Cloud Experiment from Adventures in Mommydom
Skoolzy Straws and Connectors Building Kit
Snow Ice Simple Science from STEAM Powered Family

Solid to Liquid to Gas Experiment With Ice Cubes from Gift of Curiosity
Spaghetti Tower STEM Challenge with a Twist from Mama Smiles

STEM Activities

STEM: Build a Da Vinci Parachute Activity

Sticky Water, Surface Tension – Reeko’s Mad Science Lab
Sunshine and Solar Panels from The Educator’s Spin On It
Testing the Strength of Aluminum Foil from Schooling a Monkey
Tangrams from This Reading Mama

The Science of Condensation and Frost from Schooling a Monke
The Science of Yogurt from Science Buddies
Tornado in a Bottle Experiment from Edventures with Kids
Water Cycle Discovery Project from Little Bins for Little Hands

Keep this list handy because it’s great to add to any unit study! Did you find one or two you can do now?

This blog hop is organized by iHomeschool Network, a collaboration of outstanding homeschool bloggers who connect with each other and with family-friendly companies in mutual beneficial projects.

Click the image below to visit all the other blog articles from the homeschool moms of the iHomeschool Network.Hugs and love ya,

STEM and Geography: How to Build an Ancient Viking Ship

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, we’re making an Ancient Viking ship. Also, look at my page more Vikings Lapbook Unit Study. Too, look at my page Homeschool Geography for hands-on and simple ideas and tips.

We’ve been learning so much about early explorers such as the Vikings.

From reading fun books to STEM projects, this Viking Unit gave us a vast insight to where exploration began and helped set the stage for the Age of Exploration.

Studying the Vikings is not a standard that is mandated by our state, but I still wanted the kids to be interested in these explorers who were instrumental in changing the world.

There are many options for studying about the Vikings, but my love for hands-on learning drove me to find STEM projects to keep my engineering minded kids engaged.

Ancient Viking Ships

Since geography and map skills are important standards to be covered, I made sure to include map activities as well.

I decided to begin our history journey with the Vikings this year, and was able to create a fun, engaging unit in the process!

First, look at some of our favorite books about Vikings.

12 Viking Resources & Books for Multiple Ages

Grab some of these books and resources for multiple ages about Vikings.

Hands-On Viking Unit: Geography

To do this activity you will need the following materials:

  • books about the Vikings (“You Wouldn’t Want to be a Viking Explorer”, “National Geographic Kids Everything Vikings”, Viking (DK Eyewitness Books))
  • blue poster board
  • reference map of the Viking routes
  • pencil
  • black fine tipped marker
  • orange/red/green paint
  • viking ship pattern

You also may want to have something to cover your table during this project.

I like to use Rosen paper from Home Depot. It’s durable enough to withhold spills and can be reused for other art projects.

STEM and Geography: How to Build an Ancient Viking Ship 1 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus
STEM and Geography: How to Build an Ancient Viking Ship 2 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus
STEM and Geography: How to Build an Ancient Viking Ship 3 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Using a pencil in case of mistakes, we drew out the shapes of the countries onto the blue poster board. When we were satisfied with our outline, we went over it with the black tipped marker.

We then painted the countries to represent the Viking’s homeland and their settlements.

We made a map key and labeled each country

You’ll love this idea too for studying around the world using picture books.

To get some writing into this activity, I had the kids write down some facts about the Vikings on ship templates.  Then we glued them around the poster board.

Because I have engineering minded kids, it’s really hard to not do a whole unit without a STEM project.

To tie a little science into this history unit, we also completed a Viking Ship STEM challenge.

An important aspect to this challenge is researching the history and the anatomy of a Viking ship.

It was important for the kids to realize how the environment and the purpose of the ships affected the way they were designed.

Not only were Vikings barbaric warriors, they also had a mind for engineering.

They truly understood how to mold their engineering designs to fit their need of plundering, raiding and invading their neighbors!

Their ships were such a great design that it’s still in use today!

Hands On Viking Unit: STEM

Hands-On Viking Unit: STEM and Geography

To do this activity you will need the following materials:

  • an image of the anatomy of a Viking ship (there are many resources on the internet.  Just google it.)
  • paper and pencil
  • ruler
  • 8 popsicle sticks
  • 2 straws
  • 1 piece of card stock
  • 2 strips of duct tape
  • stick of modeling clay
  • hot glue
  • scissors
  • markers or paint

The very first step of any type of STEM project should be the blueprint.

After researching and observing the design of a Viking ship, the kids determined how they could use the materials to build their own.

I made sure they drew out their ship, carefully labeling the materials they would use as the parts of their ships.

