As a homeschooling parent, you naturally have your child’s best interests at heart. However, if you want to make your lesson plans even more valuable, it helps to consider a STEM curriculum.
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) forms the basis of many of today’s most in-demand careers. It’s these subjects that are leading the way in fields that are integral to the future.
STEM professionals are in high demand and exposing your child to more of these subjects can give them the head start you are hoping for.
How STEM Benefits Homeschool Families
There are several reasons why more homeschool families are choosing to work with STEM workers and add these concepts to their lesson plans.
Hands-On, Experiential Learning
STEM is naturally interactive as children engage in experiments, complete engineering projects, and spend time on coding activities. This hands-on learning improves their retention skills and makes complex subjects more manageable and enjoyable.
Promotes Critical Thinking Skills
STEM challenges kids to think more logically, analyze data, and solve problems from a creative perspective. It’s these skills that promote a natural ability to think more critically. STEM Experiments and projects also involve trial and error, which builds their resilience and adaptability, both of which are essential life skills.
Introduces STEM Concepts Early
Even at the preschool level, STEM activities help develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Simple hands-on projects like building with blocks, exploring nature, or experimenting with water and sand lay the foundation for scientific inquiry and creativity.
A Flexible Approach to Learning
The beauty of STEM is that homeschool families can tailor their lessons to their child’s interests and learning pace. There’s no rigid curriculum, so your child is free to explore robotics, programming, or environmental science at any depth.
Prepares Kids for Future Careers
Many high-demand careers are in STEM fields, and early exposure can build foundational skills that have the potential to take them far. A child who understands coding, engineering concepts, and scientific reasoning gives students a more competitive edge.
Encourages Independent Learning
STEM projects generally require research, planning, and experimentation, which encourages children to take more initiative while they learn. Online coding classes, YouTube experiments, and STEM kits allow children to explore topics on their own.
Real-Life Applications
Math and science become more meaningful when applied to building structures, inventing a machine, or solving a real-world problem. Children will get the chance to see how STEM relates to everyday life and careers, further increasing their motivation to learn.
Encourages Family Bonding
STEM activities often require teamwork, which provides an opportunity for parents and siblings to work together. Parents can learn alongside their children, creating shared educational experiences.
DIY STEM Projects
If you want to create engaging lessons for your homeschooled children, here are some projects you can plan that are focused on STEM subjects.
Balloon-Powered Car (Engineering & Physics)
Learn about Newton’s Third Law of Motion by building a simple car that moves using air propulsion. As the air escapes from the balloon, it pushes the car forward, demonstrating action and reaction forces.
What you will need:
- Plastic bottle or small cardboard box
- Straws
- Bottle caps (for wheels)
- Wooden skewers or pencils
- A balloon
- Tape & scissors
Instructions:
- Attach four bottle caps to the ends of two skewers to make wheels.
- Secure the skewers under a plastic bottle or small box as the car body.
- Insert a straw into a balloon and tape it in place.
- Tape the straw to the top of the car so the balloon is at the back.
- Inflate the balloon and release it to watch the car move!
Baking Soda & Vinegar Volcano (Chemical Engineering)
Create an exciting chemical reaction to mimic a volcanic eruption with a few simple materials. The reaction between the baking soda (a base) and vinegar (an acid) produces carbon dioxide gas, causing bubbling and foaming.
What you will need:
- Baking soda
- Vinegar
- Dish soap (optional, for extra foaming)
- Red food coloring
- Small container or homemade volcano (using clay or paper-mâché)
Instructions:
- Place a small container inside a homemade volcano or a mound of dirt.
- Add a few spoonfuls of baking soda to the container.
- Mix vinegar with red food coloring and a few drops of dish soap.
- Pour the vinegar mixture into the container and watch the eruption!
Walking Water Experiment (Science & Color Theory)
Show your child how water moves through capillary action and how colors mix in the process.
What you will need:
- 3 clear cups
- Water
- Food coloring (red, blue, and yellow)
- Paper towels
Instructions:
- Fill two cups with water—one with red dye and one with yellow dye (leave the middle cup empty).
- Fold a paper towel and place one end in the red cup and the other end in the empty cup.
- Do the same with another paper towel between the yellow and empty cup.
- Watch as water moves through the paper towel, combining colors to make orange!
DIY Magnetic Slime (Physics & Chemistry)
Create a slime that reacts to magnets using simple household ingredients. The iron oxide particles in the slime make it magnetic, which demonstrates magnetism and material science.
What you will need:
- White school glue
- Liquid starch or borax solution
- Iron oxide powder (available online or at hobby stores)
- Strong neodymium magnet
Instructions:
- Mix glue with the iron oxide powder until fully blended.
- Slowly add liquid starch (or borax solution) while stirring until it forms a slime consistency.
- Knead the slime and test it with a strong magnet—it should move and stretch toward the magnet!
Egg Drop Challenge (Engineering & Physics)
Build a protective structure to prevent an egg from breaking when dropped. This project teaches children about impact forces, shock absorption, and engineering design principles.
What you will need:
- Raw eggs
- Straws
- Cotton balls
- Rubber bands
- Tape
- Small boxes or plastic bags
- Any other household materials
Instructions:
- Challenge kids to design a structure that protects an egg from a high drop.
- Use different materials to cushion the egg inside a box or create a parachute.
- Drop the egg from a height (like a balcony or staircase) and check if it survives!
Snapology STEM Education Programs
If you would prefer to supplement your homeschooling curriculum with professional instructor-based programs, there’s always Snapology.
From preschool to high school students, we’re here to support your homeschool education goals.
At Snapology, your child has the option to participate in regular classroom activities or once-off workshops and camps – whatever works best with your schedule.
We offer hands-on projects that incorporate LEGO® bricks and technology, which your child will use to engineer, code, design, and build. All of our activities are based on STEM topics and encourage problem-solving and critical thinking.
During our classes, your child receives focused attention while also getting the chance to interact with kids who share their interests, helping them build a community even if they are homeschooled.
Our qualified instructors are passionate about teaching STEM and we offer a wide range of STEM, robotics, and technology programs, so you can decide what fits in best with your at-home curriculum.
Additional STEM Resources
If you also want to look into online courses or digital lessons, there are a number of free resources on YouTube that you can turn to when building your at-home STEM curriculum.
- Red Ted Art. This channel has an entire playlist of STEM and STEAM activities for kids that you can do at home.
- STEM Inventions. With just a few simple elements, you can spend hours building new creations with your kids that are backed by scientific concepts.
- Raising Da Vinci. This fun channel was created to share ideas and activities for parents who want to teach their kids through new experiences.
- Crash Course Kids. If your child is curious about the world around them this is a channel they’re going to love.
Building a Strong Foundation for Their Future
Teaching science, technology, math, science, and engineering can be fun. Even though your child will be solving complex problems using STEM skills, they’ll be having a blast and you can rest easy knowing they are getting the extra stimulation they need.
Imagine giving your child the option to enter fields such as software engineering, computer science, or mechanical engineering, all because you exposed them to these types of hands-on activities from a young age.
A STEM curriculum is something all homeschooling parents should consider – visit our Snapology Homeschool Enrichment classes and programs, to enhance your child’s Homeschool experience.
