Children exploring STEMCON

STEM Resource Library

Below you will find a curated list of websites if you wish to further explore STEM. These activities and sites have been vetted by our STEMCON committee and represent great examples of some of the amazing STEM content that is available at your fingertips! Even when STEMCON is over, we hope you will continue to Get Your Geek On with these fun and interactive sites.

  • Social Distancing Game
    By: Mathigon
    Age Group: Grades 4-12
    Can you leave the supermarket, while keeping a 3m distance from everyone else?
  • Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival
    Age Group: All Ages
    Mathematical activities and puzzles with a wide variety of levels. Low floor, high ceiling. One example is Pool Testing. Can you find the patient who is infected without testing everyone individually?
  • Doodling in Math

    By: Vi Hart, sponsored by Khan Academy
    Age Group: All Ages
    Connect your doodles with mathematics from spirals to Fibonacci to plants. Or doodle an infinite parade of elephants. Or doodle stars with different numbers of points.

  • Exploding Dots
    By: Global Math Project
    Age Group: Grades 2-12

    Understand place value for a variety of bases other than our familiar base test decimal system.

  • Watch and Play: More Math! Resources
    By: National Math Festival
    Age Group: All Ages
    Puzzles, games, books, videos, arts and crafts. Choose by age or type of activity.
  • Powers of Ten
    By: Charles and Ray Eames
    Age Group: All Ages
    Starting with a picnic in Chicago by Lake Michigan, the video explores powers of 10 both large and small. This is the classic 1977 film by the famous designers.
  • Math Mobiles
    By: Education Development Center
    Age Group: All Ages
    Interactive, visual math puzzles that must be figured out to make the mobile balance. Starts with simple puzzles and builders. There is also an option to build your own puzzle.
  • Guess My Number
    By: CS Unplugged
    Age Group: Grades 5-8
    This is similar to the game of 20 questions, but it is about guessing a number with the strict rule that you can only answer whether the secret number is greater than or equal to a guessed number.  Demonstrates how dividing larger problems in half, and then half again makes larger problems into smaller easily solvable problems very quickly.
  • How Computers Work
    By: Code.org
    Age Group: All Ages
    Six short (3-5 minutes) videos designed to be approachable for everyone and easy to understand. The series explains what makes a computer a computer, how digital information is represented in 1s and 0s, how computer circuits work to manipulate digital information, and how a central processing unit (CPU) and operating system control the inputs, outputs, memory, and hardware of a computer.
  • Create Your Own Flappy Game
    By: Code.org
    Age Group: Ages 4-104
    Use drag-and-drop programming to make your own Flappy Bird game, and customize it to look different (Flappy Shark, Flappy Santa, whatever). Add the game to your phone in one click.
  • Minecraft
    By: Code.org
    Age Group: Grades 2 and up
    Use blocks of code to take Steve or Alex on an adventure through various Minecraft worlds.  Select from underwater worlds, hero’s journey, adventurer, or designer options.
  • Intro to App Lab
    By: Code.org
    Age Group: Ages 13+
    App Lab is a programming environment where you can make simple apps. Design an app, code in JavaScript with either blocks or text, then share your app in seconds.
  • Scratch
    By: Code.org
    Age Group: Ages 8-16
    Scratch is a programming language and an online community where children can program and share interactive media such as stories, games, and animation with people from all over the world. As children create with Scratch, they learn to think creatively, work collaboratively, and reason systematically. Scratch is designed and maintained by the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab.
  • How AI Works
    By: Code.org
    Age Group: Grades 9-12
    Series of short videos (3-5 minutes) will introduce you to how artificial intelligence works and why it matters. Learn about neural networks, or how AI learns, and delve into issues like algorithmic bias and the ethics of AI decision-making.  Final Panel Discussion Webinar Video (49 minutes) on the Ethics of AI sponsored by Microsoft and Code.org.
  • Fermenting Yeast and Sugar
    By: SciGuys
    Age Group: Grades 6-12
    Welcome to science at home in this experiment we are exploring the fermentation between yeast and sugar. Yeast uses sugar as energy and releases carbon dioxide and ethanol as waste. Yeast and fermentation have been used for thousands of years when making bread. At the end of this episode you will be able to demonstrate fermentation, explain why yeast and fermentation make a balloon grow and explain the chemical reaction that occurs during fermentation.
  • Science Snacks
    By: Exploratorium
    Age Group: All ages
