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How to Launch a Weather Balloon: Ultimate STEM Challenge
Take your students on an unforgettable journey to the stratosphere! What can be more exciting than launching a balloon to the edge of space and seeing footage of the Earth from above? A weather balloon project (also known as High Altitude Balloon or HAB) involves designing a payload and using a helium balloon to send an experiment up to 100,000 feet into the stratosphere!
Based on three years of successful weather balloon experience with over 300 middle school students, we created a full guide that helps students design a payload, select an experiment, launch, and recover the balloon from a 100,000-foot journey to the edge of space!
Top 35 Amazing STEM Books for Kids
Summer is the perfect time to read books for your enjoyment, but that doesn’t mean the books you read should not have educational value. Books can provide new perspectives or set new aspirations! Harness the possibilities of the world books open to readers by indulging in STEM books. Whether you will be reading to little ones, recommending books for teens, or diving into books as an adult, there are a multitude of STEM books on the market to suit any interest. We listed some of our favorite STEM books and book series below for you to read this summer or any time of the year.
Enhancing the STEM Experience: The Young Scientist Challenge
How do you enhance your child’s involvement and interest in STEM? A recent study highlights the advantages of encouraging scientific curiosity. We’ve already seen tremendous improvements in the academic success of students involved in our afterschool Space Club, but involvement at home is key too! One great resource can be found in the Young Scientist Challenge by Discovery Education and 3M. If you are already involved in this competition, remember to submit your entry videos by April 19th! If not, read on to learn more.
6 STEM Resource Finds and Takeaways from the NSTA Conference
Instead of spending my spring break lounging on the beach drinking mimosas, I decided to head to Atlanta, Georgia for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) National Conference! I mingled with thousands of other educators across the country all passionate about teaching science. As a first-time attendee, here are my takeaways from NSTA including a list of my top 6 STEM resource finds!
How to Engage Little Kids in Engineering Activities
This week is Engineers Week! It is a time to connect kids to real-world engineering problems and expose them to what engineers really do. Read on to learn more about the engineering design process and how to use it in education, as well as how to make an engineering kit for your budding engineers. Oh, and there is a freebie too!
Top 10 STEM Space Activities
Ready to launch your students into some space STEM activities? Read on to explore our top space-themed STEM activities. These activities are categorized into our 3 stages of STEM to fit different learning levels.
Must Haves for a STEM Lab
It’s a new year and you likely have new goals, grant money to spend, or maybe just a renewed enthusiasm for inspiring and instructing young minds! Whatever the case, there has never been a better time to gear up your classroom or home with the latest and greatest STEM gadgets and tools. We are have compiled a list of “must haves” to enhance your STEM space!
Thanksgiving STEM
We are forever thankful for STEM education and the promising future it gives to our world. From designing a turkey nest for an egg drop challenge to sailing the Mayflower, we have compiled a list of our current favorite Thanksgiving STEM activities for you to enjoy. Don't forget to grab our FREEBIE Thankful for STEM resource!
5 STEM Activities for Fall & Halloween
Fall is here in the USA and we are excited to share with you some of our favorite STEM activities for the season! Whether you are teaching in the classroom, homeschooling, or just enjoying play time at home with your kids, the following activities are sure to excite and engage any age.
Solar Eclipse Party and Activities
We have put together some activity suggestions, tips, resources, and an event planning guide to make the most of a Solar Eclipse happening near you! We also have a FREE solar eclipse paper circuit lesson in our STEM Explorer Lesson Library!