STEM Engineering Projects for Kids

Have some fun with your students making ping pong ball launchers. in STEM activity for elementary students. Students use the engineering design process to create and test their prototype.

Marshmallow Launcher STEM Projects for Kids

For STEM Activities I provide students with a variety of household materials, such as rubber bands, masking tape, toilet paper tubes, balloons, paper cups, plastic basics (like strawberries come in) paint stir sticks, tongue depressor sticks, empty wooden spools, plastic spoons, duct tape, pin pong balls, and tape measure. (note to teachers: you can buy ping pong balls for a lot cheaper if you search for beer pong balls. These balls will work just as well, they are not regulation ping pong balls. Try to get them without a beer label. J alternatively, you can use large marshmallows)

The focus of this activity is on Engineering Design Thinking. I try to get students to use STEM engineering skills like designing, testing, and redesigning their contraption.

I think like with everything in Makered, it is best practice to let students share what they have made and how they adjusted their original design with the rest of the class. This encourages the use of the engineering design process in the STEM Curriculum. Students must design, test their design, and make improvements to their design. Lots of critical thinking and metacognition.

For more science lessons and activities please visit my store. Lynda R Williams

You can find this activity along with seven others in my NGSS STEM Engineering Challenges NGSS STEM Engineering Challenges 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2 and 3-5-ETS1-3