12. Mar
20 activity sheets to bring STEM Learning into your home
Stuck for ideas for how to provide entertainment at home while also providing an educational experience?
The community at STEM Ed Magazine have created 20 activity sheets that are designed for educators and families and are free to use in the classroom or in the home.
How do they work?
The activity sheets are designed around the rules of the game ‘bingo’. You’re provided with an A4 sheet containing a matrix of STEM-related activities. Complete the activities in any order, but once you’ve completed four in a row (across, downwards, or diagonally) … bingo! You’ve won. Or, complete the whole matrix of activities to be declared a STEM champion.
Lots of fun!
Here’s a list of the activity sheets with three sample activities. Links are provided to each activity sheet so you can download them (they are free!) and try them out at home.
- Go on a nature scavenger hunt. How many leaves can you find?
- Use Minecraft to replicate a room in your home.
- Find some patterns within your house or backyard, and create them using LEGO, playdough, or something else!
National Science Week – Food Themed
- Design a meal using ingredients entirely found in the garden. Draw a picture of it.
- Conduct a food scrap and rubbish audit. Develop and implement a plan to reduce the amount of rubbish going in the bin.
- Host an eco-picnic. Plan your event, create recycled invites, pick a location and present a picnic spread with no plastics.
- Recreate an scene from your favourite book this could be a house, nature space, vehicle or structure.
- Design a puppet, and puppet show!
- Design and create a recycled costume to go with your favourite book
- Make a portrait paint, draw or sketch a picture of your favourite Father’s Day person.
- Create a Pop-Up Card for a special loved one in your family.
- Write a letter or card to your special hero to remind them of a special time you have shared together.
R U OK? Day and R U OK? Day Educatators’ Matrix
- Draw a mindmap of your support network and people you can go to for support.
- Do some yoga with Cosmic Kids. Create some of your own moves.
- Make some positive affirmation cards. I am grateful for… I am proud of… I feel calm when… My smile is…
- Find a penpal (a family member, friend or neighbour). Draw them a special picture and send it in the mail.
- Make a board game using recycled materials based on your favourite book or television show.
- Make a gratitude jar. Add in all the family, friends and joys of nature that you are grateful for.
- Make your own potion. What natural materials could you add? What does your potion do?
- Make a paper mache peach.
- Create a Roald Dahl menu of delicious foods for all your favourite books. Maybe you can make one item.
- Create a drills routine to practice and fine-tune essential skills.
- Find a local club and see if you can get involved. Maybe you want to play or just volunteer?
- Learn about the celebrated history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players.
- Create your own dot art. Use your imagination to transform a dot into a piece of art. Try using different materials.
- Make fruit and vegetable stamps. Dip them in paint and create interesting prints. Transform these into interesting animals.
- Describe one thing you could do to make a difference in someone else’s life.
- Build an obstacle course in your backyard or house. Time your family members to see who can finish it the quickest!
- Research and plant some native flowers to bring mini beasts, butterflies and bees to your garden.
- Paint, draw or photograph a garden or landscape. Think about colours and composition.
School is Back! Matrix and School is Back! Staff Wellbeing Matrix
- Create an affirmation flower. Create a beautiful piece of art to display in your room or around your learning area with things you are proud of about yourself.
- Rearrange your learning space. Find some inspirational quotes or pictures to put near your space to encourage you in the new term.
- Set up a reading nook or find a special place where you can go to read each day. This should be a place where you can ‘escape’ into a book, free of distraction.
- Using sheets and recycled materials found around the house create an International Space Station. Create a list of some must-have items.
- Create a song, rap or poem about your favourite planet. Include lots of facts; then perform it for a friend or family member!
- Design and make a rocket using cardboard and recycled materials. What special features does your rocket have?
- Create a new mythical creature for Hagrid to look after. What does it look like? What does it eat? What is its favourite thing to do?
- Construct a poster to advertise a new Harry Potter novel. What would you call it? Where would it be set? What events would it uncover?
- Create a new House. What colours and mascot will you choose? What does their dorm room look like?
- Design a new fruit. What two fruits would you combine to make the most awesome fruit ever? How would it taste, and how would it look? Create a poster to advertise it.
- Favourite meal. What is your perfect dinner? How would you advertise it? Create an ad for it, telling people how amazing it is and why!
- Chop, dice, grate. How many ways can you serve carrots? Think of all the ways to prepare them and make a list. Try a way you’ve never had them before.
- Design and make a rain gauge. What materials will you use to collect the rain water? How will you measure and record your findings?
- Using pieces of paper create a lillypad and a water critter to sit on top. Float your lillypad on top of the water. What happens?
- Make a xylophone using different glass cups and amounts of water. Try creating your own song and lyrics.
- Design a spooky potion. What ingredients would be in it? What does the potion do? Design a special bottle for it.
- Design and create a spooky house. Try building with Lego, recycled or natural materials.
- Create a design and carve a jack-o-lantern. Try using a capsicum, pineapple, or melon for a different effect.
- Create your own Christmas song or poem. Think about including your favourite things about Christmas, how your family celebrates, or how you would like to celebrate this year.
- Decorate your table. Create some fantastic 3D paper Christmas trees or reindeer to adorn your table with. You might even create placemats or a table runner from your wrapping paper design.
- Storyboard and create a Christmas comic. Create your own characters, sketch out your ideas and share with family and friends
- Building Connections Challenge yourself to sit next to someone different for each activity or pick a new partner for group work.
- Draw a flower with big petals. Fill the petals with a kind action with help others.
- Recreate your favourite part of your holiday with Lego and then share the story with your friends.
- Make an origami bookmark or a silhouette bookmark of a character.
- Using finger or sock puppets, write a simple script to retell your favourite story.
- Create a paper cube and decorate the sides with pictures. Roll the dice and tell a quick one-minute story inspired by the picture.
To find all the activity sheets in one place, click here.
About the designer of the Activity Sheets
The activity sheets were designed by the team at STEM Ed Magazine, which is a bi-monthly publication supporting and inspiring educators and parents towards enhancing STEM learning.
STEM Ed is founded by Fi Morrison, who has over 15 years of experience working with children. She’s currently a full-time Primary School Teaching in Sydney, Australia. Fi also hosts a successful podcast – The STEM Ed Podcast – where she shares her knowledge.
Image credit
Photo by Dominika Roseclay from Pexels