4 Fall STEM Activities Your Students Will Love

The fall season is upon us. That means sweet crisp apples, pumpkins, gorgeous fall leaves, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. But, with everything else you have going on, it can feel overwhelming to try to plan out exciting fall-themed projects for your students. Check out these 4 fall STEM activities that are perfect for your classroom! They are fun hands-on activities that focus on collaboration and problem-solving in fun and engaging ways that your students will love!

1. Apple Stack Balance and Math Challenge

This is the perfect fall STEM activity for your students to practice their creativity, math, and fine motor skills. Using simple materials like cups, linking cubes, wooden planks, and interlocking blocks students will create a tower to hold as many apples as possible.

Before any building begins, I like to pair our STEM challenges with read-alouds, and this Apple Stack Balance and Math Challenge is no exception. It pairs perfectly with Ten Apples Up On Top! by Theo LeSieg.

When the story is finished, I give my students a selection of materials they can choose from to complete their apple stacking STEM activity. This time of year you can easily find items like plastic apples, fall-colored beads, or pom poms at your local discount store.

I generally keep our actual building time to about 15 minutes. Then, we use the last 10 minutes to complete a response sheet. I love hearing “glows” (what students did well on) and “grows” (what they learned from what didn’t work well) from my students as they reflect on the process of creating their towers.

This challenge is great to do as a center, small group, or whole group activity. For extra fun, ask students to work in teams. My students always love working collaboratively to complete their towers.

This super fun fall STEM challenge is included in the Fall Simple STEM Bundle which is available now in the Miss Tech Queen TPT store.

2. Digital Fall STEM Activities

I’m sure you can relate when I say my students love ANY opportunity to use technology. So, when I pull out our Digital Fall Building Activities, my students are ready for fun.

With 3 different activities to choose from, you can assign specific activities to students, or let them choose which activities they would like to complete.

Digital Squirrel Story Fall STEM activities

The Building Adventures Digital Fall STEM Activities include:

Fall Building Quest – Students follow a storyline to create items as Santiago the Squirrel collects his acorns.
Fall Building Mats – Students build fall images using a variety of tools. Each completed task earns a special piece to use to make a picture at the end of the mission.
Fall Brick Building – Students build fall-themed objects using digital building bricks.

All of these activities include audio clips for students to click on to hear the directions. In addition to completing the fall STEM activities, your students will also be hitting those important tech skills by learning how to manipulate objects in Google Slides.

At the end of our STEM challenges, I use the included reflection sheets to allow my students to reflect on the process by drawing a picture, writing about their creating, and answering questions.

I love to print out “You Did It” stickers for each of my students to take home and show off to their families. The stickers are super cute and a great way to remind students to discuss the challenge with their loved ones.

Grab these fun and engaging Building Adventure Challenges in the Miss Tech Queen TPT store today!

3. Digital Thanksgiving Activities Bundle

Celebrating Fall, Halloween, and Thanksgiving are a great way to engage students in the classroom and connect learning time to what is going on in life. But, planning out engaging activities for these can be time-consuming and frustrating on top of everything else you have to plan. After all, we often feel like we have to compete for our students’ attention during these times.

That’s why I love using the digital activities in the Thanksgiving bundle. They are a lifesaver for sure. With a digital scavenger hunt, BINGO, building challenges, and more, your students will not only be learning but having a blast at the same time!

Don’t let that week before Thanksgiving Break stress you out! This bundle has everything you need to make learning fun and meaningful and includes activities that can be used in a whole group setting or as centers depending on your needs! And most importantly, your students will stay engaged in the learning!

For even more fun Thanksgiving STEM activities check out the 4 Fun Thanksgiving STEM Activities Your Students Will Love blog post. You’ll be filling your fall and Thanksgiving lesson plans in no time!

4. Simple STEM Turkey Runaway Zipline Challenge

Okay, this is one of those fall STEM activities my classes look forward to every year! This activity is perfect for the days leading up to Thanksgiving break. You know, the ones where engagement is hard. When you hit that point, it’s time to whip out our super silly STEM Turkey Runaway Zipline Challenge.

This challenge uses simple supplies you probably already have on hand including:

String
Tape
Index Cards
Blocks
Construction Paper
Pipe Cleaners
Popsicle Sticks
Timers
Rulers

Of course, these don’t have to be the only supplies you use. You can also print and cut out silly turkeys to send along the zipline.

I love to introduce this challenge with a book. You can pair this challenge with any turkey-themed book of your choice. My favorites are Run, Turkey Run by Diane Mayr, or Turkey Troubl e by Wendi Silvano.

Using the included Google Slideshow of my Makerspace Thanksgiving Stations resource, I can display the read-aloud video, digital task cards, and response sheets for the class as a whole. I have even used this challenge as a center activity and given students the digital slideshow on a classroom tablet.

To create a “zipline” in your classroom, simply tape a piece of string to something high on the wall, and direct it down at an incline. The challenge for your students is to create something to hold the turkey so it can “escape” down the zipline.

This super silly and fun activity and more are included in the Thanksgiving Makerspace Activities Bundle in the Miss Tech Queen TPT store.

Even More Fall STEM Activities

Help your students or kids develop problem-solving skills, critical thinking skills, and creativity all while learning about science, engineering, technology and math with these STEM Activities. This workbook features 30 STEM Challenges.

I love how my Let’s Explore STEM Activity Workbook brings a little seasonal flair to STEM! With 30 hands-on challenges, it’s packed with fun ways to get your kids thinking creatively. The fall-themed activities are some of my favorites. One challenge has your kids designing their own sturdy apple tree, while another invites them to engineer a spooky witch’s tower that stands tall. These activities are perfect for embracing the fun of fall while diving into STEM concepts.

What I love most is how easy it is to jump in. The challenges all use simple materials. Think recyclables and craft supplies, so there’s no need for anything fancy. Your kids will have a chance to brainstorm, design, and test their ideas while following the Engineering Design Process. Whether you’re working on these at home or in the classroom, the fall challenges are a fun way to make STEM festive and exciting this season!

For even more fun and engaging STEM ideas you can do with your kiddos this fall, check out these posts!

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Ready for some Fall fun in your STEM class? Be sure to save these fun fall STEM activities to your favorite classroom Pinterest board. Then come back when you need some fall STEM activities for your class.