STEM Activities from Million Girls Moonshot

Sep 2024

• Small Moon Big Sun: In this activity, learners explore how distance can affect the way we perceive the size of an object. It also introduces learners to solar eclipses as well as the Sun and Moon’s sizes and distances from Earth. This is a very simple activity using balls as models, making it accessible even for young learners. This resource also contains hints on how to use familiar objects to help learners visualize the sizes and distances of the Sun, Moon and Earth.
• Straining out the Dirt: Learners take on the role of environmental engineers as they design water filters. Learners see how polluted water (water with chocolate powder mix) can become clearer when passed through their filter of sand, marbles, granulated activated carbon, and cotton balls. Resource contains suggestions for assessment, extensions, and scaling for different levels of learners.
• Ancient Observatories: Chichén Itzá: This is a lesson plan for an activity in which learners, playing the role of archeologists, use math concepts about number bases to decipher the Dresden Codex, an ancient Mayan document. The lesson provides learners with historical background and exposure to how archeologists figure out what ancient documents mean. It also helps learners compare Mayan number systems (base 5) and modern number systems (base 10). It then leads them step-by-step through a series of activities to help break the code, with stopping points to discuss and investigate different ideas. In order to do this activity, learners should understand place value and number bases. Recommended for grade 5 and up.
• Apple Science: Comparing Apples and Onions: Students will explore heredity concepts by comparing observable traits of apples and onions, collecting data on the traits of different apple varieties, and learning about apple production. Additional activities include hands-on methods for testing apple ripeness.
• Leaf Me Alone: This activity includes a Dragonfly video as background. In this activity, learners explore the structure of plant leaves. Learners find out what happens when they coat either the top or bottom sides of leaves with petroleum jelly. Use this activity to investigate the structure of plants and discuss photosynthesis/respiration.

July 2024

• Landing Humans on the Moon: Over half a century ago, on July 20, 1969, humans walked on the Moon for the first time. Take a look back at the legacy of our first small steps on the Moon and look forward to the next giant leap with the following playlist for program providers, facilitators and families. 
  • Introductory Pages
  • Activity One: Choose Your Landing Site
  • Activity Two: Sculpting Lunar Geology
  • Activity Three: Priority Packing for the Moon
  • Activity Four: Safe Landing on the Lunar Surface
  • Video of first moon landing 

• Lunar Roving Vehicle Activity: In this activity, students compare lunar rovers to family cars, and then design and build a rover model that may be used to explore the moon. Special considerations for the vehicle include the type of terrain the rover will traverse.
• Rocket Races: In this fun activity students construct balloon-powered racing cars using a foam tray and drinking straws. They test the cars along a measured track on the floor. After measuring trials they report on their racer design and how it performed.
• Can Humans Recognize AI-Generated Images?: (this one requires a printer and a camera/smartphone)  Artificial intelligence (AI) generated images have exploded in popularity, bringing plenty of controversy along with them. An AI-generated image of a tiger or a flower might seem harmless, but artificial images of people or events can contribute to “fake news.” In this science project youth investigate whether people can tell the difference between real pictures and pictures generated by AI.
• Girl Scouts STEM Playbook: The world of STEM is filled with endless opportunities to make a difference. From exploring computer coding and space exploration to building robots and solutions to problems such as climate change, girls are using STEM as a tool to change our world.

And you can help them make it all possible! Girl Scouts’ new STEM Playbook is designed for anyone looking to encourage a love of STEM in girls of all ages. Whether you’re involved with Girl Scouts or simply a supportive adult, the new STEM Playbook offers ideas, guidance, and access to resources and tools to grow girls’ interest and skills in the field. Download the new STEM Playbook and discover new ideas to help girls build the future with STEM. Download Girl Scouts’ New STEM Playbook Here

June 2024

Interactive online resource: Surfers Against Sewage Virtual Tour | Explore in 360° (digitaloceanschool.com) Videos and interactive activities to teach about conservation.  After learning about them, students have the opportunity to protect the resources. 

Fact sheet Why should we care about the ocean? (noaa.gov) Our ocean provides countless benefits to our planet and all the creatures that live here. It gives us more than half of the oxygen we breathe. It regulates the climate, absorbs a quarter of the carbon that we put into the atmosphere every year, provides livelihoods for hundreds of millions of people, and contributes hundreds of billions of dollars to the global economy. Get the facts! 

Interactive online activities: For Students | Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (noaa.gov) National marine sanctuaries are living classrooms that can be explored in person or through interactive digital labs and activities., Find games, online story books, information on marine careers, activities, free materials and other cool stuff on this NOAA website. 

Activity: Hands-on science activities | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (noaa.gov) hands-on activities that can be done in 15-30 minutes that get students thinking about how things really work, and how to engineer a cleaner, safer ocean.

Activity: Drinking Water Cleanup | STEM Activity (sciencebuddies.org) Where does drinking water come from?  ? It comes out of the faucet, but how does it get there? Drinking water all over the world originates from either surface waters—such as lakes, reservoirs, and rivers—or from underground sources, such as groundwater. Create (engineer) a filter to clean water to the point where it is clean enough to drink

Activity: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities/subjects/environmental-engineering Wind turbines are large towers with blades on top that are spun by the wind. They are a great source of clean, renewable energy. Environmental engineers have to figure out where to put wind turbines so they get the best exposure to steady, consistent winds. In this project, students play the role of an environmental engineer and figure out whether it is a good idea to put wind turbines near tall buildings

Activity: 15 Cool Conservation Activities for Kids (mummymummymum.com) These hands-on, minds-on activities allow kids to understand conservation and the importance of it through activities and learning instead of hearing about it in a textbook. While you can’t make all environmental concepts visual, conservation is a great place to start! Here are 15 cool conservation activities for kids to do that incorporate engineering.

Activity:  Building a Grape Smasher – Click 2 Engineering Using simple, readily available materials. work in a team to design a machine from simple supplies that can smash a grape.  Click2Engineering includes activity instructions, a video, and links to other resources.