Discover Thanksgiving STEM Activities for Kids This Holiday

Looking for creative Thanksgiving STEM activities for kids to keep them engaged and learning over the holiday break? This article has you covered with hands-on projects that blend fun with science, technology, engineering, and math. Whether your child is in preschool or middle school, these Thanksgiving-themed STEM ideas will spark curiosity and encourage critical thinking. Plus, we’ll show you how to extend the learning beyond the holiday to build long-term interest in STEM at home or in the classroom.

10+ Thanksgiving STEM Activities for Kids

Celebrate the holiday with educational activities that combine festive fun and STEM learning. These projects are designed to be simple, engaging, and adaptable for multiple age groups.

1. Turkey Hideout Engineering Challenge

This activity challenges students to design and build a structure that can protect a turkey (or a small object representing one) from a “predator” (like a fan simulating wind or a gentle “earthquake” shake). It introduces basic engineering principles of structure, stability, and material properties.

Materials Needed:

• Assorted building materials (e.g., craft sticks, pipe cleaners, cardboard pieces, building blocks, straws, tape, glue)
• Small toy turkey or other object to protect
• Fan or shallow container to simulate environmental challenges

How to Do:

• Present the challenge: Build a hideout to keep the turkey safe.
• Allow students time to plan and design their hideout using the provided materials.
• Students build their structures.
• Test the hideouts against the “wind” (fan) or “earthquake” (gentle shaking).
• Discuss what designs worked well and why, exploring concepts like strong shapes and stable bases.

2. Cranberry Science: Sink or Float

This simple science experiment explores density by testing whether cranberries sink or float in water. Students can make predictions and observe the results, learning about the properties of objects and liquids.

Materials Needed:

• Fresh cranberries
• A clear container or bowl
• Water

How to Do:

• Fill the container with water.
• Ask students to predict if the cranberries will sink or float.
• Have students gently place cranberries in the water.
• Observe what happens and discuss why some objects float and others sink (related to density and buoyancy).

3. Pumpkin Volcano Eruption

Bring some exciting chemistry to Thanksgiving by creating a festive pumpkin volcano. This classic experiment demonstrates a chemical reaction between a baking soda base and a vinegar acid, resulting in a foamy eruption.

Materials Needed:

• A small pumpkin
• Baking soda
• Vinegar
• Dish soap (optional, for bigger bubbles)
• Food coloring (optional, for festive color)
• Carving tools or a large spoon to hollow the pumpkin
• A tray or bin to contain the eruption

How to Do:

• Carve or scoop out the inside of the pumpkin, leaving a hollow space.
• Place the pumpkin on a tray or in a bin.
• Add a few tablespoons of baking soda to the hollow.
• Add a few drops of dish soap and food coloring (if using).
• Pour vinegar into the pumpkin and watch the eruption!
• Discuss the chemical reaction between the baking soda and vinegar.

4. Mayflower Boat Challenge

This engineering challenge tasks students with designing and building a boat that can float and potentially carry cargo, simulating the journey of the Mayflower. It explores concepts of buoyancy, displacement, and boat design.

Materials Needed:

• Assorted building materials (e.g., aluminum foil, craft sticks, sponges, plastic containers, tape)
• A tub or bin of water
• Small weights or objects to use as cargo (e.g., pennies, small erasers)

How to Do:

• Introduce the challenge: Design and build a boat that can float and hold cargo.
• Students design and build their boats using the provided materials.
• Test the boats in the water, seeing if they float.
• If they float, add cargo incrementally to see how much weight the boat can hold before sinking.
• Discuss successful designs and the role of shape and materials in buoyancy.

5. Leaf Chromatography

Explore the science behind the beautiful colors of fall leaves with chromatography. This activity separates the different pigments present in leaves, revealing colors beyond just the visible reds and yellows.

Materials Needed:

• Fresh fall leaves (green and colored)
• Rubbing alcohol
• Small jars or cups
• Coffee filters or paper towel strips
• Pestle and mortar or a spoon to crush leaves

How to Do:

• Tear or cut the leaves into small pieces and place them in a jar or cup.
• Add a small amount of rubbing alcohol to cover the leaves.
• Carefully crush the leaves in the alcohol to extract the pigments.
• Place a strip of coffee filter or paper towel into the jar, with one end in the alcohol and the other hanging over the top.
• Let the setup sit for a few hours or overnight as the alcohol travels up the paper, carrying the pigments with it.
• Observe the different color bands that appear on the paper, representing the different pigments.

6. Turkey Balloon Races (Newton’s Laws)

Investigate Newton’s Third Law of Motion (for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction) with fun turkey-themed balloon races. The air escaping the balloon acts as the action, and the balloon moving in the opposite direction is the reaction.

Materials Needed:

• Balloons
• String
• Straws
• Tape
• Markers or construction paper to decorate as turkeys

How to Do:

• Decorate balloons to look like turkeys (optional).
• Thread a string through a straw.
• Inflate a balloon but do not tie it off.
• Tape the straw to the inflated balloon.
• Hold the string taut and release the balloon, observing how the escaping air propels the balloon along the string.
• Race different balloon sizes or with different amounts of air to see how it affects the speed.

