Do you need activities to keep your students happy and learning during the end of the year? STEM Sports is a winner!
The Summer Games inspired me to create these super-fun activities. Science, engineering, and math are part of these sports-themed team challenges.
There are fun challenges for archery, parachuting, basketball, diving, and sailing.
This is a very busy time of year for teachers, so other than gathering materials and running your copies, everything else is ready for you!
Each activity comes with teacher directions, a materials list, sample photos, student challenge directions, scientific explanations for you to assist students, and 3 or 4 recording sheet options.
Because of the various options, I recommend these projects for 3rd through 6th grades.
Let’s take a closer look at the challenges!
💧 Splashy Science
Design a “diver” to make the biggest splash. Simple materials and a little water are all you need for this fun STEM challenge.
Teams compete to determine how much water splashes out of the cup when the “diver” is dropped.
Pick the recording sheet that is right for your class. Calculate the splash and draw a diagram, construct a bar graph or stem-and-leaf plot, or determine the median, mode, and range.
🏀 Hoop Madness
Design a launcher to launch a ball into a cup reliably.
After designing, building, and refining, each team will make 10 attempts and count how many successful baskets they get. Reliability is the name of the game here!
Draw a diagram and identify successes and challenges. An option with measurement is included.
🏹 Bow & Bullseye
Design a bow that will launch an arrow as far as possible.
Students design a bow (ideas included) to shoot an arrow as far as possible. Distance is the priority here!
Students make 5 attempts and record the distance the arrow travels.
A low math option includes simply recording data, drawing a diagram, and identifying successes and challenges.
Options with more math include constructing bar graphs and determining the median, range, and mean.
⛵️ Sailboat Scramble
Design a sailboat that quickly travels across the water with the air blown through a straw.
Pool noodles and/or aluminum foil to the rescue! Along with toothpicks, craft sticks, index cards, and tissue paper, students can design the ideal sailboat!
Time for each boat to get across the water when blown by a straw.
Record the travel time for each and pick your math option!
Pick up STEM Sports today!
Gather simple materials, make your copies, and get started now!
See STEM Sports on TpT: STEM Sports
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5 thoughts on “STEM + Sports: End of the Year Fun with Science and Math Challenges”
I am right in the middle of the activities and I’m wondering how high you dropped the diver from for the diving activity? I’m thinking 30 cm, but I’m scared that won’t be high enough.
Hi Shannon. 30 cm should be fine.