Build Creative Confidence with These Hands-On Projects

Hands-on projects are a great learning tool to use with kids of all ages.

The wonderful thing about homeschooling is that kids are naturally curious. Our children are born with a love of learning. Think about it: they are learning new things and enjoying new and creative experiences from the day they’re born. Our job is to make sure we don’t school this natural curiosity out of them!

That’s where STEAM-based projects come into play. Literally, our kids can learn science concepts as they have fun with hands-on projects. Here are some ideas to get you started building creative confidence in your kids.

Indoor STEAM-based projects

On those days when you can’t get outside, there are still many great hands-on projects that you won’t mind the kids building inside. In fact, they just might be busy for hours!

Here’s one that might just make it into the world of castles and knights after you’re done – it’s a DIY Catapult! Using mostly office supplies, your kids will learn about physics, motion, and engineering while building an amazing catapult. 

What summer would be complete without whipping up some Fluffy Slime! With a few household ingredients, you can use a special recipe to make your slime fluffy instead of dense. 

While you’re mixing up a batch, check out these 7 educational ways you can have fun with slime.

Speaking of slime, try these other variations:

• Cornstarch Slime
• Pot O’ Gold Slime
• Homemade Slime

Want your kids to learn chemistry? What happens when you mix up unmixable liquids? Your kids as young as five can learn all about chemical reactions with the Lava Lamp Science Project. It will take less than 30 minutes to assemble and you might already have all the ingredients in the cupboards for this hands-on project. Don’t worry if you don’t know all the science terminology in order to explain this to your kids – this step-by-step tutorial explains it for you!

Outdoor Hands-On Projects

Your kids will love experimenting with air resistance with the Parachute Toy experiment. This would be fun for multiple ages to do together. Using simple sandwich baggies and a plastic toy, your kids can create multiple versions of this parachute experiment and see how the results change with each rendition.

If you have a small pool in the backyard, you can try out this Baking Soda-Powered Boat DIY. Using the well-loved baking soda and vinegar chemical reaction, you can how much power this reaction gives to your boat. This is the same principle used by airplane jet engines – so your airplane enthusiasts will love this hands-on project too! 

Encourage an afternoon outdoors while your kids create this cool Wave Machine. This hands-on project will help them visualize how waves move! What’s great about this project is that kids as young as five, all the way up to age sixteen, can work together to create this Wave Machine and learn about physics. 

Kiwi Crate

If you want these STEAM-based projects to come to your door each month, then check out the Kiwi Crate. Your kids ages 5 to 8 will love the science and art activities.

Here are three sample crates from KiwiCo that will help your kids build confidence with hands-on projects.

• The Arcade Claw crate includes instructions and all the materials you’ll need for your kids create an arcade claw game with pom pom prizes.
• The Fun With Flight crate is perfect for those summer days outside. They’ll have hands-on fun while building a stop rocket and a kite!
• Finally, with The Science of Trees crate, your kids will experiment with capillary action and build a balancing tree game.

With a Kiwi Crate subscription, you’ll never have to hear “I’m bored” from your kids this summer! Get awesome projects delivered right to your door, including child-friendly instructions and all the materials you need to explore creative and innovative STEAM projects.