August STEAM Activities for Elementary Students

Are you guys ready? It’s about that time when our kids and students have to start using their brains again (difficult, I know).

Make the transition to learning fun with these hands-on August STEM activities.

We love to find new back to school STEM activities, but sometimes, it’s nicer to have activities you can print out and use without having to spend hours searching, like in our August STEAM activity set.

For August I’ve collected some of my kid’s favorite no-prep science experiments that have a STEAM twist.

These experiments have themes including pencils, apples, coins, weather, and more!

STEM Activities for August that Help Kids Get Back into a Learning Mindset

Even though these are mostly aimed at an elementary age group (1st through fifth grade), my middle schooler (8th grade!) still loves doing these STEAM activities.

I also love doing these with her because otherwise, she just likes to curl up in her room using TikTok all day (find us there at STEAMsational).

Even if the science is slightly below her learning level, it still helps with creating a love of science, which is particularly important during middle school, when it starts to get boring in school.

If you need help getting started with STEM at home, make sure you download our guide to getting started with STEM at home.

Get the August STEAM Challenge Cards!

These free STEAM challenges have fun August themes that elementary kids will love using to harness STEM thinking skills while getting back into a classroom groove.

You can also use these cards at home for homeschooling or just to give your kids some extra science fun when school is out or on the weekends!

August STEM Activities that Kids Will Love!

Get the August STEAM pack here!

This collection of STEAM activities are some of our favorites for multiple reasons.

Some of the activities are easy to set up (which parents and teachers love), most of the experiments have quick results (which kids love), and almost all of them have a “wow” factor that is just so fun during summer.

There’s a link to the instructions for some of these activities below, and you can download the August STEM challenges prompt cards, or the full challenge set which comes with printable instructions!

Break a pencil using light refraction

This super simple STEM activity teaches kids all about light refraction and that you can’t always trust your eyes! Bending pencil experiment directions.

Make a leakproof bag using pencils

Kids will love this experiment because if they aren’t careful, things can get a bit messy! Explore polymer chains and bonding! Get the leakproof bag experiment directions.

Explore the life cycle of an apple

Apples are delicious, and it’s fun to learn about them in early fall. Explor the life cycle of an apple this month! Download an apple life cycle printable here.

See what happens to pennies when they are exposed to vinegar and salt

If you’ve never tried this low-prep science experiment with your class before, this is the year to try it! Teach kids about corrosion and how different environments can change the apperance and texture of an object. Get the green penny experiment directions.

Take coin rubbings

Learn about textures and a bit of how archeologists discover things about our past by making coin rubbings! What can kids learn from their rubbings?

Find out how long it takes apples to rot

This classic experiment explores the apple decomposistion process. See if your class can preserve an apple in differnet materials and find out which helps prevent apple rot!

Use pencils as a building material

Using creative materials as a building supply is a fun engineering challenge that requires almost no prep. Unsharpened pencils can be used to make so many things!

Track weather patterns in your area

During August, track the weather as a class and see if you can make predictions as so what weather will appear soon based on the data you have.

Make a catapult from pencils

Pencils make a working catapult that is fun to use as a test for basic math predictions. You can use a catapult to measure angles, inertia, distance, and more!

For complete directions and worksheets for these activities, download the August STEAM pack here!