Spring has sprung! The new season and the rapid arrival of April makes it the perfect time for parents and educators to tap into seasonal science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities that will get students excited and engaged in STEM. In this article, you will find Easter STEM activities for all ages – preschool through high school – that are easy-to-implement and focus on helping improve student STEM literacy through hands-on learning opportunities.
Easter STEM Activities for Preschoolers
Preschool is a time of curiosity for children. They are eager to know more about the world around them and everything they learn helps to create the foundation for their education. Parents and educators can and should take advantage of this natural curiosity by engaging students in activities that introduce them to core STEM principles they will see throughout their education and in their daily lives.
Below are Easter-themed STEM activities for preschoolers:
- Easter Egg Sink or Float: Fill plastic eggs with different materials (rice, water, sand, or jelly beans). First, have students predict whether these eggs will sink or float in a bucket full of water. Then, have them test each egg, comparing it to their initial prediction and learning the basics of density.
- Jelly Bean Sorting and Counting: Students take a bag of jelly beans, sorting them by color. Once each color has its own pile, have students count how many of each color came in their bag.
- Marshmallow Peep Towers: Using marshmallow Peeps and toothpicks, have students create their own towers. This will get them thinking like an engineer, trying to create something visually interesting, yet sturdy.
- Hatching Chick Experiment: Add a baking soda and vinegar mixture into a plastic egg to create what looks like a hatching chicken. This introduces students to chemical reactions in a way that is visually engaging and ties in well to the holiday.
Easter STEM Activities for Elementary Students
Elementary education is foundational to a student’s academic path. During these key years of a student’s education, they are starting to categorize subjects they like and dislike, and are actively gaining confidence in specific areas. As parents and educators, we can help ensure STEM subjects are something they like and feel comfortable with through consistent positive STEM learning experiences.
Here are Easter-themed STEM activities for elementary students:
- Easter Slime Science: Every student loves slime! Using borax or baking soda, glue, glitter, and pastel food coloring, students can create their own Easter-themed slime.
- Growing Plants in Eggshells: Using eggshells as a pot, students can grow classroom plants. Week after week, students will learn about botany. Using an egg shell is also a great conversation starter around general sustainability and sustainable gardening practices.
- Egg Drop Challenge: Task students with creating a cage to place their egg in. Once they are confident with what they have created, have them drop their cage, with the egg inside, from different heights – starting low and getting higher – until the egg breaks. This can spark conversation around the Engineering Design Process (EDP), which focuses on learning from mistakes and making design adjustments accordingly.
Easter STEM Activities for Middle School Students
Middle school students can be difficult for both parents and educators to engage in the classroom and at home. One way to combat this and get students excited about learning is through activities that connect to the season, holidays, or current events.
Here are Easter-themed STEM activities tailored to middle school students:
- Bouncing Egg Science Experiment: Soak eggs in vinegar for a couple of days, until the shell has fully dissolved. Once the shell is gone, students can play with their egg, seeing the bouncy, squishy consistency.
- Easter Coding Challenge: Using a beginner coding platform, such as Scratch, have students code an animated Easter egg hunt they can share with their classmates, family, or friends.
- Egg Parachute Experiment: Task students with creating a parachute that will help their egg land safely. This activity requires minimal materials but forces students to think critically and problem solve to create the most effective parachute possible.
Easter STEM Activities for High School Students
By the time students get to high school, they already have a strong idea of which classes they like, and which classes they found more challenging. It can be difficult for educators and parents to find ways to engage students in the areas they find more challenging and naturally shy away from. By using fun,light-hearted Easter activities to engage students in STEM, students of all skill levels and abilities can join in on the approachable, hands-on activities that will improve their STEM literacy.
Below are Easter-themed STEM activities for high school students:
- Easter Egg Catapult: Task each student with creating a catapult that will fling their egg across the room. Challenge each student to create the best catapult that results in the furthest egg distance traveled. This healthy competition will get students engaged and thinking critically.
- Physics of the Rolling Egg: Have students roll an egg down different materials to see how it impacts speed, distance, and angle of descent. Throughout this activity, ensure students are making predictions, noting observations, and articulating how what they see differed from their initial predictions.
- DIY Easter Bath Bombs: Have students create their own Easter-themed bath bombs they can use at home. This hands-on STEM activity teaches them about reactions, and allows them to show off their creativity.
Tips for Making Easter STEM Activities a Success
When implementing STEM activities with students, the biggest concern on the minds of parents and educators is often around how to ensure it is a successful lesson. Regardless of the age of students, ranging from preschool all the way up to high school, there are a variety of things to keep in mind to ensure a successful STEM lesson and experience for students.
- Keep it Simple: Choose activities simple and easy-to-implement. The STEM lesson should match the allotted time and resources, and be tailored to the skillset of the students.
- Encourage Collaboration and Teamwork: Collaboration is a key part of STEM. Focus on STEM lessons that allow students to work together and strengthen their ability to work cohesively with a larger team.
- Allow Time for Student Reflection: Have students take time before and after the lesson to reflect on their learning goals and achievements. This mindfulness leads to more engagement and a higher level of understanding of STEM concepts.
- Use Everyday Materials: By using everyday classroom and household materials when possible, it is easier to keep costs low, allowing for more frequent STEM learning opportunities for students.
- Create a Safe and Open Classroom Environment: STEM concepts can sometimes be complex and difficult to grasp at first. By creating a safe classroom environment where students feel comfortable asking questions and taking risks, there is an increased opportunity for growth and comprehension.
Make Easter STEM Learning Fun and Engaging
Seasonal STEM activities, such as the Easter-themed lessons in this article, are a great way to get students excited about learning. By connecting the classroom and at-home curriculum to upcoming holidays or events, teachers and educators can keep the academic map fresh and exciting for students.
