When your kids are at home, there are plenty of things you can find to keep them occupied AND continue learning about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)! Below is a list of ideas that are FREE online STEM activities!
UPDATED: 10 more activities added!!!
1. Watch live views of jelly fish, sea lions, penguins, beluga whales and more at the Georgia Aquarium.
2. Watch live views of sea otters at the Monterrey Bay Aquarium from 1pm to 1am EST.
3. Watch live views of sharks and listen to a Shark Story Hour (reading of a shark themed book) from the The Atlantic White Shark Conservatory every day at 10AM EST.
4. Learn about coronavirus in a kid-friendly way through activities at the San Francisco’s Exploratorium! They have activities on understanding the science behind viruses, how they affect the human body, and how we can protect ourselves against infection.
5. Perform a science experiment with Bill Nye the Science Guy using simple items from around your house.
6. Perform science experiments with the California Science Center in their new video series of science activities you can do at home (every weekday at 1pm EST).
7. Learn about making healthy meals, problem solve using engineering principles, and do a virtual chemistry experiment with games from the Smithsonian Science Education Center.
8. Check out the Mystery Science website, and learn (in age appropriate modules) about practical topics such as “How do germs get inside your body?” and “Why is the ocean salty?”.
9. Take classes to reinforce and enhance the STEM topics your children are learning at school with modules from the Khan Academy and CK-12.
10. Follow along with quick, daily science lessons and science experiment tutorials from Club SciKidz regarding weather, cooking, physics, chemistry, and more.
11. Play one of the countless videos or games about science from National Geographic Kids and Discovery Kids!
12. Watch live views from the Cincinnati Zoo daily at 3pm EST.
13. Watch live views of Giant Pandas at Zoo Atlanta via their Panda Cam.
14. Watch live views of giraffes, gorillas, elephants, leafcutter ants, rhinos, and chimps at the Houston Zoo from 8am to 8pm EST.
15. Watch live views of baboons, elephants, giraffes, koalas, owls, pandas, penguins and more at the San Diego Zoo. There are also quite a few interactive animal games for kids on their website. You can also watch a live stream of 30 species of butterflies in their Hidden Jungle butterfly exhibit!
16. Watch live views of naked mole rats, lions, giant pandas, and elephants at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
17. See the surface of Mars recorded by NASA’s Curiosity rover in a 360 degree mode.
18. Take a tour of the universe through videos from videos created for the Hayden Planetarium.
19. Listen to astronaut’s read from space in the Storytime From Space project from the Global Space Education Foundation.
20. Learn space based lessons from games and space-related educational activities from the Space Racers, an animated series for preschoolers.
21. Learn about the latest discoveries about the universe through NASA’s Teachable Moments website. There are a range of activities and lessons that are suitable for kids of all ages. NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is another source of free online content with hands-on activities using materials that can be found at home.
22. Take a meteorology classes on thunderstorm, supercells, tornadoes, hail, flash flooding, lightning, and more from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). They have a great page dedicated to other kid’s activities too!
23. Take a virtual tour of marine sanctuaries and ocean habitats with a collection of virtual dives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Your kids will be able to see beautiful coral reefs, swimming seals, and even shipwrecks.
24. Watch live views of African wildlife including views of watering holes and a gorilla corridor.
25. Take a virtual tour of a dairy, grain, and sheep farm and learn about farm animals and farm maintenance.
26. Take a virtual trip to The Nature Museum in Chicago to learn more about animals and plant in our own backyard, including lessons on butterflies and frogs. Great videos to watch and activity suggestions!
27. Learn how to be a programmer and code from 13 different interactive online resources.
28. Learn from a variety of topics including math, science (from robotics to astronomy), and medicine by participating in free daily science classes weekdays at 1pm EST with Supercharged Science.
29. The American Museum of Natural History in New York City has a science website that provides fun games and activities for kids covering a range of science topics, including microbiology, paleontology, astronomy, physics, and so much more!
30. Tour the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum through their Air and Space Anywhere website and enjoy educational podcasts, games, and activities about aircraft and spacecraft.
31. Participate in a fun and educational math game, Prodigy, that adapts to your child’s strengths and weaknesses and supplements their math curriculum.
32. Take a virtual tour of Sequoia National Park in California. You can scroll over the different terrains, and click on places of interest like the General Sherman Tree in the Giant Forest.
33. Take a virtual tour of Yellowstone National Park, the world’s first national park located mostly in Wyoming. You can see Mammoth hot springs and geysers!
34. Take a virtual tour of Badlands National Park in South Dakota, one of the world’s richest fossil beds.
35. Take a virtual tour of Zion National Park‘s steep red cliffs in Utah including classic views of the Court of the Patriarchs.
36. Take a virtual tour of coastal mangroves, sawgrass marshes, and pine flatwoods of the Everglades National Park in Florida.
37. Take a virtual tour of Arches National Park in Utah, the highest density of natural arches in the world!
38. Take a virtual tour of Glacier National Park in Montana including beautiful Lake McDonald.
39. Take a virtual tour of Denali National Park in Alaska including many scenic vistas.
40. Take a virtual tour of Acadia National Park in Maine, the first national park east of the Mississippi River, including beautiful views from Cadillac Mountain.
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