Can you find north? Discover how to recreate the first manmade compass used over 1,000 years ago. Compasses find the Earth’s naturally occurring magnetic fields. With just a few materials you will be able to find north in no time. Click here for a DeSTEMber activity!
Have you ever gone to an amusement park and wanted to experience the slingshot cage ride? The cage is stretched to the ground for passengers to be harnessed in; then the tension is released and the cage goes flying. Explore how potential and kinetic energy make this exhilarating and terrifying ride possible as you create …
How far do you think you can launch a marshmallow across the room? Use your knowledge of potential and kinetic energy to make your own marshmallow slingshot! Click here for a DeSTEMber activity!
Do you think you can balance a pencil using only magnets and tape? Discover how you can make a pencil stand on its tip by harnessing the power of magnets! Magnets are either attracted to each other (that’s how they hold things up on a refrigerator!) or repel each other. Arrange the magnets so that …
Divergent, convergent, and transform! Learn how Earth’s tectonic plates interact in this delicious activity. Model the plates’ movements using frosting and graham crackers to understand how Earth’s landscape can change over time. Click here for a DeSTEMber activity!
Use the inventive Makey Makey keyboard and the programming power of Scratch to create your own musical instrument. Design a one of a kind sound glove using thimbles, alligator clips, and an aluminum foil ball. Program your favorite tune and play your unique instrument for your friends! Click here for a DeSTEMber activity!
This summer, Girlstart introduced a new programming robot with our campers. Girls used color-coded programming to navigate their Ozobot™ Bit safely across the river to get from their house to the shop. You can find the activity here. The Ozobot™ Bit is easy to program by drawing lines and using certain color combinations. Determine which color segment is needed …
Use your smart phone to program a light bulb to do amazing things! The energy-efficient FLUX Smart LED Light Bulb lasts for up to 20,000 hours and can be controlled from your iPhone or Android. The bulb can respond to music, be used as an alarm clock, and has a palette of over 16 million …
Join the Texas State Aquarium as they highlight the fun and adventurous STEM careers females can have at nature parks like aquariums. Learn how you can join this cool field of animal training and informal education. Listen to our short video and learn how our staff became a part of the team at the Texas State Aquarium.
Type the coordinate numbers into Google Earth to find some of the world’s most fascinating museums! Zoom in and out of the image and click on the picture available for each museum to further explore these amazing places. Happy Travels! Click here for a DeSTEMber activity! Download Google Earth onto your computer here: https://www.google.com/earth/
Create your own musical instrument using tongue depressors, rubber bands, and a straw to explore how sound is caused by vibrations. Sound moves in waves, and different sized waves produce different pitches of sound. Experiment with your Sound Sandwich to find the perfect tune to play for your friends! Click here for a DeSTEMber activity!
Is it possible to change the color of a liquid without adding food coloring? This experiment may appear to be magic, but it is actually chemistry. Make your own pH indicator to explore the acidity and basicity of common household liquids. Click here for a DeSTEMber activity!
The Franklin Institute, one of the oldest science museums in the United States, provides a unique and fun Drone Show presentation all the way from Philadelphia, PA. Computer programmers code robots to sense and react in specific ways during different situations. Watch as the drone, Aida, uses sensors to know her location and respond to different stimuli, …
Continue reading "Guest Blog Courtesy of The Franklin Institute"
Do you know what makes you unique? What determines your eye color or whether or not you are double jointed? DNA is what makes you – YOU! All living things have a genetic code, called DNA. Discover unique characteristics of dinosaur DNA in this tasty activity! Click here for a DeSTEMber activity!
Now you see it, now you don't! Make your own optical illusion to see how your brain reacts. Our brain often uses shortcuts to process the information we come in contact with every day. Test your optical illusion and see if it "tricks" your eyes and brain into thinking images on two separate pieces of …
Turn an everyday tea bag into an exciting rocket! Heat makes the air inside the tea bag less dense than the air outside of it. This creates a convection current that lifts the ash from your burning tea bag and sends it flying upward. Click here for a DeSTEMber activity!
Have you ever looked out your bedroom window and couldn’t see the neighbor’s house? Or wondered why the clouds were so low in the sky? Create fog in a jar and discover how these low-lying clouds are made up of water molecules suspended in air! Click here for a DeSTEMber activity!
Have you ever tried to walk on a balance beam or even a sidewalk crack? Discover how tightrope walkers are able to lower their center of gravity, increase their moment of inertia, and exert torque in order to stay balanced and perform stunts at great heights. Create your own tightrope walker to explore the best …
What is a solar eclipse? Have you ever wondered what it would be like for the sky to suddenly go dark in the middle of the day? On August 21, 2017, everyone in the United States will get to witness an eclipse and experience how it turns the day temporarily into night. Create a model …
These days social robots designed to interact with people are sold in stores as pets, housecleaners, and even healthcare assistants! To make these robots seem more humanlike, designers give them personalities using sounds, digital displays, and gestures. Can you communicate an emotion without using your face or voice? Find out with your friends and family …
Did you know you are able to perceive depth because your left eye and right eye see things slightly differently? What type of adjustments would you have to make if you only had vision in one eye? Explore how your brain creates a three-dimensional image of the world in this eye opening activity. Click here …
Have you ever seen a laser show and wanted to create one of your own? Use some fairly common items to learn about how sound waves travel to create your own laser show! Click here for a DeSTEMber activity!
Squares, circles, or triangles ― which shape do you think makes the strongest structure? Look around the area you are in to explore all the different shapes used to make things. Use gumdrops and toothpicks to construct a dome structure that is strong and won’t collapse. Follow our instructions, design your own, or do both! …
Have you ever thought about what it takes to design your own maze? Don’t let your marble get lost in this fun activity! Explore how the Law of Conservation of Energy and Newton’s 3 Laws of Motion will help you design a challenging maze. Click here for a DeSTEMber activity!
Do you know how many bones are in your hand? Create a moveable model to discover the many parts of your hand. Use your model to explore how your bones, tendons, and muscles all work together to move your hand and fingers. Click here for a DeSTEMber activity!
If you love amusement park rides, you’ve probably experienced the thrill of crashing, bouncing, bone rattling bumper cars! Bumper cars are a perfect example of Newton’s three laws of motion. Program and play your own bumper car game and learn the science behind the crashing fun! Click here for a DeSTEMber activity!
Harness the power of the sun to create a vibrating dinosaur! Learn how to solder, connect a circuit, and discover how solar panels absorb the sun’s rays to make your dinosaur move. Click here for a DeSTEMber activity! *Solar kits for this activity can be purchased from our friends at Brown Dog Gadgets here. (Girlstart has …
Robots build cars, clean houses, help soldiers and doctors, are played with by kids, and explore other planets. Use your creativity and some common craft materials to design your own robot prototype. What will your robot do to help the world? Click here for a DeSTEMber activity!
Have you ever been to a show and seen colored lighting? Make your own colored gel lighting overlays to explore what happens when you add or subtract a particular color gel. Determine the best colors to make your very own light show! Click here for a DeSTEMber activity!
Scientists at the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, recognized internationally as a leader in polar and alpine research, of The Ohio State University, share their expertise investigating ice core samples. BPCRC's Education and Outreach team created and field-tested a comprehensive lesson plan designed to provide students with a simulation of the process that scientists use when analyzing ice cores. Click here for …
Continue reading "Guest Blog Courtesy of Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center"
Wrap up the last day of DeSTEMber and launch into the New Year by thinking about your goals. When you set goals, it is important to think big about the goals you want to achieve and how you are going to achieve them. Decorate a bookmark with your goals. Write a letter to your future …
