My Santa STEM Challenges might be my favourite Christmas science activities so far. Help Santa find the North Star, save a pile of presents from crashing to the ground, make a tree and build a raft for the reindeer with these exciting Christmas STEM Activities.
Four of the challenges are now available as FREE STEM challenge cards, too! Print the cards, grab the materials and start experimenting!
Santa STEM Challenge 1
Poor Santa seems to be in a bit of a pickle. Can you help him out?
Before the days of radio and satellite navigation systems, people used the stars to navigate. The North Star is a useful marker as it remains in one spot in the Northern Hemisphere. Can you find out how Santa can identify the North Star, maybe you could learn about constellations, too?
Challenge 2 – Lost Compass
Did you know the Earth acts like a giant bar magnet, creating a magnetic field? Magnetised metals naturally align themselves with this magnetic field. You can utilise this effect to make your own compass.
Challenge 3 – Broken Toys
Did you know you can make glue from milk? You’ll need an adult to help, but it works surprisingly well.
Challenge 4
Lolly stick catapults are brilliant for firing objects through the air and are very easy to make using craft sticks and elastic bands. Once the catapult is made, experiment with different sizes and shapes of objects ( pom poms and ping pong balls are a good starting point ) to find out which travel the furthest.
If you think Santa might need more power than that, try a giant catapult outdoors!
Santa STEM Challenge 5
- How would you build a shelf?
- What materials could you use?
- How would you attach it to the wall?
- Is the elf heavy?
- How much weight can your shelf hold?
Challenge 6
- How tall can you make the tree?
- Is it easier to build a tall tree if the base is wide?
Santa STEM Challenge 7
- What materials can you use? Try cork, lolly sticks, sponges etc.
- How can you make the raft waterproof? Experiment with kitchen foil, paper towels, paper bags and other materials.
- Test to determine if your raft is strong enough to hold a small present without sinking.
Can you think of any more STEM challenges for Santa?
More Christmas STEM Challenges for Kids
Try these easy ELF STEM Challenges, too!
Make a reindeer fly with a balloon like Team Cartwright.
Royal Baloo has an ingenious way of making a reindeer fly using the Cartesian diver method.
If you enjoyed these, don’t forget to check out some of my other brilliant science experiments for kids.
Last Updated on November 14, 2024 by Emma Vanstone
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