6 Summer Activities to Engage Your Students in STEM Fun

With summer in full swing, it’s the perfect time for educators to experiment with bringing STEM or CS to their students, and to embark on a journey of fun-filled, educational activities. Whether you’re a teacher looking for engaging summer school projects, a summer camp educator looking for a way to challenge students with CS learning, or a robotics club coach wanting to introduce something that’s perfectly summer-sized, there are plenty of exciting options to explore.

Want to bring a real-world example of how coding shapes our daily lives? The CoderZ Amazon Cyber Robotics Challenge allows students to delve into the world of coding and robotics with a free, 3-hour virtual challenge. This activity allows participants to solve real-world problems using coding skills and knowledge of robotics. Students can collaborate, compete, and navigate through a series of engaging missions set in a virtual environment.

The challenge is designed to enhance critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork abilities. Through hands-on activities, participants can gain practical experience in programming and robotics concepts while having a blast. CoderZ offers comprehensive resources, including tutorials, webinars, and practice missions, to help participants prepare for the challenge.

The Hour of Code Activity called “Plant a Garden” is another fantastic (and free!) option for students to explore during the summer break. This activity combines coding, agriculture, and environmental awareness as students embark on a virtual journey to cultivate their own digital garden. Through CoderZ’s user-friendly platform, students can learn coding concepts while nurturing virtual plants and understanding the science behind gardening. This is a free 1-hour STEM activity designed to introduce coding concepts and skills to your students. Sign up for the activity here.

“Plant a Garden” is an activity in one of CoderZ’s curriculums called CodeFarm, which introduces students to variables, loops, and conditionals, enabling them to create algorithms to care for their virtual plants. This interactive experience not only hones their coding skills but also instills a sense of environmental responsibility. Through Hour of Code teachers have access to valuable teacher resources including slide decks, speaking notes, a pacing plan… the works! By participating in guided classroom activities and discussions, students will practice skills such as creativity, collaboration, and communication.

Inspire students to design and build structures using materials like popsicle sticks, straws, or cardboard. Challenges can include building bridges, towers, or even a Rube Goldberg machine.

COVID might be over, but as educators, we are still often faced with financial and transportation constraints. Organize virtual tours to museums, laboratories, or scientific research centers. Students can explore different scientific disciplines and interact with experts in the field, all from the comfort of the classroom.

Collect and analyze data on a topic of interest to your students, such as favorite ice cream flavors, sports preferences, or environmental observations. Use online tools like Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel to organize and visualize the data in charts or graphs.

Express your creativity through animation and digital art projects. Use tools like Piskel or Procreate to create pixel art, digital paintings, or short animations. Explore different animation techniques and share your artwork with family and friends.

See also: The Ultimate List of STEM Projects for Middle School Students

Summer break is an excellent time to explore computer science concepts in a fun and engaging way. Choose activities that spark your students’ interest and encourages creativity, continued learning that will be helpful in the future, and can either introduce something they will be learning next year or inversely will expose them to concepts they will not have the opportunity to learn next year. Happy coding and exploring!