10 STEM Week Activities to Get Kids Psyched About Science

Kids become chemists at multiple museums during STEM week. Photo courtesy of the Museum of Science
Kids become chemists at multiple museums during STEM week. Photo courtesy of the Museum of Science
10/14/18 - By Caitlin Dowling

It's official: October 22nd through the 26th is Massachusetts' first annual statewide STEM week, and we couldn't be more excited! Schools will be planning fun activities, events, and lessons focused on science, technology, engineering and math (a.k.a. STEM). But can your kiddos ever get too much STEM-ulation? We didn't think so. From robots to outer space, we've rounded up 10 extracurricular activities sure to get your kids psyched about science. 

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1. STEM Saturday: Bring a Pumpkin to Life with Paint 3DMicrosoft Store, Boston 
October 20, 2018, 10am-1pm
Sure, you will probably carve a pumpkin this season, but what if you could replicate the coolest jack-o'-lantern ever on the computer? Art meets technology in this fun drop-in workshop where your kiddos will learn how to use Paint 3D. Kids will have chance to express their creativity while learning about 3D modeling and mixed reality. Oh and did we mention this workshop is free?! Ages 6 and up

2. National Chemistry Week Celebration—Museum of Science, Boston 
October 21, 2018, 11am-3pm
Little scientists will love this outer space experience where they can enjoy hands-on activities like mixing chemicals to make propellants for their own mini rockets, making oxygen by water hydrolysis, and more. And if your goal is to celebrate all things STEM, well… you're at the Museum of SCIENCE, so spend the day exploring all the other amazing exhibits this museum has to offer. All ages

3. STEM Family Fun Night—Brockton Public Library, Brockton
October 22, 2018, 5:30pm-8pm 
Bring the whole family for a night filled with hands-on activities and games, like button-making crafts, creepy-crawly-bug encounters, and science story time. Make sure to check out a STEM related book on your way out to keep the enthusiasm going! Grades K-5 

4. STEM WeekEcoTarium, Worcester
October 23, 2018-October 27, 2018, various times 
This museum is offering fun activities throughout the week all ages. At story hour, kids will work together to identify key problems, generate solutions, and design a prototype to solve the problem. And in keeping with the season and the beautiful foliage, there will be multiple classes exploring the chemistry of colors. All ages

Chemistry comes naturally to curious kids. Photo courtesy of Discovery Museum, Acton

5. Chemistry is Out of This World—Boston's Children's Museum, Boston
October 27, 2018, 11am-4pm 
The Children’s Museum is celebrating with a day devoted to all things chemistry. Get answers to all of your aspiring astronaut's questions about outer space. How do rockets work? Or how do we know what the atmosphere is like on another planet? While Saturday is the big day for space, this museum offers drop in STEAM classes daily for all ages. Ages 3 and up

6. Robot-Driven Racecars—Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington 
October 27, 2018, 10am 
This lab frequently holds Science on Saturday events that are fun for the whole fam and this upcoming demonstration featuring miniature autonomous racecars is sure to be a crowd pleaser for budding scientist. There will be hands-on activities to show your kiddos how robots use sensors and algorithms to see, steer, and race. Pre-registration is required. Ages 5 and up

7. Celebrate National Chemistry Week and MA STEM Week—Discovery Museum, Acton
October 23, 2018-October 26, 2018
The museum is celebrating all week with activities geared towards all ages. Take part in a special outdoor exploration, build creations that fly and float, and observe how they react or experiment with materials. Kids can also make a bracelet that changes color in the sun. All ages

8. Stargazing—Boston University Coit Observatory, Boston 
Wednesdays, 7:30pm 
Just because the weather is cooler doesn't mean you can’t explore the sky and B.U.'s gem of an observatory is the perfect place to show your kiddos the cosmos. Public Astronomy Nights are held most Wednesdays throughout the year, and are free but require advance registration (which often fills up quickly). Check the sign-up page frequently to grab spots; along with planets and constellations that knowledgeable staffers carefully select and train the telescope's lenses on, the panoramic views of the city are breathtaking. All ages

9. STEM Lab—Children's Museum, Easton 
Regular museum hours 
This museum has an entire area designated as the STEM Lab. Kids can design a system of ramps and see how the ball rolls, explore an oversized magnetic wall to add a loop-the-loop to the race track, and more. For tiny builders, there is a special space where they can build and create with foam bricks and blocks. Be sure to check the calendar too, because each week the museum offers up a different Super Science Story Time. Ages 12 and under

10. STEM Drop-In Workshops—Einstein Workshop, Burlington 
Saturdays & Sundays
While this space specializes in longer-term classes to enrich children in subjects they're passionate about in the realm of STEM, there are Saturday and Sunday drop-in hours if you just can’t commit. For $12 (siblings under 3 are free) you can pop in to play and learn with everything from Legos to K’nex to Kapla Blocks. Ages 4 and up

 

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