Summer Fun with STEM!
Summer is a great time to incorporate #STEM into your plans. You can visit museums, aquariums, and nature centers. Our National Parks, or even your backyard, make for an exciting laboratory. Get creative! If you’d like a few ideas to keep the learning going, here are some ideas we’ve curated for you.
Build a Bottle Rocket
This perfect summer activity features chemistry, physics, and engineering design. So gather the supplies below and click the button to get started. Before long, your backyard will be a launchpad of fun and learning!
Materials needed:
An empty, rinsed soda bottle (experiment with different sizes)
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
Vinegar
Paper towels
A cork or a similar substitute (think squishy foam)
Simple materials for a launchpad (LEGOs or anything constructive)
Creativity!
An open space free of trees, etc.
Wave at the Station
The International Space Station orbits the earth every 90 minutes, which is impressive! Despite traveling roughly 250 miles above at a speed of 17,500 mph, it is visible to the naked eye here on earth. Use NASA’s Spot the Station feature to see when it will be visible where you live or are on vacation. If you spot the station, wave to the astronauts living aboard it. You can even connect with most of them on social media and let them know you did.
View the Milky Way
Due to light pollution, as much as 90% of the world’s population hasn’t seen the Milky Way with their own eyes. So summer nearest the new moon phase is an ideal time to observe this night sky wonder. Find a dark sky area (https://www.lightpollutionmap.info) with a clear southern view, and after allowing your eyes to adjust for 20 minutes, behold the Milky Way, which appears as a faint silvery cloud stretching above the Southern horizon. If you’d like to spot more celestial phenomena, download a planisphere you can print and make at home or check out a free app like Stellarium to help locate these.
Think Outside the Box
Challenge your young ones to develop an experiment or design challenge they would like to try. Watch the video (left) to learn about an experiment my friend and I did a few years ago. Also, check out this great article from our friend Boston Tech Mom.