A list of STEM resources for kids
Khan Academy: A free learning resource tailored for your child. Your child will get a personalized learning dashboard that will guide them through each subject like a personal coach while using state-of-the-art, adaptive technology that identifies strengths and learning gaps while suggesting skills to practice. Your child will also receive fun rewards along the way like badges, energy points, and avatars.
Sheppard Software: Sheppard Software aims to create content and games for their website with these goals:
- To add sound and visual effects to make learning fun and more memorable.
- To design games with many difficulty levels so that players will continue to be challenged no matter how far they progress.
- To provide games that will exercise players' brains
Zooniverse: The Zooniverse provides opportunities for people around the world to contribute to real discoveries in fields ranging from astronomy to zoology. Welcome to the largest online platform for collaborative volunteer research.
LearnToMod: Online and interactive. Mod Minecraft in your browser. Tutorials and puzzles help you unlock badges and learn to code.
Lego Mindstorms: Discover the magic of bringing your robot to life! Complete 25 cool missions in the free EV3 programming software. Make your robot do exactly what you want it to do!
Women@NASA: Meet the women you want to be. This NASA site includes video interviews and biographies of NASA employees, as well as info on careers, events and outreach programs. Energy.gov has a sister site called Women@Energy.
CanTEEN: CanTEEN was developed to help girls explore STEM careers. Take a challenge (such as creating your own urban garden), play games like “Click! Spy School” or learn more about real-life role models.
Engineer Girl!: Why should you become an engineer? Let this website for middle school girls explain. Along with interviews, quizzes, fun facts and profiles, it has links to scores of engineering contests, clubs, programs and scholarships.
Engineer Your Life: Dream big and love what you do. This guide to engineering for high school girls is packed with profiles of inspiring women, great tips for college prep and helpful job tools.
For Girls in Science: Be what you want to be. Sponsored by L’Oréal, this site offers all kinds of STEM options, including a video blog, profiles of women in science, a list of summer camps and info about careers.
Girl Scouts STEM Program: Push your limits as you make the world a better place. To support STEM experiences, the Girl Scouts have developed three leadership journeys and a number of STEM proficiency badges.
Society of Women Engineers (SWE) K-12 Outreach: Aspire to be great. You’ll find a huge variety of engineering resources on this site, including links to activities, competitions, camps and scholarships.
G2O: Generating Girls Opportunities: G2O is an initiative of The Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund (CWEALF) designed to engage girls, parents, and teachers in expanding girls’ educational opportunities. Visit their website to explore careers in STEM, participate in summer contests, and more!
The Big Brain Theory – Discovery Channel: Competitors on this TV show have just 30 minutes to come up with a solution to an (seemingly) impossible engineering challenge.
Bill Nye the Science Guy: Bill’s entertaining television episodes cover everything from comets to the science of music. Have some fun with his home demos.
SciJinks: It’s all about the weather. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) and NASA put together this educational website to teach kids about meteorology and earth science. Check out their games section.
MythBusters – Discovery Channel: The folks at MythBusters use experiments to bust rumors, myths and urban legends. (During their Cannonball Chemistry experiment, they accidentally drove a cannonball through the side of a house.)
Scratch: Designed for kids age 8 to 16, Scratch is a place where you can program your own interactive stories, games and animations. A project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab.
Funology: At Funology, science is bound to get interactive. Make a tornado with water. Build a Jurassic Park terrarium. Or, simply torment your siblings with endless jokes about bugs and insects.
Helping Your Child Learn Mathematics: Your parents might be interested in this. Curated by the U.S. Department of Education, this website contains math activities (to be completed at home, at the store and on the go) for preschoolers and elementary kids.
NASA Kids’ Club: At NASA Kids’ Club, it’s perfectly okay to fool around in space. You can use your science and math skills to explore Mars, construct a fleet of rockets or search for NASA spinoffs in your garage.
NASA Space Place: Build your own spacecraft, play space volcanoes or browse through a gallery of sun images. When you’re at the Space Place, the universe is the limit.
TechRocket: Learn programming languages, graphic design in Photoshop, and more! Use the promo code “MIDSFREE” to get a free first month!
Arrick Robotics: This isnt' the prettiest website in the world, but if you’re looking for robotics resources, this is the place to be. Includes lists of competitions and contests, groups and clubs, games and simulation.
Codeacademy: Learn to code interactively (and for free). Codeacademy offers coding classes in major programming languages like Python, PHP, jQuery, JavaScript and Ruby.
DiscoverE: Thinking about engineering? DiscoverE has a selection of resources on careers, preparing for college and research schools. You might also want to check out their list of videos, trips, websites and hands-on activities.
Student Science: A central spot for science news, blogs, resources and information about Intel competitions. Sample article titles include “Native ‘snot'” and “A library with no books.”
