Awesome Summer STEM Activities for Middle School

Whether you want activities for when the kids get bored, need some hands on learning for summer school or just want to keep their minds sharp, this list of Summer STEM ideas for middle school is perfect!

Summer is almost here. I can almost hear the children running home so excited for summer break. That is, until a mere two weeks later and boredom has set in. To get a head start on summer boredom, I scoured the internet looking for simple, no prep Summer STEM activities for middle school students. And I’m sharing my list with you! Not just that, but I am also giving you a quick run down of what the activity involves and some ideas on how to change the activity when you don’t have a classroom. I am actually looking forward to when they announce their boredom this summer so I can try these sneaky summer learning ideas!

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*This is a guest post from Danielle of Blessedly Busy

Summer STEM Activities to Keep Them Learning

These fun ideas, projects, and STEM challenges are sure to keep your kids busy learning and problem solving over the summer. Plus, they don’t require a lot of prep from you!

Bottle Flipping Math Challenge:

Aside from learning what bottle flipping is (apparently it’s a thing), this activity from Create, Dream Explore requires very little effort on your part.

All you need is a water bottle and a willing participant. Ask them to predict how many tries it will take and then see!

Do it again, and again, and again, as many times as they are willing. Graph your results. This would be really great when they have all their friends over and are driving you crazy 😉

Scaling Up Candy Wrappers:

If you are looking for a ridiculously simple idea that will last for many days, then Fast Times of a Middle School Math Teacher has your number. Plus, you get an excuse to eat candy. You can’t go wrong.

The Million Dollar Project:

From the 4mula Fun website:

Congratulations! You have been given $1,000,000. As a part of this inheritance, you have been given guidelines to follow for how to spend it. Make sure the follow the guidelines to the letter so you don’t hurt Grandma Irene’s feelings.

Who doesn’t dream about what they would do with a million dollars? The set up at 4mula Fun will not only get kids thinking creatively but critically as well.

Graphing Pictures & Characters:

What middle schooler doesn’t need some extra practice with plotting points on the coordinate plane? And even better, they’re find a hidden picture when they finish graphing! Of course, don’t tell them what they’re graphing. Hand them the instructions and say, “I wonder how much of this you will have to graph before you figure out what it is?”

Find a variety of graphs and hidden pictures on this page from Super Teacher Worksheets.

Equation Memory Game:

A simple memory game. All you have to do is print. I’m sure your middle school student can handle cutting everything out 🙂 This is a great way to easily practice solving linear equations.

(Note, the “addition” equations are free, but there are other memory games available as well!)

Visit Middle School Math Man for the free download.

Play Skunk:

It only takes one time to explain how this game works and you can play it again many times throughout the summer.

Find detailed instructions, along with an online game board here.

Play a Math Card Game:

Heidi from Starts at Eight shares 4 games middle school students can play using just a deck of playing cards. All of the games require two or more players.

Find more fun math card games here.

Dream Vacation:

Use this online webquest for detailed instructions and guidelines. Students create a dream vacation…on a budget.

This might be a helpful boredom buster while you travel to your actual vacation. 😉

What’s for Lunch? Real Life Math Lesson:

Not sure what to feed these hungry kids that are suddenly home? Have them make their own menu plan!

Once they’ve created a menu plan, grab the free printable activity here. This is a great real-life math lesson.

Design a Board Game:

“Research” games before having students design their own. Every time they play a game ask them to analyze it. What parts did they like, or not?

Then introduce the idea of designing their own game. If you would like a bit more instructions, there is a detailed lesson plan at STEM Learning.

Learn to Code:

Finally, if your kids are interested in coding, why not try a subscription to Bitsbox? They’ll learn to code apps using actual javascript. This keeps my kids busy for hours!

Sign up for a subscription to Bitsbox here!

Create Your Own STEM Challenge!

Not sure any of these ideas will work for you? That’s ok! Think outside the box to plan your own ideas based on YOUR kids interests and ages.

>Learn how to plan an engaging STEM lesson HERE | FREE Planning Pages available

>Grab FREE Reflection Pages to use with any STEM activity HERE

 

What Are Your Plans for Boredom Busting This Summer?

That’s the end of my list. Now it’s your turn!

Share in the comments your ideas for Summer STEM Activities or boredom busters. Looking forward to reading the comments!

Danielle is a homeschooling mamma of 5.  She is committed to making life with young children easier and sharing her passion for math.  If you would like to learn more about teaching math to multiple age groups visit Blessedly Busy or follow her on:  Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter.