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Activities for Kids during School Closings: STEM

Here are some possible activities to do with your kids at home while schools are cancelled.

Science Activities

  • Maryland Science Center Science-at-Home: DIY experiments using everyday household items

  • Exploratorium Science Snacks: Lots of activity ideas from this San Francisco museum

  • Wonderopolis: Every day this site shares a new wonder, submitted by kids, and the answer, in an article with a video

  • Mystery Doug: Video science lessons and activities

  • ​Design Squad Global: PBS Design Squad videos about science and engineering challenges

  • Crash Course Kids: Elementary school science videos on YouTube

  • SciShow Kids: This YouTube channel features Jessi and the robot rat Squeaks who answer questions and explain complex but fun science concepts

  • STEM Careers Coalition: Connecting STEM from K to Careers: Activities and videos tying STEM to real-world careers from Discovery Education and the STEM Careers Coalition

  • Future U.: From Boeing and Discovery Education, this is oriented to space missions and encouraging innovation with a virtual field trip to the Johnson Space Center, an immersive experience of Mars, and videos relating to space-related innovations

  • Science Experiments Around the Home: From Clicks and Leads Ltd. in the United Kingdom, this site has biology, chemistry, and physics experiments for kids that can be done around the home, using everyday items.  Thanks to Tony Marsden for submitting this site.

Nature-related

       

Math and Computer Science-related

  • Kid-Friendly Coding Language and Resource Tools: From Syracuse University online Master's in Computer Engineering program, this blog post links to various resources for beginning learners in the skill of coding 

  • ​Hour of Code: Learn coding skills with an hour of code activity, including lots of artificial intelligence-related activities

  • Prodigy: Math practice games for students in grades 1-8

  • Khan Academy: Free online video lessons in math and other subjects

  • Funbrain Math Zone: Organized by grade (grades 1-8) with fun games to practice math skills

  • Blockly Games: A series of games that teach programming skills

  • Scratch: A programming language and online community where people can learn to program and share interactive media, aimed at ages 8-16 and produced by the MIT Media Lab, now sponsored by the Scratch Foundation