<strong>3 outdoor STEM activities for teenagers</strong>
Outdoor activities in the lap of nature improve the overall physical and mental health of kids. On the other hand, STEM learning is gaining precedence in today’s times that is said to boost the cognitive abilities of children. So, combining STEM learning with outdoor activities will lead to immense physical and cognitive development. Here, we have compiled a list of STEM activities that can be practised outside the four walls of home.
Exploring evaporation
If your school goer finds it tough to crack the science of matter, then this outdoor STEM experiment will surely help. This hands-on experience will give them an insight into how matter changes states and what factors influence these changes.
Materials required
- Water
- Measuring cup
- 3 containers with varying surface areas
How to
- Get your kid to use the measuring cup and pour equal quantities of water into all 3 containers and then let them sit still in a sunny spot.
- After 3 to 4 hours, tell them to come back and check from which vessel did the water evaporate the most.
- The answer will be from whichever had the largest surface area; because the more the water is able to flow around, the faster it gets evaporated.
Soil science
This is an outdoor STEM project that helps youngsters study and compare two different soil structures and how their characteristics affect the plants growing in or around them. This experiment will also help kids understand why plants in the desert have a hard time growing, while those in a home garden grow easily.
Materials required
- 2 glass beakers
- Sand
- Garden soils
- Water
- A measuring cup
How to
- Have your child put sand in one beaker and the garden soil in another.
- He should then measure the same amount of water and pour it in both the beakers.
- Soon, one can observe the level of penetration through the distinct sample soils. While sand allows immediate penetration, garden soil is able to hold on to the water for much longer. This is because garden soil has more nutrients than sand.
Baking soda & vinegar rockets
This is one of the most exciting outdoor STEM activities that exists and has a DIY touch to it. This experiment will show how when baking soda forces anything in the way when it gets chemically reacted with vinegar.
Materials required
- A soda bottle
- Some pencils
- Duct tape
- A cork
- A paper towel
- Baking soda
- Vinegar
How to
- Make sure your child treats the soda bottle as a rocket and attach the pencils on the side of the rocket using duct tapes, so that the open ends point towards the ground. This will make it look like a perfect rocket stand.
- Now, have him pour the vinegar into the bottle till almost halfway.
- He should take some baking soda on a small square of paper towel and roll it tightly so that the baking soda doesn’t escape and the towel can also fit inside the bottle.
- Help your kids put the paper towel inside, and the cork on the bottle tightly.
- As soon as this is done, help while they take the bottle out to an open outside space, make it stand on the pencil supports. From a safe distance wait for it to launch like a rocket.