14 Easy K-12 Spring STEM Activities

They don’t call it Spring Fever for nothin’!

At this point of the year, it’s likely your students are just returning from spring break or just about to head off on spring break, and spring fever is in full force! Make the transition back to the classroom smoother with these fun, easy, and refreshing spring-themed activities.

Early Elementary:

• Sprouting Seeds: Get ready to cultivate your spring garden! With just sealable plastic bags and paper towels, you’re all set. Simply place seeds on a damp paper towel, seal them in a plastic bag, and place them in a sunny window. Watch as your students’ curiosity grows! For an added math component, have them measure and graph the length of their sprouts each day.

• Alive vs Non-alive: Go on a walk outside and have your students point out objects that are alive and not alive. Have a discussion about what makes something alive(Open Link in new tab). 

• Rain Cloud in a Jar: “April showers bring May flowers!” Demonstrate how when clouds are saturated with water, they release that water as rain. Fill a jar about 3/4 with water. Add a layer of shaving cream on top. Slowly add food coloring to the shaving cream. Guide students to notice that the food coloring does not come out of the bottom until the shaving cream cloud is “saturated.” 

• Flower Power: Bring daisies into the classroom or pick “pickable” flowers at school and spend some time labeling the parts and discussing their roles. After discussing, place the flower in colored water. Over the next few days, discuss water transport throughout the plant. 

3-5 Elementary:

• Science Freeze Tag: Get outside and have students run out their energy! Get creative with your freeze tag games. Think about incorporating Predator/Prey (Predators are “it” and Prey are the tagged), Food webs (Consumers are “it,” Producers are the tagged, Decomposers are the “unfreezers”), invasive species (Invasives are “it,” Native species are the tagged).

• Bird Watching: Have students work on their observations by making bird feeders (think pinecones, sunbutter(Open Link in new tab), and bird seed) then pay attention to species of birds that flock to the treats. Or make it even easier, and skip the feeder! Toss some birdseed in a safe spot and see who comes to visit!

• Thermal Expansion/Contraction: Blow up a balloon in the afternoon and place it in a sunny location, measure the circumference a bit later. The next day, early in the morning when it is still cool, measure the circumference of the balloon again. Talk about what causes this. 

Middle School:

• Egg Drop Challenge: A classic middle school experiment—protecting an egg from cracking when dropped from a set height—becomes easier to prep and more challenging for students when they can only use materials found outside to protect their egg. Quick tip: Have students drop their eggs onto a tarp or an easy-to-clean surface for hassle-free cleanup!

• Water Filtration: Create a “polluted water” sample by adding sand, dirt, small paper scraps, chalk, and other debris to a container of water. Challenge students to clean the water using only natural materials found outside. Encourage them to think critically about what materials might be useful for filtration, such as rocks, leaves, moss, or grass. The group with the clearest water wins! This hands-on activity is a great way to spark discussions about sustainability and pollution

• Outdoor Scavenger Hunt: Use our Scavenger Hunt Template(Open Link in new tab) to incorporate your learning into an outdoor scavenger hunt. Don’t forget to use our teacher guide(Open Link in new tab) and question template(Open Link in new tab) to make things even easier!

• Forces/Friction: Kick around a ball on concrete, high grass, low grass, gravel, sand (I’m so jealous if you are teaching in a location with sand), and talk about friction. Incorporate a math piece by asking students to estimate how far the ball will travel on each surface, then ask them to graph their data to compare. Have students think about what friction actually is and the forces in place from their foot, the ball, the air, and the surface they are playing on. 

High School:

• Soil Types: Now that the ground is thawing (at least where we are!), we can start to do soil sample testing. Use this handy guide(Open Link in new tab) from Martha Stewart (!) to test what kind of soil your school grounds have. If you want to go above and beyond, research what growing zone you live in, then discuss why certain plants grow best in your latitude. Then, see if there is a place for an outdoor garden. If so, plant one! 

• Invasive Species: One of the greatest ways to connect students to their environments is by teaching them the names of the plants and animals they see every day. However, learning the names of flora and fauna isn’t easy, even for adults! Luckily, many phones have the ability to identify plants and animals now without even downloading an app. Check out this guide for iphone(Open Link in new tab) and this one for Google Lens(Open Link in new tab) to assist you in discovering what is living near your school. 

• pH Testing:  While a standard pH indicator works, red cabbage juice offers a hands-on, real-world connection that enhances student engagement. Prepare the cabbage juice solution ahead of time or have students make it in class(Open Link in new tab). Use this pH chart(Open Link in new tab) as a reference to test the variety of spring-themed materials, such as:
  • Spring cleaning products (ammonia, household cleaners)
  • Lemonade 
  • Puddle water 
  • Soil extract (mix soil with water)
  • Flower-scented soap

Use this experiment to spark discussions on acid-base properties, neutralization, and H+ and OH- ions in real-life contexts!

---

About the Author