STEM From the

Kitchen!
A series of STEM quick challenges that can
be done entirely from home
Introduction
Inspired by COVID-19’s impact on education during the Spring of
2020, I have created a mini-series (5 days) of quick STEM design
challenges that can be completed entirely using only materials
found in the home. Not being able to enter the classroom has taken
away many materials, tools, and resources that are often used when
completing STEM design challenges. STEM, however, should not
disappear because these resources did. One of the main purposes
of STEM education is to become better problem-solvers, so what
better time to do this than during our current situation?

The Challenges: All of these quick challenges require no technology,

and the only limitations regarding materials are that they must be
items found around the house (no shopping!). Each of these
challenges can be completed in one day and each of them are
very ill-structured, as I wanted to give the students plenty of room for
creativity. All of these challenges are attached to Arkansas content
standards for a particular grade, but can be adapted for grades K-6.
Each design brief includes possible extensions for these challenges.

Supplemental Videos: For each challenge, I created a short video of

myself introducing the challenge and demonstrating a simple
solution to the challenge that I came up with. I encourage the
students to create their own solutions to the challenge, and I
encourage them to design something different and better than I did.

How to Use: My hopes for this project is that it can be adapted and
used in many ways. I created this with thoughts of how I would use it
with my own class of students during a time when we are stuck at
home. Design briefs for each challenge are included in this packet.
Because the students have limited access to technology right now, I
did not create strict student guides to be filled out, rather I
encouraged them to submit videos and photos via whatever form of
communication we are using, or simply describe how they solved
the challenge. All of the challenges ask a question that add a
competitive element (distance, time, etc.) so if a whole class were
doing this, we could still compare and discuss which designs worked
best and how we can improve them in the future. I am also hopeful
that teachers and parents can use these challenges to engage their
students in STEM activities throughout the summer and other breaks
that are spent away from the classroom.

How to Access: All of the quick challenges and videos can be

accessed in this packet, or on the Alternative Method of Instruction
(AMI) tab on my website: abigailmccoy.weebly.com

Let’s Get Started!

 Day One:
Fly, Plane, Fly!
Supplemental Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJAfx7scBUU&t=1s

Standards for Technological Literacy:

Standard 8: Students will develop an understanding of the attributes of design.
K-2 Benchmarks
A. Everyone can design solutions to a problem.
B. Design is a creative process.
3-5 Benchmarks
A. The design process is a purposeful method of planning practical
solution to problems.
B. Requirements for a design include such factors as the desired
elements and features of a product or system or the limits that
are placed on the design.

Content Standards:
Science:
• 3-PS2-2 Make observations and/or measurements of an object’s motion
to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion.

Big Ideas:
• Force applied to a resting object creates motion.
• For an airplane to take flight, it must generate enough upward force to
outweigh the downward force of gravity.

Essential Questions:
• How can recycled materials be used to create something new?
• How will the type of rubber band used (size, thickness, elasticity, etc.)
affect the launch?
• How will the angle at which the plane is launched affect its flight?

Scenario:
Miss McCoy is entering an airplane flying contest, but she is not good at flying
paper airplanes. She has terrible aim, and the force she uses to throw the plane
is never consistent.
Challenge:
Design a paper airplane launcher that can launch a plane the farthest distance
using only materials that you can find at home.

Materials:
• Rubber band
• Anything that you can find in your home!

Results/Deliverables:
• In this challenge, students are asked to test their final design by launching
a paper airplane 3 times from the same location and measuring the
distance from the front of the launcher to the back of the plane at its
landing point (measure in inches). These results will be submitted, and all
students’ results will be compared.
• If able – students should submit images and videos of their prototype
• If able – the class can discuss (via however they are communicating)
which designs worked well and why.

Extensions:
• Design several launchers using different angles, and test to see which one
provides the best results.
• Fold several different paper airplanes and test which plane provides the
best results.

Possible Solution:
 Day Two:
The Deep Freeze
Supplemental Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JX9z8n-IGU

Standards for Technological Literacy:

Standard 8: Students will develop an understanding of the attributes of design.
K-2 Benchmarks
A. Everyone can design solutions to a problem.
B. Design is a creative process.
3-5 Benchmarks
A. The design process is a purposeful method of planning practical
solution to problems.
B. Requirements for a design include such factors as the desired
elements and features of a product or system or the limits that
are placed on the design.

Content Standards:
Science:
• 2-PS1-2 Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to
determine which materials have the properties that are best suited for an
intended purpose.
• 6-PS3-3 Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device
that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.

Big Ideas:
• Different materials have different properties, some materials function well
as insulation.
• Insulation is material used to stop the passage of heat from one
conductor to another
• Conduction is the transfer of thermal energy through the direct contact of
two objects
• Convection is the transfer of thermal energy through the motion of a fluid
(air, gas, etc.).

Essential Questions:
• What materials work well as insulators?
 • Does the size of the container affect the speed at which the ice cube
melts?
• Does the thickness of the material affect the rate at which the ice cube
melts? How about the materials transparency?

Scenario:
A big storm blew in last night and knocked over tons of trees, taking out the
electricity of the entire city. It could be days before the power gets turned back
on. The refrigerator is no longer able to keep food cold, and if we don’t find a
solution soon, all of the food inside it will spoil.

Challenge:
Design a cooler to keep an ice cube cold for the longest amount of time.

Materials:
• Some sort of container
• Any materials that you can find in your home!

Results/Deliverables:
• Students are asked to check on their cooler every 30 minutes and record
the amount of time it takes for the ice cube to melt completely. They will
submit these results.
• If able – students should submit images and videos of their prototype
• If able – the class can discuss (via however they are communicating)
which designs worked well and why.

