Engaging STEAM Projects for February and March
“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun”
Make Your School Awesome Staff
February 3, 2025
Are you a STEAM teacher looking for some fun and educational February and March-themed lessons to add to your classroom? Look no further! Here are 10 creative and cost-effective STEAM projects that not only align with the themes of February and March but also meet various learning standards and objectives. Each project is designed for hands-on learning, encouraging exploration and excitement among young elementary and middle school students.
1. Heartbeat Monitor
Materials Needed: Red yarn, paper plates, drinking straws, and tape. Learning Objective: Understand basic human biology by exploring heart rates and health. Steps:
Tape a straw to the center of a paper plate.
Decorate the plate with heart designs using red yarn.
Students use their homemade stethoscope by placing one end of the straw in their ear and the other near their heart to compare resting and active heart rates. Lesson Learned: Students learn about the circulatory system and the impact of exercise on heart rate.
2. Shadow Groundhogs
Materials Needed: Flashlights, construction paper, scissors, popsicle sticks, and tape. Learning Objective: Explore light and shadows to understand how they change with light positioning. Steps:
Cut out groundhog shapes from construction paper.
Attach each groundhog to a popsicle stick with tape.
Use flashlights to create shadows of the groundhog puppets on a wall. Lesson Learned: Students grasp basic physics principles such as light sources and shadow formation.
3. Love-ly Density Tower
Materials Needed: Clear containers, water, food coloring (red and pink), honey, dish soap, olive oil, rubbing alcohol, and measuring spoons. Learning Objective: Demonstrate the concept of density and miscibility of liquids. Steps:
Carefully layer each liquid into the container, starting with honey and ending with alcohol.
Add food coloring to the water layer.
Observe and discuss the layering based on density. Lesson Learned: Students understand why some liquids do not mix and how density affects layering.
4. Wind-Powered Cars
Materials Needed: Balloons, straws, rubber bands, lightweight plastic or cardboard for the body, wheels (bottle caps or small spools) Learning Objective: Investigate principles of force, motion, and energy transformation. Steps:
Construct the car frame using cardboard.
Attach wheels and secure a balloon to the straw attached to the car.
Inflate the balloon and release it to see the car move. Lesson Learned: Students explore how air pressure can be used to power motion.
5. Rainbow Flowers
Materials Needed: White carnations, food coloring, cups of water Learning Objective: Understand capillary action and how plants absorb water. Steps:
Fill cups with water, adding different colors of food coloring to each.
Place a carnation in each cup.
Watch as the flowers change color over several days. Lesson Learned: Students learn about plant biology and the movement of water through capillaries.
6. Pi Day Chain
Materials Needed: Construction paper, scissors, glue, and markers. Learning Objective: Celebrate mathematics by recognizing sequences and the importance of Pi. Steps:
Cut strips of construction paper.
Write digits of Pi on each strip, alternating colors for visual impact.
Glue strips into a chain, linking them in Pi's sequence. Lesson Learned: Students gain an appreciation for number patterns and their significance in math.
7. Erupting Leprechaun Pots
Materials Needed: Small pots, baking soda, vinegar, green food coloring, glitter Learning Objective: Explore chemical reactions and states of matter. Steps:
Mix baking soda, food coloring, and glitter in the pots.
Pour vinegar to initiate a reaction.
Observe the fizzy 'magic'. Lesson Learned: Students understand the basics of chemical reactions and how different substances react.
8. Static Electricity Butterflies
Materials Needed: Tissue paper, scissors, balloons, wool socks Learning Objective: Demonstrate the effects of static electricity. Steps:
Cut butterflies from tissue paper.
Rub the balloon against a wool sock to generate static electricity.
Use the balloon to make the butterflies flutter. Lesson Learned: Students learn about the principles of static electricity and its applications.
9. March Weather Barometer
Materials Needed: Balloon, jar, straw, index card, tape Learning Objective: Build a simple tool to measure atmospheric pressure changes. Steps:
Stretch the balloon tightly over the jar's opening.
Tape the straw to the balloon surface, extending it outward over the jar.
Position an index card behind the straw to act as a scale. Lesson Learned: Students can predict weather changes by observing their homemade barometer.
10. Spring Equinox Sundial
Materials Needed: Stick, play dough, large paper plate, markers Learning Objective: Understand Earth's rotation and how it relates to time telling. Steps:
Secure a stick vertically in play dough in the center of a paper plate.
Mark the shadow hourly to learn how the sun's position changes throughout the day. Lesson Learned: Students explore basic astronomy and learn how ancient civilizations used the sun to tell time.
Teacher Takeaway:
These projects are designed to inspire creativity and deepen understanding of essential STEAM concepts, all while keeping costs low. They offer practical applications of scientific principles through engaging, thematic activities perfect for the February and March seasons.
TEACH, SHARE, INSPIRE
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