Family Activity
STEM Activities for Families
Launch rockets, build a hovercraft, create a winning science fair project and more! These science, technology, engineering and math activities are fun for kids, adults and the whole family.
Click on the links below to jump to activities for each STEM subject:
- General (5)
- Engineering (18)
- Science (11)
- Technology and Computer Science (4)
- Mathematics (2)
General
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Art and the Cosmic Connection
Students use art to describe and recognize the geology on planetary surfaces.
Grades K-12
Time 1 hr - 2 hrs
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Videos for Students
Learn all about space and science with these educational videos for students.
Grades K-12
Time Varies
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Slideshows for Students
Explore the solar system and beyond with these slideshows for students.
Grades K-12
Time Varies
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How to Do a Science Fair Project
Learn all the ins and outs of crafting your very own science fair project.
Grades 3-12
Time 30 mins - 1 hr
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Space School Musical
Students join teenager Hannah on a trip through the solar system in this stellar musical about the planets, moons, asteroids and space.
Grades 3-12
Time 30 mins - 1 hr
Engineering
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Parachute Design
Students design and test parachute landing systems to successfully land a probe on target.
Grades K-2
Time 1 hr - 2 hrs
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Spaghetti Anyone? Building with Pasta
Students use the engineering design process to build a structure to handle the greatest load and gain first-hand experience with compression and tension forces.
Grades K-8
Time Less than 30 mins
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Robotic Arm Challenge
In this challenge, students will use a model robotic arm to move items from one location to another. They will engage in the engineering design process to design, build and operate the arm.
Grades K-8
Time 30 mins - 1 hr
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Build and Launch a Foam Rocket
Students build rubber-band-powered rockets and launch them at various angles to learn about rocket stability and trajectory.
Grades 2-8
Time 1 hr - 2 hrs
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Hovering on a Cushion of Air
Students construct CD hovercraft as a lesson in Newton's laws of motion and friction -- plus an astronaut tie-in.
Grades 3-8
Time 30 mins - 1 hr
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Planetary Pasta Rovers
Using only pasta and glue, students design a rover that will travel down a one-meter ramp and then travel an additional one meter on a smooth, flat surface.
Grades 3-8
Time 1 hr - 2 hrs
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Touchdown
Students design and build a shock-absorbing system that will protect two "astronauts" when they land.
Grades 3-8
Time 30 mins - 1 hr
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Rocket Activity: Heavy Lifting
Students construct balloon-powered rockets to launch the greatest payload possible to the ceiling.
Grades 3-8
Time 30 mins - 1 hr
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The Ring Wing Glider
In this simple engineering design lesson, students turn a piece of paper into an aircraft wing and then try to improve upon their design.
Grades 3-8
Time 30 mins - 1 hr
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Soda-Straw Rockets
Students study rocket stability as they design, construct and launch paper rockets using soda straws.
Grades 4-8
Time Less than 30 mins
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Stomp Rockets
In this video lesson, students learn to design, build and launch paper rockets, calculate how high they fly and improve their designs.
Grades 4-9
Time 1 hr - 2 hrs
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Feel the Heat
Students design and build a solar hot water heater and see how big a temperature change they can get.
Grades 4-12
Time 1 hr - 2 hrs
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Build a Satellite
Students will use the engineering design process to design, build, test and improve a model satellite intended to investigate the surface of a planet.
Grades 5-8
Time More than 2 hrs
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Water Filtration Challenge
Students work in teams employing an iterative design process to design and build a water filtration device using commonly available materials.
Grades 5-12
Time 1 hr - 2 hrs
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Solar Oven
Students build a solar oven and learn about the importance of solar energy for establishing a lunar base.
Grades 6-8
Time 30 mins - 1 hr
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On Target
Students modify a paper cup so it can zip down a line and drop a marble onto a target.
Grades 6-12
Time 30 mins - 1 hr
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Roving on the Moon
Students build a rubber-band-powered rover that can scramble across the room.
Grades 6-12
Time 30 mins - 1 hr
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Create a Halloween Pumpkin Like a NASA Engineer
Get tips from NASA engineers on how to make an out-of-this-world Halloween pumpkin.
Grades 6-12
Time Varies
Science
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Precipitation Towers: Modeling Weather Data
This lesson uses stacking cubes as a way to graph precipitation data, comparing the precipitation averages and seasonal patterns for several locations.
Grades K-5
Time Less than 30 mins
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Build Your Own Space Mission
Create your own rover or orbiter and launch it into space!
Grades K-5
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Look at the Moon! Journaling Project
Draw what you see in a Moon Journal and see if you can predict the moon phase that comes next.
Grades K-8
Time 30 Days
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Make a Moon Phases Calendar and Calculator
Like a decoder wheel for the Moon, this calendar will show you where and when to see the Moon and every moon phase throughout the year!
Grades K-12
Time Less than 30 mins
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How to Make a Pinhole Camera
Learn how to make your very own pinhole camera to safely see a solar eclipse in action!
Grades K-12
Time Less than 30 mins
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RoverView 3-D Glasses
Make your own 3-D glasses that look like NASA's Curiosity Mars rover!
Grades K-12
Time Less than 30 mins
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Make a Jupiter Orbiter
Build your own spacecraft and use it to uncover secrets beneath Jupiter.
Grades 1-5
Time Less than 30 mins
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Whip Up a Moon-Like Crater
Whip up a moon-like crater with baking ingredients as a demonstration for students.
Grades 1-6
Time 30 mins - 1 hr
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Comet on a Stick
Students build their own comet models using craft materials.
Grades 2-8
Time 30 mins - 1 hr
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Modeling an Asteroid
Lead a discussion about asteroids and their physical properties, then have students mold their own asteroids out of clay.
Grades 3-5
Time 30 mins - 1 hr
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Solar System Scroll
Students predict the scale of our solar system and the distance between planets, then check their answers using fractions.
Grades 5-8
Time Less than 30 mins
Technology and Computer Science
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Explore Mars With Scratch
Students learn about surface features on Mars, then use a visual programming language to create a Mars exploration game.
Grades 3-8
Time Longer than 2 hrs
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Robotics: Creating a Roving Science Lab
In this challenge, students will program a rover to use a color sensor on several rock samples.
Grades 6-9
Time Longer than 2 hrs
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Robotics: Engineering a Rocket Transporter
Students design, build and program a robotic “super crawler” to transport a payload from a starting position to a target launch pad.
Grades 6-9
Time Longer than 2 hrs
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Robotics: Making a Self-Driving Rover
In this challenge, students must program a rover to get from point A to point B on a map without driving across any of the craters located between the two points.
Grades 6-9
Time Longer than 2 hrs