    Science Snacks are hands-on, teacher-tested activities that bring explorations of natural phenomena into the classroom and home. Each activity uses inexpensive, easily available materials, offers detailed instructions and images, provides a clear explanation of what's going on, and is adaptable to a wide range of curricula, content areas, grade levels, and settings.
  • Bubbling Plants Experiment to Quantify Photosynthesis
    By: TeachEngineering
    Age Group: Grades 6-12
    Students learn a simple technique for quantifying the amount of photosynthesis that occurs in a given period of time, using a common water plant (Elodea). They use this technique to compare the amounts of photosynthesis that occur under conditions of low and high light levels. Additional activities can be found at www.teachengineering.org.
  • Bouncy Egg Science Experiment
    By: Cool Science Experiments Headquarters
    Age Group: Grades 4-12
    This experiment shows how to convert a raw egg into a bouncy egg using materials in your kitchen. An explanation of the process and instructions for additional experiments are found at www.coolscienceexperimentshq.com.
  • Making Kombucha Leather
    By: Grow It Yourself Biobuddies
    Age Group: Grades 6-12
    A tutorial that shows how to use the SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) that forms when the fermented beverage kombucha is made. The SCOBY can be dried, and dyed to make a product sometimes called “vegan leather”.
  • Gummy Bear Osmosis
    By: STEM Little Explorers
    Age Group: Grades K-4
    This experiment introduces the topic of osmosis by exploring what happens to gummy bears as they soak in different solutions (water, vinegar, and salt water).
  • Physics Girl
    By: Dianna Cowern
    Age Group: Grades 2-12
    Physics Girl is a channel created by Dianna Cowern about physics, astronomy, and science-related topics. The show features fun DIY demos, unusual and cutting-edge research, space, and expert interviews!
  • Finding the Speed of Light with Peeps
    By: NPR's Skunk Bear
    Age Group: Grades 2-12
    There's a new use for those stale Easter marshmallows you have lying around - calculating a constant that governs the universe.
  • What Makes Balloons Stick to Walls?
    By: University of Colorado (PheT)
    Age Group: Grades 2-12
    Ever wonder why you can rub a balloon on your hair and then have it stick to a wall? Here's a very clever video simulation that shows what's up. You can see a full set of similar simulations at phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/browse.
  • Neutrinos in Bananas?!!
    By: Fermilab
    Age Group: Grades 2-12
    Join Fermilab scientist Dr. Kirsty Duffy as we explore the tiniest, most fundamental particles in our universe.
  • The Odd Behavior of Tops
    By: Derek Muller
    Age Group: Grades 8-12
    If you've ever closely watched a top spin, you may have noticed the odd behavior called precession where the axis of rotation changes. Physicist Derek Muller explains what causes this. For a complete set of videos, visit www.veritasium.com.
  • 24 Chemistry Experiments for Adults
    By: 5-Minute Crafts MEN
    Age Group: Grades 9+
    YouTube video containing over 20 experiments that can be done at home, which include, but are not limited to: making a lava lamp, a chemical traffic light, and a foam geyser.
  • Dissertation Familiarity
    By: Loyola University Chicago
    Age Group: College/Graduate
    An example of an authentic Chemistry Ph.D. dissertation (defended and committee approved), submitted to the graduate school for publication. Students will become familiar with a Chemistry dissertation's format, length, and level of reading/technical knowledge. From this, they will gain awareness of what some of the expectations are of a standard university graduate program, thus enabling them to make an informed decision about engaging in a 4+ year commitment.
  • Periodic Videos
    By: Brady Haran 
    Age Group: Grades 7+
    Tables charting the chemical elements have been around since the 19th century, but this modern version has a short video about each one. Plus, check out films about other areas of chemistry, latest news, and occasional adventures away from the lab.
  • American Chemical Society YouTube Channel
    By: American Chemical Society
    Age Group: Grades 6+
    The American Chemical Society is an organization dedicated to furthering chemistry education and research. Their YouTube channel isn't loaded down with instructional videos, but rather consists of everything from interviews with industry professionals to press materials from leading chemical producers. If you are an industry professional or you are looking to start working in the field, this site is for you.
  • Chemistry with Tyler DeWitt
    By: Tyler DeWitt
    Age Group: Grades 9-12
    Tyler DeWitt is a high school chemistry teacher who has built up a very large following by taking the fundamental concepts taught in an AP or Intro Chemistry course and explaining them in an accessible way for students who are struggling with the material.