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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.

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

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

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

Hello STEM Spark readers! I’m excited for today’s post, as it’s STEM Spark’s first guest post! I have invited my friend and colleague H.A. Burns to pen the first guest post—Burns and I know each other through the Society of Women Engineers. Besides both being engineers, we’re both authors. While I write children’s picture books, Burns writes science fiction books. And her sci-fi books are pretty cool, imagining a future with cyborgs designed with the aid of viruses and bacter

I have learned that September 1 is Back To Hogwarts Day! If you're not in the know about the Harry Potter books, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is the school attended by none other than Harry Potter himself. While I do adore the book series, I'm tame in Harry Potterhead fandom compared to others. But when one learns of Back To Hogwarts Day, it is hard not to have a tie-in to your blog regardless of your level of Potterheaded-ness. Also science is magic. So i

I believe there really is no age limitation when it comes to science experiments. You just have to put a little more thought into what would be safe for babies and toddlers. That’s why I really liked the rainbow explosion science experiment when a friend shared it with me; I was really excited to do baby’s first science experiment with my then 18 month old son! It's a good twist on the classic baking soda and vinegar science experiment. I explained to my son how the vinegar

Hello! Welcome to my new blog, STEM Spark! Thank you for virtually being a part of the launch for STEM Spark! I'm Suzie Olsen, engineer, author/writer, mother (of humans, not dragons), wife, lover of pun jokes, and so on. While I'm not new to the blog-o-sphere (https://momeezee.blogspot.com/), this blog is a new platform for me to focus on everything in my life that is science, technology, engineering, and math. Hence the STEM part in STEM Spark. I'll be writing about wh

With Arizona teachers walking out tomorrow, which I totally support!, you might find your kid at home and looking for something to do. Or maybe you're in a state where there is no walk out, but you'll need something to do this weekend. Enter Edible Starburst Slime-- the science experiment is sure to give your kids a sugar high and then a sugar crash, so let's call it a win? YOU'LL NEED: Starbursts Powdered Sugar Double Boiler Pot Non-Stick Cooking Mat if you have one Parent