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Happy 2019 STEM Spark-ers! When you live in a warm weather place like Phoenix, you rarely receive snowfall ( it has happened though) . So if you don't get snow, then why not make some?  That's exactly what STEM Spark did over winter break! Let it snow, let it STEM, let it STEM, let it snow! You'll Need: 3 cups of baking soda 1/2 cup of hair conditioner (suggest white in color so that it looks like snow) glitter (optional) large plastic container or large pan "snow" tools: b

As we make plans for the new year, I want to encourage everyone reading STEM Spark to include STEM or STEAM activities into their 2019 plans. And I think one of the best ways to do so is with a STEM/STEAM subscription monthly subscription box like Kiwi Crate , Mel Science or Green Kid Crafts ! Now, we've only tried out Kiwi Crate in our house (thanks Auntie T for a subscription; you know us well!), but Mel Science and Green Kid Crafts look like they'll be just as fun as Kiwi

Wow, 2019 is right around the 90 degrees (get it? 90 degrees is a corner, haha)! I sincerely hope everyone had a few highs and good times in 2018, and as you ring in the New Year, may you enjoy this STEM/STEAM inspired activity! Happy Holidays and a Very Merry Happy New Year to all the STEM Spark readers. You'll Need: Balloons Toilet Paper Tubes or Paper Towel Tubes Scissors Tape Colored paper (optional for decorating outside of tubes) Stickers (optional for decorating out

This summer I came across Tegu Travel Pals, and I was excited to get one for Jack-- it's a wooden, magnetic tangram puzzle that one can take anywhere! Well, we finally got around to trying ours out last night, and you can see Jack and mine's review below. STEM Spark is also raffling of the exact same Tegu Travel Pals Spaceship; see directions below! Happy STEM-i-days! Will your kid(s) like it, or will you (the adult) hate it (that it don't matter if they like it)? Jack lov

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell slime Jingle bells chime in jingle bell slime Twisting and stretching on Jingle Bell slabs In the frosty lab What a bright time, it's the right time To count with an aardvark Jingle bell slime is a swell time To go sciencing with Annie and STEM Spark Alright now that that is out of my system, we recently did a holiday twist on classic slime by adding jingle bells, glitter and glitter stickers to the classic slime recipe listed below (hey

Hello! So I've already reviewed magnetic building blocks/magnetic tiles on this post, but I feel like this STEM toy is so popular right now that I want to do another giveaway of the magnetic tiles for the holidays. It will make a great gift under the tree! Here's the overall review summary of this toy: "So in summary, I'd give this STEM product a 4.5 out 5. Very fun and easy to build with and to learn about different shapes, as well as they come with their own carrying ca

So the second book in the Annie Aardvark series, Adding Ants, is officially released on Amazon ! I really wanted to make an ant pun, but I c an't think of one (yeah that was bad, even I admit)! I wanted to take a moment to thank the lovely bloggers and vloggers who have shared reviews of the book, which you find their reviews here , here , there and here . Also, a huge thank you again to everyone who supported the Kickstarter campaign for the book! I hope you are enjoyi

Thanksgiving is upon US (United States that is), and that also means Black Friday shopping and gift giving to kids at various holiday events. And if you're looking for a small gift for kids, I'd like suggest a book instead of toy, and in particular, a book that has a STEM component it. We are after all about the STEM, about that STEM, about that STEM over here on STEM Spark, so admittedly I think we all knew I where I was going with this STEM books for the holidays thing.

For US Thanksgiving, I put together a printable Turkey Tangram! Our kiddo loves doing tangram puzzles at his preschool, and when I saw the turkey one at school, I knew I had to make one for STEM Spark! It's a great Thanksgiving STEM activity, and if you're looking for more, check out my Fall STEM Activities board here . Happy Thanksgiving, gobble, gobble! Click here to download the tangram file or head on over to the STEM Spark shop !

