воскресенье, 15 мая 2016 г.

STEAM Bored Jar - Left Brain Craft Brain

STEAM Bored Jar - Left Brain Craft Brain
STEAM Bored Jar - Left Brain Craft Brain

STEAM Bored Jar Left Brain Craft Brain

How to Make the STEAM Bored Jar


To make your jar, print out this STEAM Bored Jar printable from Left Brain Craft Brain and cut out each item on the dotted lines. I used my favorite multi-colored paper {affiliate} for each of the STEAM categories, but all white paper is fine too. Then I folded the strips in half and popped them into this beaker to make it a little more science-y and fun.


bored jar steps collage

How to Use the STEAM Bored Jar


When boredom strikes, simply have the kids pick a strip of paper to choose an activity. Bookmark this page so you can quickly read the tutorial for each of the projects after it’s been chosen. Most of these activities are perfect for preschool to early elementary aged kiddos but can often be modified for older kids too.


STEAM Bored Jar spilled Left Brain Craft Brain

And now, on to the activities!


5 Minute Science Activities (Green)


So what exactly is science? It’s all about the study of and experimentation with our physical and natural world. That encompasses a lot, but biology, chemistry and physics are the basis of it all. These activities hit on some of the major topics in the world of science.


  1. Study the effects of light refraction. (Left Brain Craft Brain)
  2. Conduct some egg-speriments. (One Time Through)
  3. Style a magnetic hair-do. (Laughing Kids Learn)
  4. Create vinegar and baking soda eruptions. (Fun at Home with Kids)
  5. Learn about tectonic plates with play dough. (An Ordinary Life)
  6. Study static electricity with a balloon. (I Heart Crafty Things)
  7. Experience rock types with crayons. (Navigating by Joy)
  8. Feel the force of gravity. (Planet Smarty)
  9. Study the impact of color on temperature. (Inspiration Laboratories)
  10. Do a rock scratch test. (Lemon Lime Adventures)
  11. Make a tornado in a jar. (Artsy Momma)
  12. Conduct a Pop Rocks experiment. (A Little Pinch of Perfect)

Technology Math Art Activities Left Brain Craft Brain


5 Minute Technology & Engineering Activities (Orange)


I’ve grouped Technology and Engineering together because the lines between the two are very blurred. You can’t have one without the other… Some definitions: Technology is the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes and Engineering is the discipline that studies and develops new technology. See? Blurry… So let the kids do instead of define :)


  1. Design and build in a tinkering station. (Left Brain Craft Brain)
  2. Create a lemon battery. (Kids Activities Blog)
  3. Take apart an old piece of electronics or an appliance. (My Nearest and Dearest)
  4. Learn to code. (Brain Power Boy)
  5. Create an electromagnet. (Deceptively Educational)
  6. Build a pulley. (What Do We Do All Day?)
  7. Connect some squishy circuits (MAKE:)
  8. Design and build a building. (Meri Cherry)
  9. Build a rain shelter. (Hand Made Kids Art)
  10. Make a balloon powered car. ((Cool) Progeny)
  11. Assemble a mini-robot. (Red Ted Art)
  12. Fold and test some paper airplanes. (Tinkerlab)

STEAM Beaker Left Brain Craft Brain

Five Minute Art & Design Activities (Pink)


A lot of people talk about STEM instead of STEAM, which removes the Art & Design component. I think it’s essential to include the creative element of art because it trains our brains to be more open-ended to ideas and innovation. So what won’t you find in this activity list? Crafts with detailed instructions and a specific product in mind. The Bored Jar projects are about encouraging the mental thought process that comes with designing your own masterpiece.