TechRocket: Neat tool for exploring programming languages, 2D and 3D game design, and more. Use the promo code “MIDSFREE” to get a free first month!
Code.org: No one is too young (or old, I might add) to code. Learn how to build an iPhone game, write your first computer program, draw in JavaScript and much more.
Exploratorium: One of my favorites. The website of the San Francisco-based Exploratorium is jam-packed with interactive activities, videos, apps, links and more.
How Stuff Works: I visit this website every day. It has hundreds upon thousands of articles that explain the wonders of science (and almost everything else on the planet).
NASA Education for Students: Career information, image galleries, NASA Television, features and articles … whatever you’d like to know about aerospace, you’re sure to find it here.
NASA Science, Engineering, Mathematics and Aerospace Academy (SEMAA): SEMAA was developed to increase the participation of historically underserved K-12 youth in STEM fields. School activities and summer sessions are held throughout the nation.
NOVA: The website for PBS’s popular science show is overflowing with videos and articles. Explore the wonders of evolution, nature, physics, math—practically any STEM subject that rings your bell.
Science Buddies: Get stuck on science. This website has over 1,000 ideas for science fair projects, project guides, project kits and detailed profiles of STEM careers.
Tynker: A computing platform that allows children to develop programming skills through fun, creative courses. Join the millions of kids from around the country learning to code with Tynker!
Educate to Innovate: Launched in 2009, Educate to Innovate aims to move U.S. students from the middle to the top of the heap in science and math achievement. It’s spawned a number of federal efforts and philanthropic initiatives (see below).
Women in STEM: In collaboration with the White House Council on Women and Girls, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has instigated a number of efforts to increase the participation of girls in STEM subjects.
Hopscotch (Make your own games): Hopscotch is easy to use, but don’t let that fool you. It’s a powerful language. Explore computer science fundamentals like abstraction, variables, conditionals, loops, and more—while making stuff that you actually want to play.
Virtual Frog Dissection: All of the education with none of the guts. This app allows you to wield virtual dissection tools to uncover the mysteries of amphibian anatomy.
Solar System for iPad: Explore the universe on your tablet with stunning visuals, 150-plus story pages, images from the Mars rover Curiosity and a 3-D orrery that lets you control the orbits of planets and their moons.
National Geographic Apps: National Geographic has plenty to keep you entertained on a dull day. Top-rated apps include National Parks and the World Atlas.
Algebra Touch App: Get a refresher on your algebra skills with this touch-based tool. Tap to simplify, drag to rearrange and draw lines to eliminate identical terms.
Auditorium: The Online Experience: Auditorium is a beautiful and challenging puzzle with many different solutions. One game reviewer called it “part puzzle game, part light sculpture, part musical instrument.”
Minecraft: Minecraft is a popular 3-D block-building game that pushes your imagination to the limits. Protect yourself against nocturnal monsters or a build a giant one-of-a-kind creation.
Mathemagics Mental Math Tricks: Amaze friends and parents with these quick (but impressive) mathematics tricks.
Quantum Conundrum: Your uncle has disappeared. He’s left his Interdimensional Shift Device behind. And his house just got very weird. Welcome to the physics-based puzzle game known as Quantum Conundrum.
Robots for iPad App: Everything you want to know about robots in one easy app. Robots for iPad has 360-degree views, lots of articles and specs and hundreds of photos and videos.
You Can Do the Rubik’s Cube: You knew there had to be a game completely devoted to it. Unlock the secrets of the world-famous Rubik’s Cube.
Kinectic City: An amazing collection of science experiments, games, activities and challenges. You might choose to run the blood cell relay race or use a computer model to build your own interstellar slush business.
Move the Turtle: Programming for Kids App: You don’t have to be a computer genius to code! With this app, any kid can learn the ABCs of programming in a graphic environment.
Robot Turtles: Programming tabletop game for kids 4+. Play directional and special action cards to move turtles across a gameboard to the objective. Gameplay can also be altered to include functions - group multiple actions/directions in a repeatable pattern, then call that function with the function card.
Cool Math Games: Coolmath.com offers "math for ages 13-100" -- explanations that are easy to grasp on topics like algebra, pre-calculus and more. The creator started his career as a math teacher, and he takes great pleasure in helping people finally understand -- and even enjoy! -- doing math.
Geometry Quest App: Travel the world by solving geometry challenges along the way. You’ll receive passport stamps for perfect quests. Covers Common Core standards 3MD, 3G, 4MD, 5G, 6G, 7G and 8G.
Math Blaster: Do you have what it takes to save the galaxy? You’re going to need your math skills to complete your training missions in this free online game.
Mystery Math Town: Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to rescue the fireflies hidden in Mystery Math Town. Be warned: you’ll need your math skills to unlock all the rooms and passages on your quest!
Camp Reach: From constructing the perfect shoe to building the ultimate ice cream sundae, this two-week summer camp at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts is designed to stretch your engineering imagination. For girls entering seventh grade.
