Thanksgiving STEM Activities for Kids | Easy Projects & Challenges
Published:
November 9, 2020
Contributor:
Jeannette Tuionetoa
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to make a purchase via my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclosure for more info.
Thanksgiving is a fun time to take a break from the usual homeschool routine and try something a little different! These Thanksgiving STEM activities give children an opportunity to explore science, technology, engineering, and math through hands-on projects and creative challenges.
From building with candy pumpkins and cranberries to designing boats and engineering turkey challenges, there are plenty of ways to bring learning into your November homeschool days.
Whether you are looking for a quick afternoon activity or a more involved STEM challenge, these ideas offer something for a variety of ages. Gather a few simple supplies and enjoy learning together!
Before exploring all the creative Thanksgiving STEM ideas below, try this simple engineering challenge with your children. It uses supplies you may already have at home and is a fun way to get started with hands-on learning!
Thanksgiving STEM Challenge: Build a Pumpkin Bridge
Can your children design a bridge strong enough to hold a small pumpkin? This simple Thanksgiving STEM challenge is a fun way to explore engineering, problem-solving, and measurement.
Supplies:
- Craft sticks
- Index cards or construction paper
- Masking tape
- Two stacks of books
- A small pumpkin or several small counters
The Challenge:
- Place two stacks of books a short distance apart to create a gap.
- Give your children craft sticks, paper, and tape to design a bridge that spans the gap.
- Have them predict how much weight their bridge will hold.
- Slowly add a small pumpkin or counters to test the bridge.
- If the bridge collapses, encourage them to make changes and try again!
Make It a Learning Opportunity:
Talk about why some bridge designs are stronger than others. Have your children measure the distance between the books, count how many objects their bridge supports, and compare different designs.
For an extra challenge, see if they can build a bridge using fewer supplies while still supporting the same amount of weight.
More Thanksgiving STEM Projects to Explore
Looking for even more ways to bring STEM into your Thanksgiving homeschool activities? We’ve gathered a variety of creative projects and challenges below, from pumpkin experiments and turkey engineering to building with everyday Thanksgiving supplies. Browse the categories to find something fun to try!
Pumpkin STEM Activities
- Fall LEGO Challenge Cards | The STEM Laboratory
- Pumpkin STEM Activity for Preschoolers with FREE Printables | Life Over Cs
- Pumpkin Investigations Must-Try STEM Activity | The STEM Laboratory
- Building Structures with Candy Pumpkins | Lemon Lime Adventures
- Thanksgiving STEM Challenge: Pumpkin Picker | Feel-Good Teaching
- Pumpkin Science Experiments & STEM Challenges | Lessons for Little Ones
Turkey STEM Activities
- Thanksgiving STEM Challenge Activity: Turkey Transporter | Feel-Good Teaching
- FREE Save the Turkey From Dinner S.T.E.M. Project | Coffee and Crayons Creations
- Thanksgiving STEM (Sail on the Mayflower/Turkey Nest Challenge/Flying Turkeys and more) | Vivify STEM
- How to Catch a Turkey STEM Activity | Carly and Adam
- Thanksgiving STEM Activities – Turkey Balloon Races | STEAM Powered Family
- Easy Turkey Preschool STEM Activities | PreschoolSTEAM
- FREE Thanksgiving STEM (Turkey & Turkey Pen) | Kicking It With Miss Crouch
Thanksgiving Food & Building Challenges
- Thanksgiving Stem Building Cranberry Structures | Little Bins Little Hands
- Taste-Safe Cranberry Slime Recipe Thanksgiving | STEAMsational
- Thanksgiving STEM Challenge: Corn Cultivator | Feel-Good Teaching
- 4 Homemade Recipes for STEM Fun on Thanksgiving | Wyzant
Pilgrim, Mayflower & Native American STEM Activities
- Build the Pilgrims a Tin Foil Boat STEM Challenge | JDaniel4’s Mom
- Native American STEM Challenge: Build a Native American Shelter | The Joy of Teaching
- STEM Activities for Thanksgiving – Pilgrim and Wampanoag Challenges | Momgineer
- Thanksgiving STEM Challenge: Protect-a-Pilgrim | Plans for a Better Tomorrow
- Pilgrim Boat Penny FREE STEM Task | KinderIrick
- Thanksgiving STEM Challenge Video: Mini Mayflower or Mini Mishoon | Kerry Tracy Feel-Good Teaching
- Mayflower STEM FREEBIE | Rhody Girl Resources
- Thanksgiving STEM Class: Float the Mayflower | Outschool
Bonus STEM Activity for Preschoolers
- No-Stress Thanksgiving STEM Challenge Science Experiment | Preschool Powol Packet
Final Thought
STEM can help your kids will learn all about Thanksgiving with topics from pumpkins and cranberries to pilgrims and turkeys. Thanksgiving STEM projects will keep your children’s mind learning while they have fun and prepare for the season.
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