Our Mission

STEM Playground is dedicated to fun team activities that develop character and highlight the value of diversity in teamwork.

 After School Elementary Science Competition Without Leaving Your Campus

STEM Playground is a virtual STEM competition designed to prepare 3rd thru 5th grade students for STEM competition using standards-aligned activities and low cost materials in a contest format.

Download activities to conduct with your class and upload your scores to our database to get instant feedback on class performance!

 

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What We Do

 

Engaging Contests

Download our activities to conduct with your students and upload the results to compare your class’s scores to the scores of classes globally.

Aligned Content

Our activities include pertinent supplemental curriculum material that is aligned to National Standards.

Emphasis on Team

Your assessment scores are greatly affected by how well the team members work together, instilling in your students the value of teamwork.

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Inspire

Free sign-up gives you access to one free activity!

Subscribe

One low payment of $9 gives you access to all of the activities for an entire year!

Challenge

Join national league challenges with other schools.

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Welcome After School STEM Program

You are my number one priority. Each activity provides the technical knowledge for you to feel comfortable to teach STEM concepts.  Your students learn both technical and teamwork skills to ensure a fun, character building STEM experience.  

– Al Causey, STEM Playground

Where We Are

STEM Playground began in 2006 as a small pilot program serving three Title One schools near Washington D.C. but has grown rapidly and now serves elementary teachers and students worldwide.   Teachers choose to use our free activity with full functionality or to subscribe annually to use all of our activities.

See our map to find participating schools around the world! 

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Explore Our Activities

Tables and Ladders!

*PREMIUM*

Know Your Metrics!

*PREMIUM*

Learn the metrics in a fun way and pave a strong foundation for future classes!
First in Flight

*FREE*

Students will make a paper airplane and test its flight time.
Bloated Balloon

*FREE*

Students use a balloon, bottle, water, and alka seltzer to see who can create the largest balloon!
Digestion Race

*FREE*

The goal of this activity is to make the students understand the parts, size, and function of these intestines and work together to build their own intestinal system.
Get To The Chopper!

*FREE*

Teams will make a paper helicopter and test its flight time, learning essential mathematics and engineering skills.
Riding on Air

*FREE*

Students will build and test a hovercraft.

How We Align to Standards

STEM Playground designed its STEM activities and supporting curriculum material around you and your students, NOT Common Core standards.  However, we understand the need for those of you in Common Core-participating states to meet English Language Arts and Math standards, even as you teach science.

So STEM Playground asked educational publisher Longbourn Editorial to correlate our current curriculum material to both Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards.

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How Our Competition Works

STEM Playground’s activities are designed to be completed by teams of two students and will have measurable results which you can compare with other classes globally, nationally, or even within your own community or school.

While you can compare results from just one activity, you can also compete in the cumulative League Challenge by completing all 12 designated League Challenge activities.

 

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