OSU Extension Lorain County has been reaching youth with hands-on learning experiences with a STEM initiative that encourages discovery.
A sincere thank you to our donors for their generous support to make these educational learning opportunities and positive youth development available.
Take a look at the IMPACT of our STEM program efforts!
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4-H Positive Youth Development Preparing Youth for Success STEM Initiative Impact Report
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Chick Quest Hatching Program with Lorain Public Library System - News Article by Morning Journal
4-H STEM on the Go!
Simple, hands-on, and fun experiments you may do in-person or virtual!! Individually or with a group!
LED Parachutes - An electricity lesson with a twist!
Below are some STEM Activities & Experiments to Try At Home!!!
Are you looking for something new and different to do? Sally Hennessy "the STEM lady" has been busy working on putting together FUNtivities that can be done by the whole family!
- STEM Activity - Just Go Fly A Kite!!! - Spring will soon be arriving and what a great time to get outside and fly a kite! You don’t have a kite? No problem! There are loads of kite patterns, or templates online for you to use as a plan. OR, you could make up your own after learning more about kites. Let’s get started, click on the above link "Just Go Fly A Kite"!!
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Starburst Rock Cycle - The rock cycle, you’ve heard of that. But Starburst? Check it out! This is a hands-on STEM activity demonstrating three different stages of the rock cycle – and you use candy to do it. Science just got a whole lot more delicious!
- Density of Liquids - Liquids have unique properties we can easily see when they interact with each other. Through this activity you’ll see what can happen when we put different liquids together and then we’ll make the liquids move!
- Space Lander Challenge - To conquer this challenge, think like a rocket scientist! NASA scientists and engineers imagine designs that will not only launch properly and sustain life for the astronauts, they also deliver them safely home. Fortunately, they’ve been doing this successfully for quite some time now. From the NASA Science MARS Exploration Program website, I learned that NASA scientists are working to launch a Mars space lander vehicle, called the Perseverance Rover, in late summer 2020.
- Tie Dye using Colorful Chemistry - Summer is here! Let’s TIE DYE to make the summer wardrobe more colorful!! You’re not allowed? Got it. Dyeing cloth can be very messy. Click here to learn how to create tie dyed effects on fabric using a chemical reaction! Chemistry? Chemical reaction? Absolutely!!
- Create A Living Roof That Just Keeps on Growing! - Earth Day 2020 is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, that's a big deal!! Did you know the first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970, when a United States senator from Wisconsin organized a national demonstration to raise awareness about environmental issues. Rallies took place across the country and, by the end of the year, the U.S. government had created the Environmental Protection Agency. By 1990, Earth Day was an event celebrated by more than 140 countries round the globe. There are endless ways we can celebrate and honor our planet Earth. How about if we choose to do an Eco-friendly activity? We can create and build our own version of something that will keep on growing. It’s a model of a living roof –yes! A roof that intentionally has things growing on it!
- Pizza Box Solar Cooker - Had any pizza lately? Save the box! Here’s a fun STEM activity for some sunny day science. When we use the sun’s heat for energy it’s called Solar Power. It’s popular for many reasons, one is because it’s “clean” energy. Solar power doesn’t produce any air pollutants or carbon dioxide. Depending on the system, it can have a minimal impact on the environment. Solar cooking is using the heat from the sun to cook our food. Here in Ohio, our warm sun time is brief, but this is a fun sunny day activity. The solar cooker we will make doesn’t get hot enough to cook food, but it can get warm enough to heat food.
- Motion and Balloon Powered Cars - Ever heard of Sir Isaac Newton? He was a scientist in the late1600's. An apple fell from the tree he was sitting under and hit him... (maybe, anyway, it's a good story.) He explained, using math and physics, WHY things move the way they do based on 3 "laws" of motion. LAWS of motion? Not traffic or criminal laws, but a statement of fact. A rule based on scientifically consistent observation.Just Go Fly A Kite!!! - It’s finally SPRING and a great time to get outside and fly a kite! You don’t have a kite? No problem! There are loads of kite patterns, or templates online for you to use as a plan. OR, you could make up your own after learning more about kites. Let’s get started, click on the above link "Just Go Fly A Kite"!!!