Unique STEM Challenges Students Love (and you will, too!)

What makes these Unique STEM Challenges?

I picked these 5 challenges to share for different reasons! They each have a quality that sets them apart from the same old tired structures you see!

Experiment and Design with Pancakes

Design and Teach with the Classroom Rules Challenge

Adding Creativity with Designing Robots

Build Replicas of Famous Objects with a Minimum of Materials

Using Unique Materials with the Tennis Ball Tower

STEM Challenge #1 – Designing Pancakes

Unique STEM Challenge: Experiment & Design the Ultimate Pancake! This easy-prep activity lets elementary students explore ingredients, test variations, and create the perfect pancake through hands-on learning!

This is the best challenge ever! Students absolutely love every part of – even the clean- up!

Here is how it works. Teams are given a recipe that is missing an ingredient. They use a recipe that makes a very small pancake. When cooked, they each try it. It is awful.

Then I tell them about baking powder and we experiment with different amounts to create the very best pancake.

Finally, after creating a larger recipe (students do this by multiplying fractions) we are ready to test our results and design the best pancake possible. The goal is for students to use their experiment results to determine the perfect amount of baking powder. And, of course, we make larger pancakes, add some syrup and enjoy!

STEM Challenge #2 – Classroom Rule Models

Unique STEM Challenge: Build a Model of a Classroom Rule! This easy-prep activity helps elementary students get creative while learning and teaching important classroom rules in a hands-on way!

This is another challenge students adore! I usually use this one as school begins in the fall. Each team chooses one of our lab rules and they must build a model to demonstrate the rule to the class.

Their models use a minimum of materials- mostly from my scrap box, so this challenge is easy prep!

The model in the photo is showing the rule “Do not bring food and drinks in to the lab!”

STEM Challenge #3- Design a Robot

STEM Challenge: Build a Robot with a Real Purpose! This easy-prep project is perfect for elementary students to design, create, and explore robotics in a fun, hands-on way!

Students are fascinated with robots so they love this activity. The main rule to follow is to deign a robot that people can purchase to perform something needed.

This rule was added after the first use of this challenge. I had a team that created a robot to ‘save the universe’. We had a little discussion about why anyone would purchase this robot. The goal is to create a model that you or your family would go to a store to actually purchase!

We use a lot of junk for this challenge- metal washers, pipe cleaner remnants, and my scrap box. The robot is not functioning, other than rolling. Students share their models and must explain why it is a needed product people would buy! FUN FACT: I see a lot of robot models that are performing a chore the students do not like to do themselves- lots of garbage can movers and lawn chore tasks!

STEM Challenge #4 – Designing Models of Famous Towers using only 12 Straws

Unique STEM Challenge: Design a model of a famous tower using only 12 straws. This easy-prep activity lets elementary students work together to use the materials creatively. You will love the detailed teacher's guide.

This challenge is unique for 2 reasons- the small amount of materials and the requirement to build a replica of a famous tower. I give photos of 5-6 famous towers and teams choose the one they want to model.

These towers are small when completed because of the amount of materials. This makes it an easy prep challenge with a big bang at then end. I mean, look at the photo- that is a perfect Eiffel Tower made of straws!

STEM Challenge #5 – Holding Aloft a Tennis Ball

Unique STEM Challenge: Build a Tower to Hold a Tennis Ball! This easy-prep activity challenges elementary students to think creatively and use materials in clever ways to design a strong, stable structure!

Perhaps the most unique challenge of all- the famous Tennis Ball Tower. I love seeing the faces of students when I announce this challenge!

The goal is to use ALL the materials in creative ways and hold that tennis ball off the ground by a few inches. The towers are small and this one is easy prep!

My favorite part is finding out all the clever ways students used the materials.

Unique STEM Challenges are the most fun, aren’t they? Which one will you try first?

STEM Challenge with unique properties to get you out of the rut of all challenges looking the same! This blog post details 5 challenges students love!

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