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:

1. General (5)
2. Engineering (18)
3. Science (11)
4. Technology and Computer Science (4)
5. Mathematics (2)

General

• 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

• Videos for Students
  • Learn all about space and science with these educational videos for students.
  • Grades K-12
  • Time Varies

• Slideshows for Students
  • Explore the solar system and beyond with these slideshows for students.
  • Grades K-12
  • Time Varies

• 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

• 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

• Parachute Design
  • Students design and test parachute landing systems to successfully land a probe on target.
  • Grades K-2
  • Time 1 hr - 2 hrs

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• Build Your Own Space Mission
  • Create your own rover or orbiter and launch it into space!
  • Grades K-5

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• Make a Jupiter Orbiter
  • Build your own spacecraft and use it to uncover secrets beneath Jupiter.
  • Grades 1-5
  • Time Less than 30 mins

• 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

• Comet on a Stick
  • Students build their own comet models using craft materials.
  • Grades 2-8
  • Time 30 mins - 1 hr

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

Mathematics

• Rockets by Size
  • Students cut out, color and sequence paper rockets in a simple mathematics lesson on measurement.
  • Grades K-2
  • Time 30 mins - 1 hr

• Take the Pi in the Sky Challenge
  • Can you use π (pi) to solve these stellar math problems faced by NASA scientists and engineers?
  • Grades 4-12
  • Time Varies