Looking for fun, hands-on activities to teach about recycling? Challenge students to repurpose recyclables into usable materials! These types of STEM challenges teach students about taking care of the planet while encouraging creative problem solving. These 5 STEM Challenges are engaging, educational, and the perfect addition to any recycling or Earth Day unit!
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle STEM activities for kids Most people have heard the Reduce, Reuse and Recycle mantra. I wanted to introduce these concepts on to my children at a young age. We’ll teach our kids to reduce our waste first and foremost, then we reuse as many items as possible, and lastly we recycle what can’t be reused.
STEM Projects Using Recycled Materials 1. Egg Drop Challenge A popular kid-friendly experiment that many of us did during high school and early college physics and engineering classes. There’s no set list of materials you can use, which is what makes it so fun to get creative with!
Materials that are great for recycling challenges include: Cardboard boxes Empty tissue boxes Cereal boxes Shoe boxes Newspaper Plastic bottles Milk jugs Empty toilet or paper towel rolls One of my favorite recycling challenges is from my Earth Day Activities STEM Recycling Challenge set. Students are asked to create an invention or something useful using a cardboard box and up to 5 recycled ...
Plastic bottle STEM projects can be fun and easy to do, and we give the bottles another life by recycling (or upcycling) through STEM activities.
The holiday season leaves us with plenty of wrapping paper scraps, empty boxes, and leftover ribbons—so why not turn them into a family STEM adventure? These simple challenges are perfect for keeping kids (and adults) entertained over the holiday break while teaching sustainability and problem-solving skills. Bonus: You’re reducing waste and having fun at the same time!
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) bins are an excellent way to foster curiosity, problem-solving skills, and critical thinking in kids.
I love reusing recyclables in crafts and activities. One thing my kids might love even more is science and STEM activities. We decided to use some materials we had in the recycle bin to make a lever and fulcrum. This is a perfect STEM activity to do with the kids over the summer to promote learning, creativity, and problem solving.
There are tons of great DIY STEM activities that teachers and parents can carry out at home. Most of which utilize waste or recycled materials, so are basically free! The only investment is your time and creativity. Below we summarise some of our favorite STEM activities for kids for developing engineering, design and creativity skills.
Technology: Use various recycled materials to create a functional object. Engineering: Construct a robot from various recyclable materials, enhancing problem-solving skills. Activity Enhancements: Turn this into a competition where kids design their own robots using household recyclables. Measure and compare the height and flexibility of the ...
The Upcycled Bracelet Challenge is not just an art project; it's a STEM activity that encourages problem-solving, design thinking, and perseverance. By creating something beautiful and useful from discarded materials, students apply scientific thinking to create a keepsake bracelet to remind them of the importance of recycling and reusing everyday materials.
Discover 7 fun and eco-friendly recycled material projects for kids! Get creative while cutting back on waste with these unique ideas.
The problem with STEM is that teachers often have to purchase the materials at their own expense. Sarah has assembled this collection of STEM engineering challenges that are fun and engaging, and that also make use of recycled or inexpensive materials.
Discover 30 STEM Activities for Kids designed to build critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills in preschoolers through hands-on learning.
STEM education equips children with more than academic knowledge—it develops adaptable thinkers, skilled problem solvers, and collaborative learners prepared for a dynamic future. As the global landscape continues to evolve, building foundational skills in science, technology, engineering, and math early in life is essential.
