Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) affect nearly every aspect of our
lives — from the cars we drive, to the food we eat, to the smartphones we use to communicate.
The information and activities in this booklet will help you understand the critical role STEM
plays in the energy industry. Have fun exploring the world of energy, and we hope you learn
some interesting new things along the way.
Novel Engineering: Developed by Tufts University, Novel Engineering is an excellent way to integrate literacy and STEM in your teaching. In this video, we’ll take you through the steps of this approach using a book on energy as an example. By looking at the characters in a story, students will identify problems these characters are faced with and then brainstorm possible solutions to help them. Once they’ve chosen one idea to develop, the students can then design a solution using simple materials in the classroom and share and refine their ideas with their classmates—just like an engineer solving with problems with energy.
Supply list:
This is a collection of experiments and demonstrations from Fizzics Education related to electricity using things you can find at home.
Fizzics Education provides outreach education in Australia. They’re online collection of activities, demonstrations and videos help students understand science at home or other informal environments.
Design, build, and test a ramp using cardboard and other household materials. Create a pathway for round objects to roll down the cardboard ramp. Incorporate the floor, stairs, countertops, or furniture into the ramp design. This activity helps children develop flexible thinking skills.
This activity and more can be found online at Creativity Catapult, from the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito, CA., is a research-backed, expert-curated collection of activities that promote creativity skills in children ages 2-14. Creativity Catapult is an online collection of activities to promote children’s creativity development. Curated by experts with contributions from esteemed education institutions from around the globe, Creativity Catapult is intended for practitioners charged with raising a generation of future innovators – parents, teachers and informal educators – as well as kids themselves.
Children explore the intersection of science and art by inventing a machine that can draw as it moves. This activity helps children develop divergent thinking skills.
This activity and more can be found online at Creativity Catapult, from the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito, CA., is a research-backed, expert-curated collection of activities that promote creativity skills in children ages 2-14. Creativity Catapult is an online collection of activities to promote children’s creativity development. Curated by experts with contributions from esteemed education institutions from around the globe, Creativity Catapult is intended for practitioners charged with raising a generation of future innovators – parents, teachers and informal educators – as well as kids themselves.
Spruce up artwork by adding LEDs to drawings and paper sculptures. In this activity, children learn about conductivity, current flow, simple circuit design, and mechanical switches.
This activity and more can be found online at Creativity Catapult, from the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito, CA., is a research-backed, expert-curated collection of activities that promote creativity skills in children ages 2-14. Creativity Catapult is an online collection of activities to promote children’s creativity development. Curated by experts with contributions from esteemed education institutions from around the globe, Creativity Catapult is intended for practitioners charged with raising a generation of future innovators – parents, teachers and informal educators – as well as kids themselves.
Children work together to transform everyday materials into creations that can carry weight safely across a zip line.
This activity and more can be found online at Creativity Catapult, from the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito, CA., is a research-backed, expert-curated collection of activities that promote creativity skills in children ages 2-14. Creativity Catapult is an online collection of activities to promote children’s creativity development. Curated by experts with contributions from esteemed education institutions from around the globe, Creativity Catapult is intended for practitioners charged with raising a generation of future innovators – parents, teachers and informal educators – as well as kids themselves.
Design and construct a catapult that launches cotton balls as far as possible! This maker activity helps children build creative thinking skills, such as divergent (brainstorming) and convergent (decision-making) skills.
This activity and more can be found online at Creativity Catapult, from the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito, CA., a research-backed, expert-curated collection of activities that promote creativity skills in children ages 2-14. Creativity Catapult is an online collection of activities to promote children’s creativity development. Curated by experts with contributions from esteemed education institutions from around the globe, Creativity Catapult is intended for practitioners charged with raising a generation of future innovators – parents, teachers and informal educators – as well as kids themselves.
Ducksters is a kid friendly site with information on various subjects of learning including science. They have a section on energy and energy concepts that provides accessible background information to support students and their learning.
Project Learning Tree is an award-winning environmental education program designed for teachers and other educators, parents, and community leaders working with youth from preschool through grade 12.
Here are some suggested activities you can do with your children, ages 3-15.
The Energy