STEM Activity-a-Day

Teach preschool to elementary age students about conditionals in coding by exploring If/Then statements. Similar to a game of "Simon Says," this game uses the statements: "If I __________, you do ________" to help children explore conditionals which are also known as "If/Then" statements. The 'lead' who gives directions is the 'programmer' and the students are the 'computer.' This game can be as simple as that, or you can make it more complex for older children, by adding an "else" statement to the game. For example, "If I touch my nose, you run in place, else you put your hands on your head." Explore more directions from Left Craft Brain which include a few modifications for age groups and levels here.

Using a few household items, build a foil boat which will stay afloat with a variety of items in it. Test several designs to see what design might hold the most. Check out this full explanation with prompts for parents from The American Society for Civil Engineers.

• Watch this video explanation of the activity as well.

This creative activity is fun for all ages. For salt painting, you'll need card stock (or another heavy-duty paper-like surface, squeeze bottle of glue, liquid watercolors, paintbrushes or droppers. For this activity, kids 'draw' with glue, sprinkle with salt, then use the liquid watercolors to tie-dye the salt. It makes for a great deal of colorful fun. Check out this how-to from "The Artful Parent" or this version from "A Dab of Glue Will Do."

• Ask you child why the color travels so easily over the glue. Salt is hygroscopic which means that it can absorb both liquid water and water vapor in the air. This is a type of chemical action.

In this challenge from John Spencer, design and build an arcade game. He suggests using carboard, duct tape, plastic spoons, and a marble, but the sky is the limit if you have other resources at home. Use the questions in this video to help you decide the arcade game you'd like to design and create.

This one is for the "When will I ever use math?" crowd (Grades 6-12). Have your child compare and contrast different careers and how they think they may use mathematics. Visit We Use Math to explore careers in math and careers using math. What is the difference between the two?

• Careers Using Math

• Careers in Math

Try listening to a few episodes of STEM Sessions. Which careers use math? How do they use math?

Originally designed to be used in the classroom, this lesson plan from the STEM Careers Coalition can be adapted to be used at home. Explore the importance of diversity in video games with your child.

• Look at popular games to identify how much diversity is present - are there characters with diverse backgrounds? Genders? Races? Abilities? "In order to be more inclusive and promote bias-free perspectives, more diverse video game characters are needed. Making these characters available will allow children of all genders and backgrounds to see—and play with— characters that look like them!"

• Next, design your own code for the characters you brainstormed and developed. What small movements would they make? Use the graphic organizers in the lesson plan to create and code those movements by creating a 'symbol' or a 'button combo' for each one. How might you combine symbols or button combinations to create a more complex movement or reaction?

This challenge comes from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). The challenge is to build an earthquake resistant structure. Not only will you need to build the structure, but also an earthquake table to test it on.

• Build an Earthquake Resistant Structure ( PDF) - at home version.

• Build an Earthquake Resistant Structure—original version (PDF) with more questions and adaptations for younger and older grades.

There are many ways to find calm and focus, and this activity is just one way to consider making something that is both useful and creative. Mindfulness or "Mind Jars" or "Glitter Jars" are a creative visual experience which can be used to help us calm down. When frustrated or overwhelmed, taking a a few moments to watch glitter swirl and settle while focusing on breathing can help us find calm. Check out these directions for parents on how to make a Mind Jar:

• "Mind Jar" from the TGR Foundation

• Other Recipes for Glitter Jars

One of the key elements of the design-thinking process is developing empathy. As it is the first step in design, it is key to hone strategies which help us empathize, going beyond simply understanding another's problem, but connect and understand how they feel about the problem. One important tool for empathy is the use of interview. Recently, Storycorps added a Connect feature which allows for the recording and storing of video conference interviews. Explore StoryCorps and decide on a family member or friend with whom you'd like to connect, following the 8 Step outlined on the page. Use these additional resources from Storycorps to help.

• Getting Started

• Great Questions

• Conversation Tips

• Recording Recommendations and Technical Requirements

Note: Children under the age of 13 may not register for a StoryCorps Archive or App account or record an interview. Please be sure to explore the privacy policy.

Explore StoryCorps at large for recordings from all walks of life.

Thermofisher Scientific has released a Design Challenge dhallenging students to build a model of a scientific instrument or technology using anything they can find around the house. Explain how its use makes the world healthier, cleaner, or safer. This challenge is open through June 14th.

• For more information and ideas, check out this Facebook Video Explanation

Due to the quarantine, large gatherings of people have not permitted. This means that you may have friends and family who have not had an opportunity to celebrate their birthday, anniversary, baby shower, etc. In addition, the unusual circumstances of this time may have brought to light all that someone does for you - and that they deserve a thank you. Design and create a special card for any family members or friends who have had or will be having a celebration during this time. This could be a physical card which you plan to mail or a digital card which you can send via email or text.

This challenge from Discovery Education and the TATA Consultancy Agency involves designing an exercise which helps people smile. You can access this challenge and the activities involved here.

Turn the exploration of careers into a game! Science Buddies has a great Bingo card for educators or parents to set up STEM Career Bingo. Use the bingo card to explore and discover careers which meet the statements on it. You can find a full list of directions here for downloading or modifying the STEM Careers Bingo Card. You can use the following websites to help students find careers which meet the descriptions on the card:

• Careers in Science by Science Buddies

• STEM Careers by Career Kids

The hero's journey can be found in many recent and classic works of literature as well as in film. Films like Star Wars and books like The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and the Harry Potter series all contain elements of Joseph Campbell's heroic journey.

