10 Affordable STEM Supplies Every Classroom Should Have

STEM is an integral part of the modern-day classroom. Students are engaged through STEM activities, experiments, and crafts through hands-on learning by building, tinkering, and designing. When planning your STEM classroom experiences and activities for your students, you need to consider the supplies for a successful learning experience. Stocking up on STEM supplies doesn’t have to break the bank. This list details 10 affordable STEM materials that every classroom should have.

Popsicle Sticks

Popsicle sticks are a standard supply that you can find that is handy for various uses. From spreading glue or thick substances to using them to build structures or shapes, popsicle sticks are a must for every classroom.

Aluminum Foil

Foil is a versatile material perfect for many STEM experiments. You can have the kids build tin foil boats to make them float and see how many buttons or coins they can hold before it sinks. It can be shaped into just about any shape you can imagine.

Toilet Paper Rolls

Toilet paper rolls are a great STEM supply that you can stock up on all year, and it’s free. Ask parents to donate toilet paper rolls throughout the year to keep your supply stocked. Toilet paper rolls can be used as tubes, and building supplies. Kids can use toilet paper rolls to build a catapult by securing a plastic spoon to the toilet paper roll with a rubber band and catapulting items across the room.

Rubber Bands

Rubber bands are an excellent supply to stretch, secure, and use as a way to fling things across the room. Kids can create a paper airplane launcher using a base made of a pencil or other craft supplies. Rubber bands can be a fun way to create a rubber band guitar to learn about sound.

DIY STEM Kits

Enhance your STEM activities with Parametric Studio Maker Kits with several kits to choose from to engage students. You can choose from clock making to music box building to enhance critical thinking and engineering skills that are the foundation of STEM activities.

Plastic Bottles

Plastic bottles can be used to experiment with in several ways. One common and fun STEM lesson activity includes using a recycled plastic soda bottle to build a submarine and test it out with various features such as fins, propellers, and more.

Water

Having water on hand is easy to do in a classroom or home environment. It can provide endless support for many STEM activities, including creating water wheels or playing around with pipe water channels to dive into water physics.

Paper

Paper is another fun and versatile material that can be used in many STEM activities. You can build a paper roller coaster or a paper kite to experiment with a flight to see what shapes, designs, and materials make the kite fly best.

Pipe Cleaners

Pipe cleaners are easily one of the more entertaining STEM supplies you can keep stocked in your classroom. They are colorful, cheap, and can be used to create structures to enhance learning. A popular activity is to give kids many pipe cleaners to see who can build the highest free-standing tower. It teaches creativity and engineering skills.

Tape

Tape is essential in securing many structures and creations used in STEM learning. Tape can be used as a marker for experiments or can be used in an activity to collect and examine fingerprints.

Conclusion

STEM activities don’t require you to have a lot of expensive materials. You can get creative and develop many stimulating and engaging activities by keeping a budget-friendly list of STEM supplies in your classroom to elevate your lesson plans!

Check out our stem Maker Kits!