The winter holidays are right around the corner, so that means we'll be doing a lot of STEM toy and product reviews here at STEM Spark. And a lot of giveaways! So make sure you are following STEM Spark closely for the next month. First review and giveaway for the holidays is Builder Barbie! Here's a reminder of the questions I use for my reviews (although I may be doing shorter answers to these questions so I can do more reviews for the month, so that I can do more giveaway

Engineers come from all walks of life. Some of us started our path in engineering right out of college. Some of us started as engineers after a career break. And some of us started in engineering after serving in the military. With Veteran's Day around the corner in the United States, STEM Spark wants to take a moment to honor our colleagues who started their engineering careers after serving in the military. Thank you for your service, and thank you for taking the time t

STEM Spark loves Halloween! But besides eating all our candy, what kind of STEM activity could we use our candy for? We can use our Halloween candy for a math exercise, of course! Just click here to download the free STEM Spark Counting Candy Worksheet! If you have leftover candy corn, enjoy this worksheet from Math Geek Mama! You can also do a fun science experiment with your jack-o-lantern/pumpkin from Halloween: see this video ! And for more STEM ideas with a fall t

I have the perfect science experiment for Halloween: Dancing Ghost! With just a little bit of static electricity on the surface of a balloon and a piece of tissue paper, we can make a ghost dance. This particular experiment for this particular time of year is one of my personal favorites to do with my own kid (slime, a popular Halloween experiment, can have all the other days of the year). This science experiment is great for kids of all ages; the wee ones may need a little

I had a scary dream, but with a happy ending, the other night. My family and I were flying somewhere overseas (the destination I forget, but it's not relevant to the story). We're on a 747, so it's commercial flight with 300 something passengers. All of sudden, we have to make a crash landing on the sea. Luckily, our pilots manage to land use on the ocean with minimal damage. Passengers have bumps and scraps, but no major injures. And no deaths (woo subconscious for makin

One of my favorite holidays is around the corner...Halloween! This year I'm going to go as NASA software engineer and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Margaret Hamilton . And if you and your little are looking for STEM inspired Halloween costumes, I've come up with short list of ideas! Research Scientist And of course a fun twist is mad scientist-- add some crazy, colorful hair and green liquid in the test tubes! Pilot A different take for pilot costume is old fashi

Alright going to wrap up the Harry Potter and Back To Hogwarts Day with an edible science experiment that I think Fred and George would have served at their shop. Hope you enjoy; cheers! You'll Need: 1/4 Tsp of Baking Soda 2 Lemons 1 Tbsp of Sugar 1/4 Cup of Water Cups to Hold Liquid Spoon Straw (Optional) Instructions: 1) To juice the lemons, just cut lemons in half and squeeze into the cup. Should be roughly a 1/4 cup of juice. Set aside. Note: 1/4 Cup of Bottled Lemon

I don't know what the aardvark I'm thinking tackling a Kickstarter campaign on top of caring for my family, working an engineering job, and having just launched a new blog! I do currently have a cold, so my head is a bit stuffy, and maybe that's why I'm not thinking so straight. And although I may not be thinking so straight, I'm so excited for this Kickstarter campaign! Because it's a Kickstarter campaign for my next book, Annie Aardvark: Adding Ants ! HERE'S THE LINK TO

I'm very excited to continue with the Harry Potter theme, and this time with a STEM product review of the Lego Harry Potter Hogwarts Express (train)! Mostly because I love Lego and I love Harry Potter, but also because I get to raffle off a Lego Harry Potter Aragog's Lair set to one lucky reader! Woot! But before I get ahead of myself, as this is my second product review, a reminder of the questions I use for my reviews: Will your kid(s) like it, or will you (the adult)

My character Annie Aardvark is named after fellow mathematician Annie Easley. In addition to being a mathematician, Annie Easley is also a computer programmer and rocket scientist. Annie Easley has worked at NASA, where she worked on one of the first-ever computer programs to enable space navigation. This computer program was used on the Centaur project, which is still considered one of NASA’s most important research projects. She also performed important research on power

Continuing with the Harry Potter science theme, I thought it would be fun to create a list of real life fantastic beasts and where to find them (spoiler alert it's at zoos and aquariums, as only trained professionals should be handling these beasts). 1) Komodo Dragons are probably the closest thing us muggles get to see that resemble a Ukrainian Ironbelly. Komodo Dragons can be found at Disney's Animal Kingdom, Columbus Zoo, National Zoo, San Diego Zoo, and actually quite of