Girls’ Adventures in Mathematics, Engineering, and Science (G.A.M.E.S.): Be part of a state-of-the-art engineering or science lab this summer! At the University of Illinois’s G.A.M.E.S., you’ll work on challenging camp projects and meet mentors in technical fields. For rising nine through 12th graders.
Students with Potential and Interest, Considering Engineering (S.P.I.C.E.): Build a new world. Through activities, projects, tours and talks at the University of Maryland, College Park, you’ll learn how engineering is being used to change the face of the planet. For girls entering ninth and 10th grades.
iD Game Design & Development Academy: These two-week summer camps offer an intensive submersion in game development, programming, design, 3-D modeling and animation. Choose from courses in Minecraft, Unreal® Engine, Maya®, iPhone® and more. For teens age 13 to 18.
Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP): Interested in science or math? Then you could intern for eight weeks at a Department of Navy (DoN) laboratory. Most labs require students to be 16 years of age (though 15-year-olds will sometimes be allowed).
Camp Euclid: A Mathematics Research Camp: Participate from virtually anywhere! Camp Euclid’s six-week summer camps are held online. Collaborate with fellow students on solution-defying math problems.
Engineering Summer Camps: Fancy some problem-solving this summer? The Engineering Education Service Center has put together a state-by-state list of engineering summer camps.
Physics Wonder Girls at Indiana Wesleyan University: Funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, the Physics Wonder Girls camp offers middle school girls the opportunity to take part in hands-on physics experiments, projects, physics-based games, and science tours.
Zero Robotics Middle School Summer Program: Launch yourself into computer programming, robotics and space engineering. MIT’s five-week STEM curriculum will immerse you in space and provide you with hands-on experience programming SPHERES (Synchronized, Position, Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites).
Camp Invention: Daydreams become discoveries at this summer day camp. Created by the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Camp Invention presents essential STEM concepts through creative hands-on activities.
Destination Science Camp: Spend a week this summer creating robots, building a digital music system, training an electric-powered chameleon or even preparing for a mission to the moon! Held at 130 locations in six states.
Engineering for Kids: Engineering for Kids is an education company for kids age 4 to 14. It offers a variety of STEM programs, including in-school field trips, birthday parties, workshops and camps.
Science Explorers: Sharks and submarines, potions and slime, castles and catapults .. whatever you love, these science summer camps have just the activity for you. Offered in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
Youth Digital Summer Camps: Design 3-D models for Minecraft, create your own video game or even direct a 3-D animation! These camps focused on digital technology are held in various southern cities. For kids age 8 to 16.
CoderDojo Over 1,900 free, open, inclusive and local volunteer-led programming clubs for young people in over 100 countries.
Learn to Program with Scratch: A Visual Introduction to Programming with Games, Art, Science, and Math: Scratch is a fun, free, beginner-friendly programming environment where you connect blocks of code to build programs.
JavaScript for Kids (A Playful Introduction to Programming): JavaScript is the programming language of the Internet, the secret sauce that makes the Web awesome, your favorite sites interactive, and online games fun!
Hello World! (Computer Programming for Kids and Other Beginners): A gentle but thorough introduction to the world of computer programming, it is written in language a 12-year-old can follow, but anyone who wants to learn how to program a computer can use it.
Bossy (Online Startups for Kids and Teens): The internet makes business accessible to everyone - even kids and teenagers! This book will help young "CEOs To Be" learn how to be their own boss and build a business that will inspire them to never back down on their dreams.
Python for Kids (A Playful Introduction to Programming): Python is a powerful, expressive programming language that's easy to learn and fun to use! But books about learning to program in Python can be kind of dull, gray, and boring, and that's no fun for anyone.
Head First Software Development: Even the best developers have seen well-intentioned software projects fail -- often because the customer kept changing requirements, and end users didn't know how to use the software you developed. Instead of surrendering to these common problems, let Head First Software Development guide you through the best practices of software development. Before you know it, those failed projects will be a thing of the past.
Nano Science & Engineering Outreach Education Classroom Program: This hour long classroom program introduces nano science and nanotechnology as a leading, cutting edge science with an emphasis on nano in nature, health, energy and the environment
Lynda: lynda.com is a leading online learning company that helps anyone learn business, software, technology and creative skills to achieve personal and professional goals. Through individual, corporate, academic and government subscriptions, members have access to the lynda.com video library of engaging, top-quality courses taught by recognized industry experts. The company also provides German, French and Spanish language content under the video2brain brand name.
Code School: Learn by Doing; Code School teaches web technologies in the comfort of your browser with video lessons, coding challenges, and screencasts.
Pluralsight: Your curriculum. Amplified. Prepare your students for the jobs of tomorrow, today. Give them the freedom to boost their tech & creative skills anytime, anywhere.