We are living for the spooky season! As the air gets crisp and the days get colder, we are excited to embrace fall's magic. Pumpkin carving, candied apples, Halloween costumes–this season has many fun activities for the whole family.
At BAM!, you know we also live for STEAM enrichment! Perfect for getting kids excited about science, technology, engineering, art, and math, these Halloween-inspired experiments and projects combine fun and learning in an educational and festive way.
These hands-on STEAM projects are a hit if you're looking for ways to keep little minds engaged while embracing the spooky season.
Spooky Science Experiments
Whether you're looking to stir up some spooky fun or create a few hands-on learning moments, these science activities are the perfect mix of eerie and educational. From glowing potions to creepy chemistry, each experiment is designed to inspire curiosity and a sense of wonder. As kids explore everything from bubbling reactions to mysterious forces, they’ll dive into the world of science with excitement and creativity.
Ghost Rockets
Who says ghosts can’t fly? Kids can create their own "ghost rockets" that shoot into the sky using simple materials like film canisters, baking soda, and vinegar. This fun activity teaches them about chemical reactions and forces. Make sure to give your ghost rockets a spooky touch with drawn-on faces or decorations.
Glow-in-the-Dark Lava Lamps
Create a glow-in-the-dark lava lamp using oil, water, food coloring, and glow sticks. Add a fizzing tablet (like Alka-Seltzer) to get the glowing “lava” moving. This introduces kids to density, polarity, and chemical reactions in a fun and mesmerizing way.
Pumpkin Volcanoes
Nothing says Halloween like a bubbling, erupting pumpkin! Carve out a small pumpkin, fill it with baking soda and food coloring, then pour in vinegar to create a vibrant, foamy eruption. This is a great way to introduce kids to the concepts of acid-base reactions, and they’ll love watching the "lava" flow from their pumpkin.
Spooky Slime
Slime is always a hit with kids, and adding a Halloween twist makes it even better. Create gooey, stretchy slime by mixing glue, baking soda, and saline solution, then add some food coloring and glitter for a spooky effect. You can even mix in plastic spiders or eyeballs for an extra creepy touch! This project lets kids explore polymers and non-Newtonian fluids.
Bouncing Eyeballs Experiment
Make your own bouncing balls in the shape of eyeballs! By combining borax, cornstarch, and glue, kids can mold balls that bounce like crazy. Add some googly eyes to the balls for a spooky twist. This fun activity explains the science behind polymers and elasticity.
Eerie Engineering Challenges
These eerie engineering activities are perfect for kids who love to build, tinker, and explore the unknown! Each activity challenges young minds to solve problems like a mad scientist, from constructing haunted structures to designing creepy contraptions. Get ready to dive into the world of spooky engineering and bring your most haunting ideas to life—if you dare!
Monster Traps
Get creative with engineering by challenging kids to build monster traps. They can design and construct contraptions meant to "catch" a friendly monster using household items like paper cups, string, and popsicle sticks. This activity encourages critical thinking and problem-solving as kids design their traps to work uniquely.
Skeleton Arm Robotic Hand
Kids can build a working model of a skeleton arm using straws, string, and cardboard. Pulling on the strings, they can make the hand move, mimicking how tendons pull on bones to create movement. This activity introduces the mechanics of engineering and anatomy.
Bat Wing Gliders
Teach kids about aerodynamics by making bat-wing gliders. Using construction paper or cardboard, kids can cut out bat-shaped wings, attach them to a lightweight body, and see how far their bats can fly. This is a great way to introduce kids to basic engineering and the science of flight.
Skeleton Bridge Building
Challenge kids to build the strongest bridge using only Q-tips and glue—perfect for Halloween when the Q-tips represent "bones"! This activity promotes problem-solving and introduces engineering concepts as kids work to create a structure that can hold weight without collapsing.
Skeleton Hand Grabber
Using craft sticks, straws, and string, help kids build a mechanical "skeleton hand" that mimics how our joints and tendons work. This engineering project explains basic mechanics and human anatomy while offering a fun, hands-on building challenge.
Artfully Creepy Creations
These spooky art activities will take creativity to a new level of eerie fun. From crafting creepy creatures to designing haunted masterpieces, each project is packed with ghoulish inspiration. Grab your brushes, scissors, and a bit of Halloween magic—it's time to create some hauntingly good art!
Spooky Shadow Art
Harness the power of light and shadow for some spooky STEAM fun! Set up a flashlight or lamp and create shadow figures on the wall using cut-out shapes or Halloween figurines. Kids can experiment with different angles and distances to see how shadows change. This activity introduces light, angles, and physics while encouraging creativity.
Haunted House Blueprint
Let your child’s inner architect shine by designing a haunted house. Kids can plan out a spooky mansion with secret rooms, trap doors, and hidden passages using graph paper or an online blueprint tool. This project incorporates elements of math and geometry as they measure and create accurate floor plans.
Bat Signal Light Art
Kids can make their "bat signal" using cardboard, a flashlight, and black paper. Cut out a bat shape, tape it to the flashlight, and shine it on the wall to cast a spooky shadow. This activity introduces kids to light and shadow and how light can be manipulated.
Spooky Stained Glass Windows
Cut out Halloween-themed shapes (like bats, pumpkins, or witches) from black construction paper. Tape these shapes to a piece of wax paper and fill the spaces with colorful tissue paper to create a stained glass effect. Hang them in a window for a creepy, festive look!
Shadow Silhouette Art
Have kids create spooky shadow silhouettes by cutting out shapes like witches, bats, and haunted houses from black construction paper. They can glue these onto white paper and then paint the background darkly to create an eerie night scene. This activity explores contrast and negative space while crafting spooky Halloween art.
More Spooky STEAM Fun
Need more spine-tingling adventures for the spooky season? From conjuring up eerie experiments to engineering haunting contraptions, each activity adds a dose of thrills to spark curiosity and ignite the imagination. Perfect for brave young minds ready to explore the mysteries of the season, so gather your supplies and prepare for a frightfully fun STEAM experience that will haunt you with knowledge and creativity!
Potion Mixing Station
Set up a pretend potion lab where kids mix ingredients like colored water, glitter, and baking soda for safe and fizzy reactions. This fun, hands-on experience introduces basic chemistry concepts.
Crystal Ghosts
Grow spooky crystal ghosts using pipe cleaners, borax, and hot water. Shape the pipe cleaners into ghost figures, place them in the borax solution, and watch crystals form over time. This experiment introduces kids to the science of crystal growth and supersaturated solutions.
Mummify a Hot Dog
Teach kids about mummification by creating a "mummy" using a hot dog. Cover it in a salt and baking soda mixture and leave it to dry for a week. This activity is a fun way to learn about ancient Egyptian history, the preservation process, and how desiccants work.
Spooky Sound Waves with a Ghost Cup
Make a ghostly sound using a plastic cup, string, and a wet paper towel. Kids can experiment with sound waves by pulling the string to create a spooky "wail." This simple project demonstrates how sound waves travel and can be amplified by different materials.
Dancing Ghosts with Static Electricity
Cut tissue paper into small ghost shapes and use a balloon to make the ghosts "dance" with static electricity. Rubbing the balloon on your head creates static electricity, and the ghosts will jump and move when you bring the balloon near. This teaches kids about static electricity and electrical charges.
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As Halloween approaches, there's no better time to dive into spooky STEAM activities that blend the thrills of the season with the wonders of learning. From eerie experiments to creepy engineering challenges and artful creations, these hands-on projects keep young minds engaged while embracing the festive spirit. So, gather your little scientists and get ready for a frightfully fun journey through STEAM!