STEM and Geography: How to Build an Ancient Viking Ship 5 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus
STEM and Geography: How to Build an Ancient Viking Ship 6 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Next, the kids used the hot glue to build up the design of their ship.With the card stock, markers, straws, and modeling clay, the kids designed their own sails.

Because the Vikings didn’t have a lot of materials in which to choose, I made sure to limit the amount of materials available to build the ships.

The kids got very creative in designing. Another thing I really like to do with STEM projects is to let the kids come up with their own ideas and designs.

I only give hints or ideas when I see them becoming frustrated.

Hands-On Viking Unit: STEM and Geography

STEM and Geography: How to Build an Ancient Viking Ship 7 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

After building, the kids tested out their design.

This is a very important step and one of the most fun!

After careful observation, the kids could see what parts of their ship needed modification.

Also, you’ll love the hands-on ideas from Home School in the Woods.

Hands on Ancient Viking Ship | Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Helpful Hints

  • To build the hull, use popsicle sticks and hot glue. Make the bow tall enough so water won’t submerge and sink the ship. The bow and stern should be the same height since Viking designed their ships to travel either way.
  • For the keel, use more popsicle sticks to create and place on the underside of the hull. This should run from bow to stern. The keel counteracts the side to side motion of the ship. Test in water before proceeding.
  • Use a straw and card stock to build a sail and mast. Use modeling clay to attach the mast to the hull.
  • Add ballast if the ship needs more weight. Small amounts of modeling clay works well.
  • Keep modifying! Use a hair dryer to test your ship during a storm. A rudder may be needed to keep the ship on course.
From reading fun books to STEM projects, this Viking Unit gave us a vast insight to where exploration began and helped set the stage for the Age of Exploration.

Look at these other awesome hands-on ideas for studying Ancient Civilizations:

The BEST Viking Unit Study for Homeschooled Kids

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

An ancient Viking unit study makes for a fascinating study for kids of all ages. Also, look at my page more Vikings Lapbook Unit Study and Hands-on Activities and my page Best Homeschool Unit Studies.

The fierce Norseman or Vikings came from what we now know as Scandinavia or Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Vikings prospered in Scandinavia from about 800 AD to 1066 AD.

The BEST Viking Unit Study for Homeschooled Kids

From their homes in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, the Norsemen (Northmen) explored much of the northern hemisphere between Europe and North America.

A Germanic people, the Vikings had a great love of adventure.

First, look at some of these living books about the Vikings.

12 Viking Resources & Books for Multiple Ages

Grab some of these books and resources for multiple ages about Vikings.

Ancient Vikings Unit Study

Vikings became infamous for sacking villages and towns, destroying churches, and easily defeating smaller armies in their search for new avenues of trade and the spoils of war.

Fearless warriors and superb shipbuilders, Vikings left their mark on Europe, Asia, Iceland, Greenland, and North America before they were absorbed into European Civilization.

Viking lands

Ancient Vikings Unit Study

Viking civilization began in the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, but in the nearly 300 years of their power they traveled to and traded with many distant lands.

They also created settlements in England, Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, and other countries.

Ancient Vikings Unit Study

Viking Expansion Watch a short video about Viking exploration.
Viking Settlements Learn which countries the Vikings settled in outside of Scandinavia.
Life in Viking Settlements Learn what life was like in a Viking settlement.
Viking Houses See the types of houses Vikings lived in.

Viking Society

Society consisted of jarls (nobles), karls (middle class freemen), and thralls (slaves).

Ancient Vikings Unit Study

Viking social classes Learn how the classes worked together and how a Viking could up and down in social status.
Viking social classes in Iceland Learn how society differed abroad from Scandinavia.
Gender and age in Viking society Learn the roles of men, women, and children in Viking villages

The BEST Viking Unit Study for Homeschooled Kids. Your kids will love this. Check it out @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Viking warriors Learn what it took to be a warrior, what a beserker was, and the role women played in war

Futhark Learn about the runic alphabet of the Vikings

Viking Mythology

Vikings believed in a pantheon of Gods led by Odin. The pantheon included Thor and Loki of Avengers fame.

Norse mythology Read an overview of Norse mythology along with a brief history of Vikings.
Norse mythology dictionary Learn about Norse mythology with an A to Z listing.
The Nine Worlds A more in-depth look at the worlds of Norse mythology.

Viking Ships

Ancient Vikings Unit Study Ancient Vikings Unit Study
Viking ships were the fastest and sturdiest of the era. The Norse skill in shipbuilding helped enable the exploration and settlement of other lands

Types of Viking ships:

  • Faering
  • Knarr
  • Longship
  • Karve

Viking ships Learn the different types of Viking ships and how they were used.
Vikings at sea Learn more about sailing and ships in the Viking Age.
Navigating the open seas Learn how the Vikings knew where they were going and how to get home.

