5 Spring STEM Activities K–5 Teachers Can Do Outside This Week
- Angelina Moehlmann
- Apr 9
- 4 min read
The end of April is one of the best-kept secrets in teaching. The weather is finally cooperating, your students are bursting with energy, and the natural world is doing the most interesting things it does all year. Why fight it? Take your STEM learning outside.
These five activities are designed for K–5 classrooms and require little to no prep. All you need is some outdoor space, a few simple materials, and a willingness to let nature do the teaching.
The best part? You can do every one of them this week.
Love getting outside with your students?
Take your hands-on teaching even further this summer.
The Maryville STEM Certificate Program is designed for teachers of all subjects and experience levels.
Spend two engaging weeks building real, practical skills in makerspace design, robotics, coding, novel engineering, and more.
You’ll leave with a respected certification, ready-to-use lessons, and a supportive community of educators.
Program Details:
June 1–12, 2026 (Monday–Friday)
8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Maryville University Campus
Table of Contents
1. Nature Scavenger Hunt Engineering Challenge
Goal: Encourage students to explore natural materials while practicing problem-solving, design thinking, and engineering skills.
Materials Needed:
Natural items found outdoors (no purchased supplies)
Optional: small rocks for testing strength
A timer
Steps:
Give each student or team a simple scavenger list: find something rough, something smooth, something that holds water, and something that could be used as a building material.
Allow 15 minutes for students to collect their materials.
Challenge students to build the smallest, sturdiest structure they can using only what they found.
(Optional for older students) Add a constraint, such as requiring the structure to support a rock for 10 seconds.
Give students 15 minutes to build their structures.
Test each structure and observe which designs are the most stable.
End with a gallery walk where each team explains their design choices and what they would improve.
Discussion:
Talk about which materials worked best and why.
Discuss how design choices impacted stability and strength.
Connect the activity to real-world engineering and building challenges.
2. Measurement Walk: Math + Science Outside
Goal: Help students practice observation, measurement, and data analysis while exploring the outdoors.
Materials Needed:
Sidewalk chalk
Measuring tape
Clipboards or paper
Pencils
Steps:
Take students outside with chalk and measuring tools.
Have students measure different objects, such as the length of their shadow, the width of tree trunks, or the distance a ball rolls on various surfaces.
Encourage them to record their measurements and observations.
For younger students (K–2), use non-standard units like footsteps or hand spans.
For older students (3–5), use standard units and ask students to make predictions before measuring.
Have students compare their results and look for patterns in their data.
Repeat measurements at a different time of day (morning vs. afternoon).
Discussion:
What changed? What stayed the same? Why?
Discuss how time of day, sunlight, and surfaces affect measurements.
Connect observations to real-world concepts like shadows, movement, and environmental changes.
3. Wind Power Spinners
Goal: Introduce students to basic engineering concepts and the scientific method through designing and testing wind-powered devices.
Materials Needed:
Square paper
Pencils (with erasers)
Pins
Optional: different paper types for testing
Steps:
Have students design and build a simple pinwheel or wind spinner using paper, a pencil, and a pin.
Allow about 20 minutes for building.
Take the spinners outside and test how they perform in the wind.
Observe which designs spin the fastest, which barely move, and which are the most stable.
Encourage students to redesign and test their spinners multiple times.
Challenge students to change one variable at a time, such as blade angle, number of blades, or material.
Have students record what changes and how it affects performance.
Discussion:
Talk about how blade size, angle, and weight impact movement.
Discuss how this relates to real-world wind turbines and renewable energy.
Reflect on the importance of testing, redesigning, and improving a design.
4. Soil Scientists
Goal: Help students explore soil composition and make connections to plant growth and environmental conditions.
Materials Needed:
Plastic cups
Craft sticks
Magnifying glasses
Water (for optional testing)
Paper and pencils
Steps:
Take students outside and have them collect small soil samples from different locations, such as near a tree, in a sunny patch, or near pavement.
Place each sample in a separate cup.
Have students observe and compare each sample, noting color, texture, moisture, and any visible organisms.
Encourage students to draw and label what they see.
For older students, add an absorption test by pouring a small amount of water onto each sample and timing how quickly it soaks in.
Have students compare results across different samples.
Discussion:
Which soil do you think plants would grow best in? Why?
Discuss how location affects soil composition and moisture.
Explore how soil characteristics impact plant growth and ecosystems.
5. Playground Physics
Goal: Help students discover fundamental physics concepts through observation, questioning, and real-world exploration.
Materials Needed:
Playground equipment (swings, slides, merry-go-round, etc.)
Paper or observation sheets
Pencils
Steps:
Take students to the playground and introduce the idea that it can act as a real-world physics lab.
Give each student a simple observation sheet with three prompts: What do you notice? What do you wonder? What could you test?
Allow students 15–20 minutes to explore and interact with different pieces of equipment.
Encourage them to observe motion, speed, force, and how their actions affect what happens.
Have students record their thoughts and questions as they explore.
Bring the group back together to share observations and ideas.
Ask students to choose one piece of equipment and make a prediction about what would happen if something changed (for example, a heavier person on a swing or a steeper slide).
Discuss their predictions as a group.
Discussion:
Talk about concepts like gravity, friction, pendulum motion, and centripetal force.
Discuss how changing variables affects motion and outcomes.
Reflect on how everyday spaces can be used to explore scientific ideas.
Spring is short. Take advantage of the season while it's here — your students will remember the days they learned outside long after they've forgotten a worksheet.
Ready to go deeper? The Maryville STEM Certificate Program this summer gives you everything you need to bring confident, creative STEM teaching into your classroom — indoors and out. Learn more and register →
Comments