  1. Print with string. (Left Brain Craft Brain)
  2. Weave with paper. (Babble Dabble Do)
  3. Spin some art. (Housing a Forest at Buggy and Buddy)
  4. Sandpaper print a t-shirt. (Alpha Mom)
  5. Make some leaf rubbings. (KC Edventures)
  6. Paint with gears. (Fun-a-Day)
  7. Create art on a large scale. (One Perfect Day)
  8. Animate with stop-action photography. (Tinkerlab)
  9. Blow dart a painting. (Preschool Powol Packets)
  10. Inspire drawing with Legos. (Hand Made Kids Art)
  11. Paint your face. (Left Brain Craft Brain)
  12. Draw with cars. (Housing a Forest)

Hand in STEAM Bored Jar Left Brain Craft Brain


5 Minute Math Activities (Yellow)


The great thing about math is that it is all around us! We use it every day and it definitely doesn’t have to be boring. These activities bring some more fun to the math table.


  1. Practice counting to 100. (KC Edventures)
  2. Create a Pi Skyline (What Do We Do All Day?)
  3. Play Nerf gun math. (No Time for Flashcards)
  4. Do some train math. (The Educator’s Spin On It)
  5. Explore fractions. (You Clever Monkey)
  6. Learn math with a safety pin. (Blog Me Mom)
  7. Jump through a counting maze. (Hands On As We Grow)
  8. Create a giant abacus. (The Imagination Tree)
  9. Use money to learn math. (The Measured Mom)
  10. Hunt for shapes. (The Pleasantest Thing)
  11. Explore symmetry with a mirror. (And Next Comes L)
  12. Learn with an open-ended math invitation. (B-Inspired Mama)

If this wasn’t enough STEAM for you, a couple of educator friends of mine have written an amazing ebook on the topic: STEAM: Preschool Activities for STEM Enrichment. You’ll find a lot more ideas like these! {affiliate}


If you’re raising young engineers, they might like some of the stuff in this year’s Left Brain Craft Brain Gift Guide, too.


Top Gifts for Young Engineers Left Brain Craft Brain FB

Or you can check out Left Brain Craft Brain on Pinterest. I’ve got a ton of STEAM activities…


Love to Learn Linky


A lot of these activities were shared on the Love to Learn Linky in past weeks. To see more amazing kids’ activities featured this week, check out my co-hosts posts:


20+ Haunted House Activities for Kids from One Time Through


5 Toddler-Friendly Ways to Decorate a Pumpkin from Totschooling


50+ Games & Activities for the Busy Toddler in Your Life from A Little Pinch of Perfect


If you were featured, be sure to grab a button!


Now it’s time for some more links! I hope you’ll join me and a few of my friends for a fun and educational linky party. Bloggers, share your posts every Thursday and watch as we round them up and share them all over the place. Almost anything goes, we’re just hoping your activities teach kids (or us!) something (science, art, cooking, behavior, crafting, parenting etc…). The Love to Learn Linky is hosted by: Left Brain Craft Brain (leftbraincraftbrain.com): Anne is an ex-engineer, current stay-at-home mama writing about crafty ways to encourage creativity (and brain power!) in our kids. Each of her projects gives kids the chance to learn about a new subject and do something crafty at the same time. Totschooling (totschooling.net): Viviana is a blogging mom to a toddler and a preschooler, sharing ideas and resources for early education. She specializes in unique, hands-on printable activities that are educational, fun and inspire creativity in young minds. A Little Pinch of Perfect (alittlepinchofperfect.com): Katie combines creativity, play, and learning for the perfect mishmash of fun activities that keep kiddos entertained throughout the day. She wholeheartedly believes in the power of play and feels that all activities naturally provide a fun way to learn. One Time Through (onetimethrough.com): Sue is an Elementary School Teacher currently on leave to be at home with her preschooler son. She shares ideas for connecting and learning with kids through meaningful, play-based activities that nurture curiosity and creativity.


Love to Learn Linky Etiquette:



Link up and grab a button!


And now it’s time for the links!


Original article and pictures take http://leftbraincraftbrain.com/2014/10/23/steam-bored-jar/ site


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