The term STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. STEM is essential to the next generation because it encompasses every part of our day to day lives. By exposing kids to STEM early, and in a fun way, we are encouraging them to be passionate about these areas. In turn, this will hopefully open our kid’s minds to taking on careers in the STEM field. As parents, we often have dull memories of Science, technology, engineering and maths. But did you know that STEM is a whole lot different now than it was when were at school? And did you know that you don’t need a teacher, or a classroom to practice STEM skills with your kids? This week we want to talk about fun ways that you can exercise STEM with your kids outdoors.

BUILD A STICK MAZE

A stick maze is a super fun way to practice STEM outside. The activity encompasses engineering and mathematics, but your kids won’t even realise. You can go foraging for sticks in the woods beforehand which makes the activity something to work on and play with throughout the day. We love this stick maze idea from mothernatured.com

BUILD A BIRDS NEST

Building a birds nest is a fabulous way to get your kids thinking about how animals construct their own living spaces. It’s also a fun way to talk about life cycles. Afterall a bird will make its nest, and then nurture and raise its babies in there. We love this birds nest idea from A dab of glue will do.

BUILD A NATURE SCULPTURE

Building a nature sculpture is a brilliant activity for focussing on engineering, art and maths. The only rule with this task is that the kids must ONLY use what they find in the nature around them. The items could be anything from rocks, sticks, logs or pebbles (to name a few) For this project we suggest finding a quiet area of woodland.

MAKE A BUTTERFLY FEEDER

Late Spring is the perfect time of year to start making a butterfly feeder. This activity will be sure to keep the kids enthralled while helping them learn about butterfly science and engineering. We love this idea from Share it science.

MAKE A RAIN GUAGE

We love this simple weather science idea from Science Sparks. Making a rain gauge is such a fun way for the kids to monitor and discuss the weather while learning. Although secretly we hope that we will have more sun than rain over the next few months 😉

NERF WAR BATTLEFIELD

We think that this will be a firm favourite with the kids! STEAM-Powered family have come up with the genius idea of creating a Nerf war battlefield for the kids. This task requires engineering and also encourages them to forage for items to upcycle for their battlefield. To make your own battlefield click here.

ROCKET BALLOON

Making your own rocket balloon is an exciting Science activity for kids and one they will be eager to get started on. There are a few different ways to make a rocket balloon, but we love this idea from Cool Science Experiment headquarters.

GEOCACHING

We LOVE geocaching! It’s such a great way to get outdoors while learning about technology. There are lots of different geocaching apps that you can download, but we suggest downloading the official Geocaching app here.

MEASURING NATURE

Measuring nature is a simple, fun way to practice maths and science. All you will need is a ruler/tape measure as well as a pen and pencil. For this task, you can make a list of items that you want the kids to measure such as sticks, rocks, and plants. They can then record their findings and talk about the different sizes with each other.

SANDBOX VOLCANO ERUPTIONS

This super cool science experiment is sure to be a hit with the kids. Kids love anything that goes pop and bang, so this is a perfect outdoor learning experience for kids of any age. There are a few ways that you can do this, but we love this idea from Little bins for little hands.

We hope you enjoy these fun outdoor STEM activities as much as we do. We would love to know what your kids love about STEM? Do you have any activities that you enjoy doing with them? Join the conversation in the comments below or via our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages.

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