5 Educational Water STEM Activities for Kids of All Ages
THESE WATER-BASED STEM ACTIVITIES ARE SURE TO MAKE A SPLASH.
Water is one of the most vital and versatile resources to human life. We need it to survive, to drink, to grow food, to bathe, to sail across oceans, to create energy, to house entire ecosystems, and so much more.
Human life is also concerned greatly with the future of water—of availability and quality, of conservation, of water-related natural disasters, and of increasing pollution in our oceans, lakes, and streams. Having conversations about the importance of water’s role in our lives is a great way to open educational discussions with your children.
Young or old, water can be a fascinating topic for kids and is an important educational tool. Here are some simple ideas for water-based STEM activities to try at home, recommended by age.
For Toddlers, Ages 2-4: Rainbow Water
For this experiment, all you will need is a piece of white paper, a clear glass of water, and access to full sun. Put the glass of water in the sun’s path and use the white piece of paper to spot the resulting rainbow.
This is a great opportunity to teach little ones the basic ingredients for a rainbow—water and sunlight. When light passes through water, the light separates into multiple colors and creates a colorful rainbow.
For Little Kids, Ages 4-6: Understanding Volume
Giving pre-k kids cups of varying heights and widths is a great way to help teach them about volume. One simple way to get started is to fill a tall, thin glass and a short, wide glass or dish with the same amount of water, or put more in the short glass. Ask your child which one holds more—usually, they’ll guess the tall one. After your child has made their guess, pour the contents of each glass into two glasses of the same height. For more learning, allow your child to pour different amounts of water into different-sized glasses on their own to learn about how to estimate volume.
For Elementary Kids, Ages 6-10: DIY Whale Blubber
You can help your kids understand the importance of fat to help whales survive life in cold oceans with this fun activity. You’ll need a bowl of icy water, two plastic sandwich bags, Crisco, and a rubber band. Put one of your child’s hands inside an empty baggie, and fill the other baggie with Crisco. Then put the baggie-covered hand inside the Crisco-filled bag, and seal with your rubber band. Have your child put their bare hand in the bowl of ice water, and then have them do the same with their Crisco-baggie hand. Talk together about the difference in how it feels, and discuss how similar science helps keep whales warm in icy waters.
For Middle Schoolers, Ages 10-14: How Can Salt Melt Ice?
This experiment requires plastic cups, salt, water, and a thermometer. Fill the five cups with water. Leave one cup full of plain water and label it your control cup. Add increasing amounts of salt to the remaining cups and label them from lowest to highest. Place all of the cups in the freezer, and check them intermittently to note how they’re changing.
Have your child make notes of which cups of water are freezing fastest, and discuss how salt can lower the freezing point of water, while at the same preventing ice from forming. Use this opportunity to explain how salt can help melt ice—maybe you can even get them to help salt the driveway in the name of science.
High Schoolers, Ages 14-18: Water Pollution and Filtration
Collect water together from a natural source or nearby body of water. Compare it visually to the appearance of your home tap water and talk about filtration. Pour the dirty water you’ve collected into a new container through a coffee filter, repeating until the water starts to become clearer. How many filters does it take?
You can also experiment with other filtration methods like gravel, pebbles, and sand by adding them to the coffee filter. Together you can discuss the importance of clean water, how fortunate we are to have access to clean water, and how we can help keep our water sources fresh and clean.
