If you’d like to host your own “Day at the Beach STEM” at home, there are lots of things you can do. Never underestimate all the things you can find on Pinterest. I find so many great programming ideas there. You can always follow me on my pinterest where I found all of these resources to make your day a SPLASH. As an added bonus, I’ve included a live demonstration of me, Miss Jamie, performing the Salt Water Experiment. You can find that by clicking on this link. I hope you enjoy all these other fun experiments:

Ebooks available through Hoopla:

  • Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach by Melanie Watt
  • (bilingual) El Pequeno Hoo va a la Playa = Little Hoo Goes to the Beach by Brenda Ponnay
  • When a Dragon Moves In by Jodi Moore
  • Ariel’s Dolphin Adventure by Disney Book Group
  • Inky the Octopus: Bound for Glory by Erin Guendelsberger
  • Where Monsters Live by Steve Behling

 

Jellyfish Discovery Bottle

You will need: 

  • Plastic baggie (gallon storage bag)
  • Plastic bottle (empty 2-liter bottle, empty sports drink bottle, etc.)
  • Scissors
  • Permanent Marker
  • Blue liquid watercolor dye
  • White Yarn or String

Directions: 

  1. First, cut open the plastic baggie along all sides. You will only need one side of the bag for this project. 
  2. Place your finger in the center of the bag. This will become the jellyfish’s head.  The bigger your jellyfish’s head, the more like a jellyfish she will be.
  3. Draw a circle around the center of the bag so you can mark where your jellyfish’s head will go. Tie a piece of string along the marked line.
  4. Cut the bottom of the baggie into little strips. Don’t just cut the plastic into ribbons. Cut off about 2/3rds of the plastic’s bulk, so you are left with eight or so thin strips hanging down.
  5. Reopen your jellyfish’s head and grasp it between two fingers, leaving the bottom open. Fill the jellyfish’s head about halfway with water. Retie the bottom. Hang her upside down so she doesn’t leak while you work on the next part.
  6. Add a couple of drops of blue food coloring to the water (If your water is dark, it will be hard to see your jellyfish). Fill the bottle with water.
  7. Gently push the jellyfish into the bottle’s opening and arrange her so she’s head up. Screw the lid on the bottle. If it is done correctly, the jellyfish will always stay head up. 

I found this project here: https://www.steamsational.com/jellyfish-discovery-bottle/ 

Beach Ball STEM

You Will Need: 

  • Index Cards
  • Tape
  • Inflatable Beach Ball

Directions (You can do this one of two ways): 

  1. Work together to make a tower that can support a beach ball, or,
  2. Compete against each other to see who can make the tallest tower that is able to support a beach ball. 

I found this project here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/End-of-the-Year-STEM-Beach-Ball-Day-2556917?&cuid=3e935bffa233f34c5c3dab8842a17a57

Salt Water Experiment

You Will Need: 

  • Small plastic jewels (you can order them from Amazon or get them from the dollar tree; if you don’t have access, raw eggs or small grapes will work).
  • Several clear cups full of water
  • Salt
  • Sugar
  • Baking Soda
  • *You can test other substances like baking powder, sand, cornstarch, etc. 

Directions: 

  1. Dissolve 2 tablespoons of salt in one cup, 2 tablespoons of sugar in another cup, and 2 tablespoons of baking soda in a third cup. Be sure to leave one cup as plain, fresh water. (This is the controlled variable.)
  2. Label each cup so everything stays organized.
    1. Have the kids think about what might happen when they drop the jewels into each cup. Will the jewels sink or float?
  3. Drop the jewels into each cup to find if the kids’ guesses were correct!

I found this project here: https://www.sciencekiddo.com/salt-water-experiment-ocean-science/

I hope your day is Beachy!