Extensions:
• Design several coolers and see which one keeps an ice cube cool the
longest.
• Put your design out in the sunshine and see how long it takes the ice to
melt in the warm temperature.

Possible Solution:
 Day Three:
Lazy River Raft
Supplemental Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUivMjxd7cE

Standards for Technological Literacy:

Standard 8: Students will develop an understanding of the attributes of design.
K-2 Benchmarks
A. Everyone can design solutions to a problem.
B. Design is a creative process.
3-5 Benchmarks
A. The design process is a purposeful method of planning practical
solution to problems.
B. Requirements for a design include such factors as the desired
elements and features of a product or system or the limits that
are placed on the design.

Content Standards:
Science:
• 2-PS1-2 Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to
determine which materials have the properties that are best suited for an
intended purpose.
• 3-ETS1-3 Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and
failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype
that can be improved.

Big Ideas:
• Where water meets air, the water molecules pull down from the surface.
This is called surface tension.
• Detergent and other substances can decrease surface tension, allowing
an object to move across the surface of water with more ease.
• Different material properties, as well as the shape and size of the material
can all affect the speed and direction of which the material glides across
the surface of the water.
Essential Questions:
• How does surface tension of water affect the rate and direction at which
an object moves across water?
• What materials are best for floating and gliding across water?
• How will the shape and size of the materials used affect the rate at which
it glides across the water?

Challenge:
Design a raft that will glide across water the fastest and the straightest.

Materials:
• Any materials that you can find in your home!

Results/Deliverables:
• Students are asked to test how quickly they can float their raft across a
bathtub, sink, or other water basin.
• If able – students should submit images and videos of their prototype
• If able – the class can discuss (via however they are communicating)
which designs worked well and why.

Extensions:
• Design several rafts and race them.
• Try substances other than dish detergent to decrease the surface tension
of the water.

Possible Solutions:
 Day Four:
Tilt-a-Maze
Supplemental Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-hanW-Byko

Standards for Technological Literacy:

Standard 8: Students will develop an understanding of the attributes of design.
K-2 Benchmarks
A. Everyone can design solutions to a problem.
B. Design is a creative process.
3-5 Benchmarks
A. The design process is a purposeful method of planning practical
solution to problems.
B. Requirements for a design include such factors as the desired
elements and features of a product or system or the limits that
are placed on the design.

Content Standards:
Art:
• CR.1.4.1 Individually formulate multiple solutions to an art or design
problem through brainstorming

Big Ideas:
• Sketching ideas can help us visualize a design before we create a finished
project.
• Recycled materials can be used to create new things.
• Different materials can be used to serve different purposes.
• Obstacles in mazes can be a challenge for both the creator and the
solver.

Essential Questions:
• How can you use materials around your home to design a challenging
maze?
• What obstacles or illusions can you create to make your maze more
challenging?
• What role does gravity play on the ability to solve the maze using only
tilting motions?
Challenge:
Design a maze that takes the longest amount of time to get an object from the
entry to the exit using only tilting motions.

Materials:
• Any materials you can find in your home!

Results/Deliverables:
• Students were asked to time how long it takes for people in their home to
successfully solve the maze. They will submit these times (in seconds).
• If able – students should submit images and videos of their prototype
• If able – the class can discuss (via however they are communicating)
which designs worked well and why.

Extensions:
• Create multiple mazes and have people in your home race to complete
them.
• Think about how you could incorporate other materials, such as magnets,
velcro, etc. to advance you maze.
• Use different objects (marbles, balls, pebbles, lego pieces, etc.) to try and
solve your maze.

Possible Solution:
 Day Five:
Hole in One!

Supplemental Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haHt3KYEKLA

Standards for Technological Literacy:

Standard 8: Students will develop an understanding of the attributes of design.
K-2 Benchmarks
A. Everyone can design solutions to a problem.
B. Design is a creative process.
3-5 Benchmarks
A. The design process is a purposeful method of planning practical
solution to problems.
B. Requirements for a design include such factors as the desired
elements and features of a product or system or the limits that
are placed on the design.

Content Standards:
Science:
• K-PS2-2 Analyze data to determine if a design solution works as intended
to change the speed or direction of an object with a push or a pull.

Big Ideas:
• Obstacles can be used to your advantage to rebound a rolling ball in the
desired direction.
• The angle at which a moving ball hits an obstacle is often similar to the
angle that it reflects (or moves in as it leaves the obstacle).
• As a ball rolls across the floor, it loses kinetic energy due to friction, and
eventually comes to a stop.

Essential Questions:
• What happens when a rolling ball hits a grounded object?
• How can we use obstacles as an advantage when we are trying to get a
ball from point A to point B?
• How can we design a mini golf course that a hole in one can be
successful if played thoughtfully?
Challenge:
Design a mini golf hole that allows a ball to move from start to finish with a single
push. It MUST bounce off of at least one object.

Materials:
• A ball of some sort
• Any materials you can find in your home!

Results/Deliverables:
• Students are asked to play the mini golf hole and see how many tried it
takes to make a hole in one. If they find this difficult to do, they may
record many pushes it takes for them to get the ball from start to finish.
• If able – students should submit images and videos of their prototype
• If able – the class can discuss (via however they are communicating)
which designs worked well and why.

Extensions:
• Can you design a hole that uses two or more obstacles to score a hole in
one?
• Design an entire mini golf course around your house and play with the
people in your home.

Possible Solutions:
 Stay tuned for more STEM
from the Kitchen challenges!