Seems like everyone's talking about the importance of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) these days. And hey, I get it. We live in a highly technological world that's rapidly advancing in all sorts of new ways. We want our kids to be be creative and adaptive problem solvers. But maybe you're like me and you deeply love arts and crafts. They're your jam. And maybe you're unsure how to dive into all this STEAM goodness. Hey, I get that too. Hopefully today's post will help. In this post I sharing over 40 ideas for arts and craft projects that also happen to incorporate STEM ideas. Yup. Here are some of my favorite artsy crafty posts...which also happen to have a little STEAM-y oomph to them! This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for the support! For my full disclosure policy, click here. Here's a quick guide for how to combine STEM learning with Art Projects- You could try... Making art materials with kids Encouraging kids to study and experiment with their art supplies Making art to illustrate STEM ideas Building toys with kids Folding Origami with kids Alright. You got the quick guide. So now let's roll up our sleeves and break down each of these ideas! Make Art Materials with Kids Store bought art materials are awesome. They're quick and easy to use. But did you know that there's a TON of science involved in making these materials? (Side note- I recently read this book and cannot recommend it enough. History, science, intrigue... who knew all these things went on to create colors!) To help give kids a firsthand experience to this process, try making your own art supplies together! Cutting, mixing, melting, cooking, combining, problem solving..... they get to be a color scientist! With a little bit of science, technology, engineering and mathematics know-how, you can create any of these art supplies from everyday materials! DIY Paint With Water Pages Homemade Watercolor Paints Corn Syrup Paint DIY Quill Pens 2 Ingredient Body Paint Recipe 3 Ingredient Body Paint Recipe Sidewalk Chalk Paint Homemade Finger paint Glowing Skin Tattoo Markers DIY Glow in the Dark Chalk DIY Eggshell Sidewalk Chalk DIY Sun Prints DIY Giant Scratch board Art Spinning Top Markers Experiment with Art Materials Another easy way to incorporate STEM ideas with arts and crafts is by intentionally exploring and studying the different properties of your supplies. For example, what happens when you apply heat to crayons? What happens when water drips onto marker? Can markers draw on all surfaces? When kids explore questions like these they are being creative and thinking unconventionally. Some examples of these types of activities include... Rainy Day Process Art Sharpie Tie Dye Melted Crayon Rocks Comparing Art Materials with preschoolers Melted Crayon Art Use Art to illustrate STEM ideas Let's face it. Understanding STEM ideas can be tough. Luckily, many concepts are more easily understood with accompanying visual explanations. We can use art projects to help teach or clarify these difficult ideas for kids. Some examples of these types of projects include... Understanding Pi with String Art Number Chart Art Exploring Pi with Colorful Art Exploring the idea of 100 with Colors Creating Pattern bracelets with kids Exploring symmetry with Inkblot Shirts Learning about dinosaur skeletons with Tape Resist Art Learning about ant colonies with Tape Resist Art Fall Leaf Scratch Art: Showing how leaves change colors Learning about the solar system with clay jewelry Flower Pigment Pounding with Kids Exploring Cameras with Flashlight Painting Build Toys with Kids I'm a lover of all classic toys... as well as a cardboard hoarder. Yup. It's a pretty great combination. (Or a dangerous one... muah ha ha!) I love turning cardboard into all sorts of fun toys with my kids. We get to be artsy-crafty engineers, designers, and mathematicians all at once. Some examples of our favorite handmade toys include... Straw Rockets 1 sheet Kite Cardboard Climbing Circus Men Toys Rocket Launcher Tube Toy Cardboard Toy Launcher Awesome Cardboard Train and Car Bridge DIY Flying Whirly Copter Toy Cardboard and Soda Can Cars that Drive themselves! Climbing Spaceship Toy Light-up Cardboard Airport Runway Toilet Roll Airplanes Moving Lego Conveyor Belt Spare Parts Wooden Car Pizza Box Garage Cardboard Space Shuttle Cardboard Cash Register Use Science to Make Art Does "art" always have to be created using conventional materials? No! Why not use scientific ideas to create your own STEAM-filled art? UV Light Bracelets Magnetic Sculptures Watercolor Resist Notebooks Grow Easy Crystal Flowers Grow Crystals on Nature Grow Mini Crystal Sculptures Fold Origami Origami is such a beautiful art form. You use your creative, artsy side to fold and manipulate a simple flat sheet of paper into something entirely different. You also explore math ideas like geometry in an intuitive way. And, did you know that origami even inspires NASA scientists to think about solar panels in a different way? We've got tons of unique and cute origami projects! Phew. That was a long list. Want more? Awesome. I'm so glad! Hopefully you try out a couple of the projects above and find yourself really enjoying the whole process with the kiddos. And if you're looking for even more ideas... then I definitely recommend you check out this AWESOME NEW STEAM book for kids! STEAM KIDS! It's packed to the brim with over 50 hand-on projects that you can do with the kids... right now. This book is a collaborative work of love by several STEAM-loving bloggers . We're engineers, homeschoolers, educators, designers, and moms who put together over 50+ fun activities for kids 4-10 years old. Our goal is to excite and motivate kids to explore STEAM ideas in a hands-on-way. You can visit Amazon to purchase a book today! Or, if you prefer, you can also purchase an e-book version! And, join our STEAM kids Facebook group to meet over 700 like minded individuals who are trying to tackle STEAM learning as well. (I'll see you there!) Happy STEAM-ing, friends!