Viking Vocabulary

Althing Yearly meeting of all Viking tribes to discuss laws and solve disputes
Beserker Warrior who wore a bearskin cloak or shirt and worked himself into a frenzy before battle
Brooch A decorative piece of metal used to hold a Viking’s cloak closed. The more ornate the brooch, the richer and more important the Viking.
Burial Ship Used for the wealthiest Vikings, these ships were filled with the belongings of the deceased and set ablaze or buried under mounds of earth or in underground chambers
Fjord A long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs found along the shores of some Scandinavian countries
Flax Cloth made from the stalks of the flax flower


Futhark The runic alphabet of the Vikings
Jarl A Viking Noble
Karl A middle class, free Viking
Keel The lengthwise timber structure along the base of a ship that supports the framework of the vessel and sometimes extends downward to increase stability
Loom A machine that weaves yarn or thread into cloth
Lyre A string instrument resembling a small, u-shaped harp
Norseman Northman
Pantheon A religion that believes in a group of gods/more than one god
Prow The portion of the front of the ship that is above water
Runes Letters of an ancient Germanic alphabet
Stern The rearmost part of a ship or boat
Strake A continuous line of planking from the stem to the stern of the ship
Thing Local assemblies where all freemen could file complaints and voice opinions
Thrall A Viking slave

Famous Vikings

Erik the Red Viking explorer who discovered Greenland
Leif the Lucky Son of Erik the Red
Harald Bluetooth Viking king of Denmark (also namesake of Bluetooth technology)
Olaf Tryggvason Viking king of Norway
Sweyn Forkbeard Declared King of all England in 1013
Gunnar Hamundarson Icelandic chieftain

Also, we love the hands-on ideas for studying history over at Home School in the Woods.

They cover Vikings in their middle ages lapbook.

 

The BEST Viking Unit Study for Homeschooled Kids

The BEST Viking Unit Study for Homeschooled Kids. Your kids will love this mini unit study about Ancient Vikings. They are truly fierce people of the sea. Click here to grab this AWESOME Vikings Unit Study @ Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Hands-On Middle School Math: The Pythagorean Theorem

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One important mathematical concept kids run into sometime in middle school or high school is the Pythagorean Theorem. Also, look at my page homeschool middle school for more fun tips

Pythagoras, an ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician, who was born around 569 BCE is credited with the discovery.

The Pythagorean Theorem is that theorem you probably remember from your own middle school and high school years: a² + b² = c². Today we’re going to teach our kids the theorem with a hands-on activity!

Hands-On Middle School Math: The Pythagorean Theorem. One important mathematical concept kids run into sometime in middle school or high school is the Pythagorean Theorem. Pythagoras, an ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician, who was born around 569 BCE is credited with the discovery. Click here to do this EASY hands-on activity!

But first let’s take a look at what a mathematical theorem is.

Hands-On Math: The Pythagorean Theorem

A mathematical theorem is a statement that can be shown to be true by accepted mathematical operations.

This means you can’t just make up a proof and say it works. You have to use logic, reasoning, and accepted mathematical operations to show the theorem is true. Today we’ll be using squares and areas to show the Pythagorean Theorem is true.

So what exactly is the Pythagorean Theorem?

Pythagorean Theorem: The square of a square drawn on the hypotenuse of a right triangle equals the sum of the areas of the squares drawn on the other two sides.

Put another way: a² + b² = c².

In other words. If you have a right angle and measure each side, the square of side a plus the square of side b is equal to the square of the long slope we call the hypotenuse.

What You Need for This Activity:

  • Graph Paper
  • Ruler
  • Scissors
  • Pen

Directions
According to the Pythagorean Theorem, if I draw a right triangle, the square of the two sides added together will equal the square of the hypotenuse. Let’s see if this actually works!

Step 1: Pull out your graph paper and draw a right triangle on it. I’m going to use sides with the length of 3 boxes and 4 boxes.

Pythagorean Theorem for Kids

Step 2: Measure the hypotenuse.

Easy Pythagorean Theorem Lesson

Step 3: Remember square of a number is the area of a square with that length of side. So I’m now going to draw and cut out my squares. One square will have sides the length of 2 squares on the graph paper. One square will have sides the length of 3 squares, while the third will have the length I measured!

To make the next step more clear I’m going to highlight the squares in different colors. The small one will be yellow. The medium will be green. And the large one will be blue.

Simple Pythagorean Theorem Activity

Step 4: Let’s see if the area of the two small triangles will equal the area of the large triangle! We’re going to do this by laying the medium square on top of the large square.

Pythagorean Theorem Lesson for Kids

Now you have a choice. If you count the squares left over on the large triangle, you’ll notice there are 9 squares. And what’s 3²? 9! Or you can do what I did and cut the square to fit the left over area.

