At Home STEM Challenges
Looking for a fun activity for you or your whole family, join Mrs. Roesch and Ms. Stone with a STEM challenge below. Send us photos of your finished challenges at lroesch@longbranch.k12.nj.us and kstone@longbranch.k12.nj.us.
DIY A Moving Conveyor Belt – a few supplies like a clean milk carton or small box, pens or pencils, and a long piece of paper or smaller pieces taped together. Think about a conveyor belt you have seen, like one and a grocery store. How does it move food or items from one end to another? Look at the supplies you have in front of you. How could you put them together or modify them to create a conveyer belt of your own? Add other recycled supplies if you would like to.
Building a Bridge – Think about the purpose of a bridge. A connection between 2 places that does not block what is underneath. It gives a way to cross over something. Do you have materials you can use to build a bridge? Try things like cardboard, tape, straws, pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, even branches from outside. How can you use them to construct a bridge? Test the bridge how much weight does it hold? Use coins or small rocks to measure the weight
Paper Building Blocks – You don't have to just draw or write with paper, try using it to build. Did you know that you could use paper as a structural material? Simple paper building blocks are a great way to create hours of creative building. Take strips of paper and fold them into simple shapes like triangular pyramids, square cubes or even round cylinders. Secure them with a small piece of tape or a bit of glue. Then like magic you have some new building blocks. Experiment with size, see what you can create!
Straw Roller Coaster- Have a bunch of straws and some tape or glue? Turn them into a rollercoaster for a small ball. Start by making some tracks using the straws. The track has sets of two straws that hold the ball as it rolls. Tape or glue the pairs of straws at different heights. The straw tracks can be secured to other straws you you arrange with tape or glue. Make sure to adjust the heights of each end to the set of tracks so that they are not the same. This creates a ramp, or slide for the ball to roll down.
Newspaper Architecture – All you need is newspapers and tape. Start by taking two sheets of newspaper and place them on top of each other on the floor. Roll them together into a tight tube and tape the end so it stays together. The tighter the roll the more support you’ll have. Make as many rolls as you can. When you finish rolling the tubes, start taping them together. Try different strategies to create your structure. How tall can you build it? Can you fit inside it? What strategy makes the strongest structure? Don't forget to recycle your paper when you are finished.
Paper Airplane Challenge – All you need is paper and tape. Start by folding paper into a paper airplane. Not sure how check here. Try different models and test them by flying them across the room or challenge yourself to have them land on a target. Test the strength of you plane by testing how much cargo it will carry. Tape coins to your plane. Start with one or two and add more as you go. Be sure to use your math skills to total the value of the coins on each plane. Which plane model holds the most money when flying?
Spaghetti Tower of Terror – Materials you will need about 12 inches of tape and 20 pieces of spaghetti. Build a tower as tall as you can using the spaghetti and tape. No tape, no problem try with small candy pieces or marshmallows. Your tower should be able to stand by itself without help from a wall. Think about the base of your structure. Which type of base will support the structure best? How tall is your structure? Can you redesign to gain more height? Will it hold a marshmallow or something similar at the top?
Marble Maze Fun – Do you have extra trash you can use to make a treasure and any kind of tape. Some great recycled items are cardboard tubes, cardboard boxes, popsicle sticks, yogurt cups, plastic bottles, paper plates, even straws will work. Tape your recycled trash together to make a path for a marble or a tiny ball to travel make sure to include ramps and different height levels or use a wall to tape your track on. How complicated can you make the path? How far will the marble travel? Get creative!