Happy summer, teachers! This time of the year, many teachers are soaking up some sunshine and enjoying a much-needed break from teaching.
However, if you aren’t taking a break and you are still teaching classes, this post is for you! Summer is a time full of play, imagination, and sunshine for kids. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be educational!
So even if you are in the classroom, here are some fun summer STEM activities that are perfect for tapping into your student’s creativity, critical thinking skills, and having some summer fun.
Paper Airplane STEM Challenge
Get outside and enjoy the warm weather with these fun paper airplane activities! Students will create and fly their own paper airplanes. Then they will collect data and use measurement skills as they test them out.
Want to take it a step further? Add a literature connection! Get your students to a computer and have them research the history of airplanes. Explore the history of the Wright Brothers, Amelia Earhart, and Bessie Coleman. This activity includes Google Slides so you can even use it while distance learning.
Here’s what’s included:
- 3 Airplane Challenges
- Classroom Discussion Questions
- Website Links
- Teacher Pages/ Standards
- KWL Chart
- Survey Question
- 3 Design Challenges
- Paper Airplane Contest Page
- Paper Airplane Awards
- Wright Brothers Research Banner
- Airplane Research Page
- Airplane Writing Paper
- Airplane Research QR Code
- Airplane Picture Cards
Check it out here!
STEM Maze Challenge
This is another unique and fun activity for upper elementary students! This activity will have students designing and constructing a maze using recycled materials. They’ll then get to use critical thinking skills by comparing and contrasting their mazes.
Take it a step further by fully engaging them in the Engineering Process! They can research the full history of mazes. A Google Slides link is included so this summer STEM activity is also great for distance learning.
Looking for more fun summer STEM activities? Check out my Camping STEM Challenges!