Explore and experience the Hero's Journey while coding through 10 different challenges this Hour of Code Minecraft activity.

Build a floating raft out of cardboard and household items. The challenge? Build the lightest raft which holds the most weight in water. Not sure what to use as weights? Try coins!

• How do things float?

• Why do things float in water?

Did you know you can make art out of plastic bags? There are a few ways that you can do this:

1. You can use parchment paper and an iron to flatten out plastic bags for cutting and creating different designs and creation. Check out "Plastic Fabric Art" directions from the STEM Careers Coalition.

2. You can crochet with plastic bags to make mats or blankets. Check out this step-by-step tutorial in Instructables.

This challenge is from PBS Kids's Design Squad: "People wear different kinds of shoes for different reasons. They might like the way they look or how they feel. They could keep their feet safe or make them better at sports. What can you add to a pair shoes to make them different or better? What kinds of materials can you use?"

Check out the STEM Careers Coalition's Career's Portal to explore a selection of careers. Each career comes with a short summary and video as well as a student activation PDF which offers questions to explore regarding that career - both introspective about your own likes/dislikes, and investigative in order to learn more. In addition, it offers PDFs of the career profile.

Using sidewalk chalk, draw a grid on the sidewalk or a driveway - shoot for 6x6 but it can be as large or as small as your space allows. Designate a beginning and end, inventing obstacles to place in the grid. Obstacles can take the form of toys such as balls or frisbees or this can be done with a water shooter - using the water shooter to mark obstacle blocks. This activity allows for two people - one 'robot' who moves the spaces and one coder. Using the grid and 'coder speak' (one step forward, turn left, one step forward, etc.), the coder directs the 'robot' through the grid and around obstacles.

• Want to amplify? Turn it into a game! Have two coders and robots, and have them avoid one another in the grid. Invent new obstacles in the grid or have a obstacle inventor who gets the change the obstacles around in the middle of the activity.

• Weather interfering? You can tape off a grid in your house using masking or painters tape on the floor.

If you can't leave the house, why not venture into outter space? "How would you like to be the chief engineer for an important NASA mission? In this activity, you get to design the latest and greatest satellite. Your satellite could help study things happening on Earth, take pictures of planets in our solar system, keep an eye on our sun, or even find planets elsewhere in the universe!"

• Try to build your own satellite using the guidelines listed here by NASA.

Wind chimes have existed for thousands of years, with evidence of their existence in Ancient Rome and Ancient China. Create your own wind chime using resources around the house. Consider what elements might lend themselves to the best sound or chime. What elements could you use that are unexpected?

• Looking to amplify this activity? Check out how these high school students designed their wind chimes using elements of physics. How could you design a wind chime to play several opening notes in order or a specific melody?

Use this video prompt from John Spencer as inspiration to design your own tiny house. Consider what you would include and what you might omit in your design. Draw out your plans and consider building a prototype of your house with what you have around the house.

• Consider this: How would your tiny house be different from a tiny house that you might build for someone else in your household? Interview another individual and design a tiny home based on his/her likes and dislikes.

NASA offers several opportunities to contribute to their work and "Be a Scientist" via their "NASA at home" Project. All of these opportunities allow you to contribute to current scientific work as a citizen scientist:

• Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 -- Search the realm beyond Neptune for new brown dwarfs and planets.

• GLOBE Observer-- our observations help scientists track changes in clouds, water, plants, and other life in support of climate research.

• JUNOCAM -- You can actively participate in NASA's Juno mission by uploading your images of Jupiter to help the team decide what JUNOCAM will photograph.

• Planet Hunters TESS -- Join the search for undiscovered worlds.

• Stardust @ Home-- NASA's Stardust spacecraft brought home particles of interstellar material. Can you find them?

The World Wildlife Foundation and Google's CSFirst have partnered up to help kids learn to cod while celebrating wildlife and nature. Kids can design their own Google Logo using Code to share a story about their favorite wild animals or convey a message about protecting the planet. The CSFirst program offers step-by-step videos to help students explore coding about the environment in Scratch.

• Looking to amplify this assignment? Attach some preliminary research requirements in which students identify key or important data dealing with natural resources, climate, or conservation which they want to convey in their design.

• Using copy paper paper (or lined paper) as your only resource build a tower which will hold a stack of books (at least four books with 20 pages in each) 6 inches off the ground.

  • Need to amplify? Add additional books, limit the amount of paper (who can use the least amount), or ask students to raise the books more than 6 inches.

Code your name using the ASCII Table for Binary. Identify a different color for 1, 0, and spaces, then draw bloxs or blocks to represent your name. Want to get creative? See if you have any beads or other art supplies around the house to create a bracelet out of the code. Lay out Legos and build your name out of code by identifying a different color Lego for the 1, 0, and spaces.

• Want to amplify? Can you figure out a visual way to represent hexadecimal instead?

Create a list of questions for interviewing a member of your household. What are there likes and dislikes? What would they like to be doing if they were not experiencing the current situation and/or staying at home? Try to understand how they are feeling by asking questions. Use the design process to find a way to design an improvement to their day based on these questions.