Halloween is the perfect time to mix a little magic with a lot of learning. Whether you’re carving pumpkins, sorting candy, or heading out for trick-or-treat fun, you can also turn the season into a playful chance to explore science, technology, engineering, art, and math right at home.
These frightfully fun STEAM activities will have your kids bubbling with curiosity, brewing creativity, and cackling with joy as they explore how things work (and get a little messy along the way). Ready to summon some hands-on learning? Let’s get started!
1. Pumpkin Volcano Eruption
Get ready to make your pumpkin bubble, fizz, and foam with science!
Materials:
- Small pumpkin (hollowed out)
- Baking soda
- Vinegar
- Food coloring (optional)
-
Small cup or container
Steps:
- Scoop out the pumpkin and place a small cup inside.
- Add a few spoonfuls of baking soda and food coloring.
-
Pour in vinegar and watch your pumpkin erupt!
STEAM Skills Unlocked:
Builds curiosity and understanding of chemical reactions, observation, and cause and effect.
2. Ghost Balloon Static Science
Who needs haunted houses when you can make your own floating ghosts at home?
Materials:
- White tissue or coffee filters
- Balloon
- Tape or string
-
Marker
Steps:
- Draw ghost faces on tissues and tape on string to hang them.
- Blow up a balloon and rub it on your hair or sweater.
-
Bring the balloon close and watch the ghosts rise toward it!
STEAM Skills Unlocked:
Explores physics and static electricity, teaching kids how invisible forces make things move.
3. Candy Chromatography
Turns out your Halloween candy has a colorful secret!
Materials:
- Coffee filters
- Water-based candies (like Skittles or M&Ms)
- Cups of water
-
Droppers or straws
Steps:
- Place candies on the coffee filter.
- Drop water onto them and watch the colors spread and separate.
-
Observe the “hidden” pigments at work!
STEAM Skills Unlocked:
Highlights color theory, solubility, and scientific observation.
4. Haunted Circuit Cards
Why send an ordinary Halloween card when you can make one that lights up?
Materials:
- Paper or cardstock
- LED lights
- Copper tape
- Coin cell battery
-
Markers
Steps:
- Draw your haunted design such as bats, ghosts, or pumpkins.
- Plan where the LED will go.
- Lay down copper tape and connect the light to the battery.
-
Press and watch your spooky artwork glow!
STEAM Skills Unlocked:
Introduces electrical circuits, design thinking, and creative problem-solving.
5. Monster Slime Lab
It’s alive… and it’s SLIME! Mix, stretch, and squish your own gooey creation.
Materials:
- Clear glue
- Baking soda
- Contact solution
- Green food coloring
-
Glitter or googly eyes
Steps:
- Mix glue, food coloring, and glitter.
- Stir in baking soda.
- Slowly add contact solution until slime forms.
-
Add googly eyes for monster flair!
STEAM Skills Unlocked:
Teaches material science, chemical change, and strengthens fine motor coordination.
6. Spiderweb Engineering Challenge
Spiders aren’t the only web weavers. Test your engineering skills!
Materials:
- Tape or yarn
- Paper plates or cardboard frames
-
Small toy spiders or pom-poms
Steps:
- Cut the center out of a paper plate.
- Use yarn or tape to weave a web across the hole.
-
Drop your “spiders” on top. Can your web hold them?
STEAM Skills Unlocked:
Encourages engineering design, spatial reasoning, and testing structural strength.
7. Magic Potion Density Tower
Bubble, bubble, layers of trouble! Make a potion that looks magical and teaches science too.
Materials:
- Clear cup or jar
- Honey, dish soap, water, and oil
- Food coloring
-
Spoon
Steps:
- Carefully pour each liquid into the jar in order of thickness (honey first, oil last).
- Add food coloring for extra potion power.
-
Drop in small trinkets to see where they float!
STEAM Skills Unlocked:
Explores density, measurement, and scientific prediction.
8. Shadowy Silhouettes
Shine a little light on your creativity and make spooky art come alive!
Materials:
- Black construction paper
- White paper or canvas
- Scissors
-
Flashlight or lamp
Steps:
- Cut Halloween shapes like bats, cats, or witches from black paper.
- Arrange on white paper or shine a flashlight to create shadows.
-
Experiment with angles and light for eerie effects!
STEAM Skills Unlocked:
Combines art and physics, developing understanding of light, shape, and contrast.
9. Wiggly Walking Skeleton
Your skeleton’s got moves! Build a bone buddy that bends, twists, and dances.
Materials:
- Cardstock
- Scissors
- Brass fasteners
- Hole punch
-
Markers
Steps:
- Draw or print skeleton parts on cardstock.
- Cut them out and punch holes where joints connect.
- Use brass fasteners to assemble your skeleton.
-
Move the limbs to make it dance!
STEAM Skills Unlocked:
Introduces mechanical engineering, kinematics, and design assembly.
10. Leaf Lanterns
Fall leaves and Halloween glow combine for a magical autumn keepsake!
Materials:
- Mason jar
- Pressed leaves
- Mod Podge or glue
- Paintbrush
-
LED tealight
Steps:
- Brush glue onto the jar.
- Press leaves around the outside and coat with glue again.
-
Let dry, then place your tealight inside for a cozy glow.
STEAM Skills Unlocked:
Encourages creative design, natural observation, and artistic expression.
This Halloween, skip the store-bought decorations and make learning part of the magic. Whether your child is brewing bubbling pumpkins or crafting dancing skeletons, these projects bring the fun of the season to life and show that STEAM learning can happen anywhere. When curiosity meets creativity, every kid becomes a little mad scientist (in the best way)!
