Summer camp is the perfect setting for STEM activities- many of which can be completed outdoors.
Kids love STEM and summertime is the perfect time to continue to work on those collaboration skills. I have some super engaging challenges to share with you!
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Tips for the summer camp STEM projects are sprinkled throughout this post!
Water Slides
We have always completed the water slide challenge indoors, but this one, in particular, would be great outside. When spills happen outside, and they will, you don’t have to worry about wiping up water.
TIP: If you do decide to try this one inside your classroom have some real cloth towels to clean up the water spills. School paper towels don’t really wipe up the water. Those brown paper things just move the water around!
Ferris Wheels
I actually tried this one during a summer STEM Club we had. We met once a week for four sessions. The great thing about our meetings was the mixture of ability levels. For this Ferris Wheel challenge, I paired third graders with fifth graders. This challenge uses a glue gun to hold the parts together and I normally only complete the challenge with 5th graders.
TIP: Do you use glue guns with students? I have low-temperature glue guns that do not get as hot and teach students how to use a craft stick to hold items in place when the glue is still warm.
Bottle Flipping
This one is perfect for those hot summer days and the noise level of all those bottles flipping will be very different on a sidewalk or picnic table.
TIP: You might notice candy corn in one of the bottles in the photo. Don’t try candy like those pieces! When the pieces got wet (because the inside of the bottle still had water droplets in it) the pieces stuck together in one solid mass!
Hammocks
Is this just the perfect summer challenge? Of course, it is!
TIP: You need fabric scraps for this challenge or you can use craft foam sheets. (Dollar Tree has foam sheets.) I found fabric scraps in the sewing department of Wal Mart. The pieces I purchased were cut specifically for quilting so the pieces were already small.
TIP: You also need cardboard tubes for your trees. Get parents to save these for you!
Rafts
Another perfect summer camp STEM challenge is building rafts. Students love this one and if you are outdoors and have a creek nearby, plunge right in and see if the rafts will float and stay upright!
TIP: One of the main materials for this challenge is straws. You may want to think about the ages of your students when trying this one. My younger students had no thought about straws taking on water and were quite surprised when the straws filled up and their rafts were wobbly!
I hope you have found some great projects for your summer camp STEM. Click on any of the images to see more details about the challenges. You may also enjoy these posts with some of our favorite activities!
