Emily Hunt - 15-Minute STEM Book 2: More quick, creative science, technology, engineering and mathematics activities for 5-11-year-olds

STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) will play a crucial role in shaping our futures. From the digital revolution to the construction industry, from caring for our environment to space exploration, STEM industries continue to grow at a rapid rate and many young people will go into STEM-related jobs. STEM skills will be instrumental to meeting some of the biggest global challenges, as set out in the UNs sustainable development goals.

STEM education is a captivating, inspiring way of connecting educational experiences to real-life opportunities. Its a cross-disciplinary approach with problem solving at its heart. In starting with a real-world problem or question we make the activity relevant to childrens lives, helping them to make connections between what they are learning, why they are learning it and how they could use it in the future.

But then again, if youve picked up this book, the chances are you already know all of that. Perhaps youve already enjoyed 15-Minute STEM and are back for more quick, easy-to-resource STEM activities. If you havent, then you may well be looking for answers to one or all of the following questions:

How do I get children excited about STEM education?

What equipment do I need?

How do I introduce the 15-minute STEM activities?

How can children learn STEM skills in just 15 minutes?

Is 15-minute STEM purely about science, technology, engineering and maths?

15-Minute STEM Book 2 is compiled of 40 quick, easy-to-resource activities for primary school teachers and is also ideal for parents to use at home with their children. Each activity can be made suitable for ages 511 with a little bit of adaptation. The activities have been tested to ensure that they take just 15 minutes, although some require a little advanced preparation or need to be returned to later in the day these are clearly indicated. This means that with minimal preparation you can slot them into those spare moments in an otherwise busy day.

The photographs in this book were taken during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to school closures and social distancing restrictions only a small number of children could be used to illustrate the activities. We look forward to featuring more children in the images for subsequent reprints when restrictions allow.

Each activity begins with a hook question, designed to generate excitement and spark debate. These hooks can be found below the title of each activity. They are worded as a question that a child might ask themselves and make real-world links to a diverse range of areas, from natural disasters to robotics. Wording the hook questions in this way helps to contextualise the learning, giving the activity a real-world purpose and helping children to see the practical application of the skills and learning involved. The diversity of the hook questions also gives you the flexibility to select an activity based on for example a particular area of interest, a topical issue or a current area of learning.

When we think of STEM education, we often think of expensive equipment such as 3D printers, computers and robotics kits. In reality there are lots of fantastic STEM activities that can be resourced using everyday materials found at home or in the classroom, allowing you to deliver them at short notice. By keeping the resources simple and familiar, we encourage children to think more creatively about how to use them. The You will need boxes outline the resources you will need to complete each activity once. You will need a set of resources for each child or group undertaking the activity.