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STEM Activity Spotlight: Father's Day

By: Ishika Desai


Father’s Day is a beloved holiday spent by many to appreciate and celebrate father figures. There are so many ways this holiday can be spent-and incorporating STEM is one of the ways. This Father’s Day, let us celebrate the father figures in our lives with an immersion in STEM activities.


The first Father’s Day activity is a light-up card involving paper circuits which is suited for elementary to middle school children with moderate parental supervision.

For this project, you will need copper tape (one spool), two 2032 coin cell batteries, LEDs, paper, markers, scissors, paper/binder clips, and scotch tape. First, cut two long strips of copper tape, placing them close to the edge of the paper parallel to each other, and half an inch apart. One strip should not go to the right edge of the paper and the other vice versa. Take one of your LEDs and examine the long leg. Bend the long leg onto the outer copper tape and attach it using scotch tape. Repeat this step for the shorter tape and the inner strip. The LED hub should be facing up. Then, place the coin cell battery on the inner strip with the positive side up. Then, bend over the corner of the paper so the outer strip touches the inner strip. You can fix the corner down using a paper/binder clip. This will light up the LED because the circuit is completed! This concept can be repeated with discretion in one’s card design. The scientific concept of circuits followed the electrical current from the copper battery to charge the LED causing it to glow!


The next experiment is a fun cotton ball launcher examining different forms of energy. This is suited best for elementary-age children and requires light supervision. For this project, you will need a short pencil or popsicle stick, two thin rubber bands, two cardboard tubes, strong tape, scissors, cotton balls, and a single-hole puncher.

First, cut one of the cardboard tubes lengthwise and squeeze it so it is narrower. Then, tape it closed. Using the hole punch, punch two holes into the sides of the tube near the opening. Then, push your pencil or popsicle stick through the hole. On the second tube, cut two slits on one end around ¼ inch long and ½ inch apart. Cut two more slits on the same end directly across. Loop one rubber band per slit and secure the slits with tape. Then, slide the narrow tube into the larger one, looping the rubber band over the pencil. To launch, place the cotton ball inside the narrow tube, pull back the pencil, and release it! This activity examined two forms of energy: potential and kinetic. The potential energy built up as you pulled the pencil backward. As more potential energy built up, more kinetic energy was released as you released the pencil.


These fun activities demonstrate only a fraction of the STEM concepts that can be explored on Father’s Day. Not only can you create fun memories with these activities, but you can also teach them a thing or two about STEM!





Works Cited:

15 Science Projects to Make and Give for Father’s Day | Science Buddies Blog, www.sciencebuddies.org/blog/fathers-day-science-activities. Accessed 5 June 2024. 

Make a Paper Circuit | STEM Activity, www.sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities/paper-circuit. Accessed 5 June 2024. 

Make a Cotton Ball Launcher | STEM Activity, www.sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities/cotton-ball-launcher. Accessed 5 June 2024. 


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