For Caregivers

Parents and caregivers everywhere are looking for ways to help their children succeed in school and prepare for the future. Working on STEM design challenges as a family is a fun way to build skills that will be important to your child no matter what path they take in life!

Who?

Everyone can solve problems and every problem has more than one solution. That’s the beauty of our EiE Families resources. You can work with the children in your life (especially those aged 4–11) to design your own solutions to our challenges. You might just be surprised at the great ideas you come up with!

What and When?

You may think that an engineering or computer science challenge requires expensive equipment, a deep knowledge of engineering, and tons of time. No way! You and the children in your life can use simple materials around your house to design solutions to our problems. A paper towel roll might just make the perfect tunnel, and some scrap paper might make an ideal sail!

Do you know you’ll be stuck waiting in line somewhere this afternoon? Try an On the Go Activity to pass the time. You and your family might be inspired to keep the conversation going over dinner tonight!

Do you have an hour of family time this weekend? Pick out one of our At Home Activities. You might even have a solution designed in 30 minutes!

If you have more time, you can think about planning a STEM Event at a school or organization that is important to you. We have everything you need to plan, market, and host an event for several families to experience an engineering challenge.

Why?

Working on design challenges with your family is a unique, fun way to practice creative problem-solving skills and collaboration. The whole family will gain confidence, and research shows that family involvement has a significant impact on students’ academic achievement and future goals. Families that learn together have fun together!

Keep the Conversation Going!

At the Museum of Science, we believe that everyone can solve problems and every problem has more than one solution. We can’t wait to hear about your solutions!

Please send an email to EiEFamiliesFun@mos.org for more information about how to share your pictures on our site!

Simple, Inexpensive STEM Bin Ideas

You can do a lot of fun STEM activities with your family using materials you likely already have. Still, it’s easier if you’ve collected some things into a bin or drawer so you can find them when you want them. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Popsicle or craft sticks
Empty paper towel or toilet paper rolls
Cardboard – small pieces or boxes
Chenille stems (pipe cleaners)
Tape or glue
Rubber bands
Plastic containers (like yogurt cups or takeout containers)
Scissors
Paper clips and binder clips
Markers, crayons, or pens

Over time, you and your family may find other items to add to your STEM bin.

Get Transcript

At Home Activities

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Explore engineering as a family! You’ll be challenged to design solutions to everyday problems. What will you design? A zip line? A speaker? A slow-drip watering system? These activities are a great way for your family to develop skills like critical thinking, communication, creativity, and persistence. They’re also a lot of fun!

Pass the Peppers

Pass the Peppers! challenges you to design a way to get something from one place to another. What will you design? A zip line? A catapult? A pulley system?

Bye Bye Bug

Bye Bye Bug challenges you to design a way to catch a crawling bug and release it safely outside. What will you design?

Turn It Up!

Help Bia and Cris engineer a solution to make the music from their grandfather Tiago’s cell phone louder!

Loopy Moves

Loopy Moves challenges you to write the steps of a dance that contains repeated patterns. Can you make it easier to write your dance steps?

A Story to Remember

A Story to Remember challenges you to think about how the order of events matters in a story. What should happen at the beginning of the story? How should the story end?

Keep It Watered

Keep It Watered! challenges you to design a way to keep plants watered while you are away from home. What will you design?

Sounds of Celebration

Help Purna and Ved engineer musical instruments to welcome their grandparents when they come to visit!

This Game Rules

This Game Rules challenges you to write the rules for a game. Can you create different outcomes, depending on the situation?

On the Go Activities

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It takes only a few minutes to engineer some fun! Inspired by classic games like I Spy and Charades, each activity is sure to spark family conversations. Use them while traveling or waiting in line. You’ll learn about the technologies all around us and the types of engineers who design them.