7. Counting and Estimation

Incorporate math into Thanksgiving preparations by having kids count and estimate quantities of food items. This helps develop counting skills, number sense, and estimation abilities in a practical context.

Materials Needed:

• Thanksgiving food items (e.g., cranberries, small pumpkins, dinner rolls, candy corn)
• Containers for sorting or counting
• Paper and pencil for recording estimates and counts

How to Do:

• Present a collection of Thanksgiving food items.
• Ask students to estimate the number of items in the collection.
• Have students count the items to find the actual number.
• Compare estimates to the actual count.
• For older kids, introduce sorting, grouping, or simple addition and subtraction problems using the food items.

8. Designing a Thanksgiving Parade Balloon

This activity combines engineering and design as students create models of Thanksgiving parade balloons. They’ll think about shape, size, and how to make their balloon “float” (even if it’s just held up with sticks).

Materials Needed:

• Balloons (various sizes)
• Construction paper, tissue paper, fabric scraps
• Glue, tape, scissors
• String or craft sticks to hold up the balloons
• Markers or crayons

How to Do:

• Look at pictures or videos of real Thanksgiving parade balloons for inspiration.
• Students design their own balloon on paper.
• Provide balloons and decorating materials.
• Students inflate balloons and decorate them to match their designs.
• Attach string or craft sticks to hold up their balloon creations.
• Have a mini “Thanksgiving parade” to showcase their designs.

9. Secret Cranberry Messages

Explore the science of acids and bases by writing secret messages using a baking soda solution and revealing them with cranberry juice.

Materials Needed:

• Baking soda
• Water
• Cotton swabs or small paint brushes
• White paper
• Cranberry juice (pure cranberry juice works best)
• Small bowl for the baking soda solution
• Small bowl for the cranberry juice

How to Do:

• Mix equal parts baking soda and water in a small bowl to create the “invisible ink.”
• Dip a cotton swab or paintbrush into the baking soda solution and write messages on the white paper. The writing will be nearly invisible when dry.
• Once the “ink” is dry, use a clean cotton swab or paintbrush to paint over the paper with cranberry juice.
• The acid in the cranberry juice will react with the baking soda, revealing the hidden message as it changes color.

10. Build a Structure to Hold the Most “Food”

This engineering challenge focuses on building a strong and stable structure that can support the most weight, using “Thanksgiving food” as the load. Students will experiment with different shapes and building techniques to maximize their structure’s capacity.

Materials Needed:

• Building materials (e.g., toothpicks, marshmallows, gumdrops, craft dough)
• Small weights or objects to represent “food” (e.g., blocks, erasers, dried beans)
• A flat surface to build on

How to Do:

• Present the challenge: Build a structure using the provided materials that can hold the most “food.”
• Students design and build their structures, focusing on creating a strong base and supports.
• Once built, carefully add the “food” weights to the structure, one by one, until it collapses.
• Record how much weight each structure held.
• Discuss which shapes and designs were the most stable and why.

11. Digital Thank You Notes (Technology Integration)

Use technology to create and send digital thank you notes, incorporating digital literacy and communication skills into the Thanksgiving theme of gratitude.

Materials Needed:

• Computers, tablets, or smartphones with internet access
• Digital drawing tools or simple graphic design websites/apps (e.g., Google Drawings, Canva for Kids, or even just a drawing app)

How to Do:

• Discuss what it means to be thankful and who students are thankful for.
• Introduce a digital tool for creating cards or notes.
• Students design their digital thank you notes, adding text and images.
• Help students send their digital notes via email or a shared platform to the people they are thankful for.
• Discuss the different ways technology can be used to communicate and express gratitude.

How to Extend Learning Beyond Thanksgiving Day

Keep kids inspired long after the turkey is gone with these practical strategies:

• Turn holiday curiosity into weekly projects: Don’t let Thanksgiving STEM activities be a one-time event. Turn them into weekly explorations by connecting new projects to seasonal changes, upcoming holidays, or nature. This keeps kids engaged and learning consistently.
• Use STEM journals to reflect and reinvent: Encourage kids to keep a simple journal where they can sketch their projects, write observations, and think about what they’d do differently. It promotes critical thinking and learning from trial and error.
• Start a DIY STEM kit at home: Prepare a “STEM Kit” with everyday materials like foil, craft sticks, rubber bands, and cups. Having supplies ready makes it easy for kids to start experimenting anytime inspiration strikes.
• Incorporate reading and videos on STEM topics: Pair hands-on activities with science-themed books or short videos. This deepens understanding, connects concepts to real life, and introduces new ideas or vocabulary.
• Join a STEM club or virtual challenge: Keep the momentum going by joining STEM clubs, local maker groups, or online challenges. These encourage collaboration, creativity, and expose kids to a wide range of experiments and ideas.

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