Pythagorean Theorem Hands On Activity

As you can see, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the sides. The Pythagorean Theorem works!


Now let’s run through all 4 steps again with different numbers. This time I’m going to use sides with lengths of 6 and 8.

Step 1: Again we create the right triangle.

Teaching the Pythagorean Theorem to Kids

Step 2: Now measure the hypotenuse.

Measuring Triangles with Kids

Step 3: Create the squares.

Easy Way to Teach the Pythagorean Theorem to Kids

Step 4: Do the squares of the sides equal the square of the hypotenuse? The highlighter caused the sides of my squares to curl, so I used a touch of tape to force the squares to lie flat. Even so, as you can see the answer is yes!

Showing Kids the Pythagorean Theorem
Teaching the Pythagorean Theorem for Homeschoolers

Try the activity yourself using varying lengths for the sides.

No matter what the length of the sides of your right triangle, you’ll discover the squares always equal the square of the hypotenuse or a² + b² = c².

You’ve shown the Pythagorean Theorem works!

Hands-On Middle School Math: The Pythagorean Theorem. One important mathematical concept kids run into sometime in middle school or high school is the Pythagorean Theorem. Pythagoras, an ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician, who was born around 569 BCE is credited with the discovery. Click here to do this EASY hands-on activity!

Written by Sara at Classically Homeschooling.

So what lengths did you use for your right triangles?

Teach math with these other fun homeschool activities!

Hands-On Science: Handprint and Fingerprint Activity

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

What better way to celebrate the uniqueness of our skin than to learn more about our unique fingerprints and palm prints? Fingerprint science and palm print science is easy.

(The truth is, this activity can easily be completed as a fun scientific study, completely independent of the human body. It stands alone as its own little mini-unit.)

As part of our study of the human body, we began a unit on organ systems this month. My son was shocked to learn that the body’s largest organ is our skin!

After spending some time learning basic facts about our skin, I decided it was time for a little extra, hands-on fun.

Hands-On Science: Handprint and Fingerprint Activity. What better way to celebrate the uniqueness of our skin than to learn more about our unique fingerprints and palm prints? CLICK HERE to grab the free printable and do this fun hands-on activity!

Hands-On Science: Fingerprint and Palm Print Study

What you’ll need for this activity:

Fingerprint Collection and Observation

Because my son was excited to get started with the messy part, we began with the fingerprint collection and observation portion of the activity.

Here’s how we got one of his thumbprints to observe:

Scribble back and forth with a pencil on the index card or cardstock. You should do this until there is a thick layer of pencil on the sheet.

Learning about Fingerprints

Have your child firmly place his thumb onto the pencil markings, being careful not to move once his thumb is on the card.

The Basement Workshop Store

Once your child has carefully lifted his thumb off the penciled area, take a piece of tape and stick it to the “dirty” area of your child’s thumb.

Making Fingerprints with Kids

Carefully lift off the tape and stick it to the appropriate area on the Fingerprint Study Notebooking Page.

Examining Fingerprints with Kids

Once the tape is affixed to the white backdrop of the page, your child will easily be able to observe and discuss her findings.

Interesting Facts We Learned About Fingerprints

  • Fingerprints stay the same over our lifetime, no matter how much our fingers grow.
  • The only way to change a fingerprint is through surgery, injury or diseases of the skin.
  • No two fingerprints have ever been found alike in many billions of human and automated computer comparisons.
  • Even with the discovery of DNA, fingerprints remain the primary source of criminal identification around the world.
  • The first noted examples of fingerprints being used for identification are from Ancient Rome. Fingerprints were used in business transactions, the way we use signatures today.

Palm Print Tracing and Observation

Depending on your child’s stamina, this portion of the activity can be done the same day as the fingerprint study, or completed later in the week.

Hands-On Handprint Science Activity

Trace your child’s hand in the labeled section of the Palm Print Study Notebooking Page.

Have your child observe and record (draw) the lines they see on their actual palm, on the traced version.

Fingerprint Science Activity

Observe, discuss and record your findings.

Interesting Facts We Learned About Palm Prints

  • Palm prints were used in Ancient China as part of crime scene investigation as early as 200 BC.
  • Palm prints are as unique as fingerprints when the entire palm is able to be studied and analyzed.
  • Moms love having their baby’s handprints from when they are born. (My son included this one!)
Hands-On Science: Handprint and Fingerprint Activity. What better way to celebrate the uniqueness of our skin than to learn more about our unique fingerprints and palm prints? CLICK HERE to grab the free printable and do this fun hands-on activity!

Overall, this activity produced a ton of conversation between my son and I, both about the science of skin and the forensic science behind crime scene investigations. This activity can be scaled back for younger learners, but as is, it worked perfectly for my 12-year old.

Looking for more fun science activities? Try these hands-on lessons!