Here are three cheap and easy STEM ideas for the classroom, mainly using paper! This is Part 2. If you missed the first or third post, click here or here to check out more paper STEM ideas.

These ideas could work for any grade, from upper elementary school to high school. The main difference is older students can usually come up with more ideas. I teach middle school and it can be challenging to integrate STEM into lesson, but critical thinking is a much needed skill for all students.

Many times, STEM is avoided in classrooms because of the expenses and the challenges associated with prepping these types of lessons. The long list of materials and combining the materials can be exhausting before the lesson is even taught. Giving students opportunities to come up with creative solutions to problems is critical to their growth and development. I hope these ideas will help you implement STEM lessons into your teaching: cheaper and easier! 

All these ideas are cheap and easy, so it can easily lend itself to redesigning and retesting. This problem and solution, then redesigning and retesting is in most science standards.

1. Paper Span Bridge  

For the paper span bridge STEM activity, I explain what a span bridge is and that the goal for the students is to hold a book with just paper and tape with the bridge spanning 15 inches. The students think the task is impossible and can’t be done! It is a challenge, and I typically emphasize that it is a challenge to hold just one book with paper. I then emphasize, it really is possible to hold a book with ONLY ONE piece of paper 8 inches off the ground and I gave them five. 

The materials given for this activity include (per group):

• 5 sheets of printer paper
• 5.5 inches of tape 
• Ruler 
• Scissors 
• Classroom Books
• Scale (Optional)

The guidelines or rules for this STEM activity are:

• The stack of books must be held 5 inches off the table.
• The bridge must span 15 inches wide. 
• Two pieces of paper is dedicated for the top of the bridge (because without it, it wouldn’t be a bridge and just pillars).
• Use only materials given.

The activity is so engaging for the students as they problem solve in teams. Students are shocked as they start to realize their structure can not only hold one book, but SEVERAL! Set up for the activity doesn’t take a long time and most materials can be found in about any classroom! You can bring a scale for easy measuring, but just the visual of books is sometimes enough. I typically have my students graph the best designs as part of the assignment. This is a great STEM activity that is cheap, easy, and fun! 

Expectations: 

Over the years I have tried to keep records and notes for myself so I can remember reasonable expectations for the students and past records from previous years. I think the reasonable expectation is for students to hold at least one book. Depending on the students’ design they might not be able to hold one book. However, if students are given a second chance, they almost always find a way to hold one book.

My Top 5 Records for Span Bridge STEM (pounds of books):

1. 47.6 pounds
2. 45.8 pounds
3. 40.2 pounds
4. 35.7 pounds
5. 33.3 pounds

2. Paper Pillar Challenge 

For the paper pillar challenge STEM activity, I talk about various types of pillars and their purpose. The goal for the students is to construct a pillar with one piece of paper that will …. hold a book! The students get a chance to be creative and innovative to solve the problem. I sometimes suggest different methods of solving the problem before the challenge begins, but this depends on the level of your students. 

The materials given for this activity include (per group):

• 1 piece of printer paper
• 1 inch of tape 
• Ruler 
• Scissors 
• Books or Workbooks

The guidelines or rules for this STEM activity are:

• Pillar must stand by itself
• Pilar must hold items at least 8 inches off the ground
• Use only the materials given.

The activity is thought provoking and offers an opportunity for students to redesign. Since it only requires 1 piece of paper and 1 inch of tape, I usually will give students multiple opportunities to design and test. Students are engaged and come up with solutions varying from cylinders to triangle pillars! This is a great STEM activity that is cheap, easy, and fun!

Expectations: 

I think the reasonable expectation is for students to have a freestanding pillar that can hold 1 book 8 inches off the ground. Depending on the students’ design, they might not be able to accomplish this task. However, if students are given a second chance to redesign, which is in a lot of science standards, they probably will be able to accomplish this task. 

My Top 3 Records for Paper Pillar STEM:

1. 6 pounds of books
2. 4.8 pounds of books
3. 2.4 pounds of books

3. Paper Airplane Challenge  

This STEM activity requires students to construct a paper airplane. Many times, I introduce this lesson by showing students paper airplanes from the Paper Airplane World Championship on YouTube. Students immediately start to visualize their paper airplane either winning the distance category of the competition or the time in air category of the competition. I talk about some general principles that will aid them in their designs and then let them begin.

I have let my students create their own designs on occasion, but have also let them research and create designs they find on the internet. The students get two attempts at creating a paper airplane that will go the farthest or stay in the air the longest. 

The materials given for this activity include (per group):

• Printer Paper 
• Scissors (If needed)
• Tape (If needed)
• Glue (If needed)

The guidelines or rules for this STEM activity are:

• Plane is constructed with given materials

The activity is engaging and offers an opportunity for students to redesign. I typically have my students get the average speed for their paper airplanes and graph the results. I like getting the average speed because it is distance divided by time which is basically the two major areas of completion at the World Championships. Data analysis and critical thinking makes for a great problem-solving assignment! 

Expectations: 

I think the reasonable expectation is for students to design and redesign to beat their own records. I typically keep track of my records for the activities, but I have done this activity in hallways, gyms, and outside, so the records and trails haven’t really been consistent. This challenge is engaging for students and gives them the opportunity to be creative. Trial and error is many times a fantastic teacher.  

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Being a science teacher, I always try to encourage STEM lessons because these lessons typically create an opportunity for students to be creative, which engages them. These are a few cheap and easy ideas that can make STEM integration a breeze. All can be framed as competitions or challenges, with the potential for data analysis and higher-level discussions. 

If you enjoyed this post, please check out this post, which includes 3 more STEM ideas using paper. 

Thank you for Continually Learning with us!

Kyle and Sarah