STEM Kits for Middle School Students (2024)

  • Lauren Chiangpradit
  • February 7, 2023
  • 7:00 am
  • Reviewed by Sean Barton
  • Reviewed by Haley MacLean

Table of Contents

  • Why Use STEM Kits
    • Home Science Tools Basic Introduction to Chemistry Kit
    • Strawbees STEAM Starter Robotics Kit
    • Horizon Educational Wind Energy Science Kit
    • STEM Sports® All Star Kit
    • Carolina Cross-Sectional Human Eye Model
    • GoCube STEM Puzzle
    • Kitables DIY Mini Drone Quadcopter Kit
    • Elevate Prep Math Game
  • STEM with STEM Sports®

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning is essential to a student’s core curriculum. Educators around the world are putting an emphasis on STEM learning in the classroom to improve STEM literacy and prepare students for the rapidly growing STEM workforce. One way parents can aid their child’s education is by implementing STEM lessons at home during the school year and summer months.

Why Use STEM Kits

Regardless of parent skillset, there are easy, effective ways to get students engaged at home. STEM kits offer parents and children all the tools they need to engage in STEM at home without the need to purchase additional materials. In this article, STEM Sports® has compiled a list of the best STEM kits for middle school-aged students. With step-by-step instructions, these STEM kits allow students to take control of their education, explore new interests, and improve their STEM literacy skills at their own pace in a comfortable environment.


*Pricing in this blog is based on website pricing as of February 5, 2023. These are subject to change at the discretion of each vendor.

Home Science Tools Basic Introduction to Chemistry Kit

Why You Should Buy It: The Basic Introduction to Chemistry Kit comes with 30 introductory chemistry lessons children can do over a period of time at home. Each lesson introduces new chemical reactions that can be directly applied to chemistry concepts they are learning about in the classroom. This kit is a great resource for children who need additional help in chemistry or chemistry fanatics who want to expand their knowledge in this area. An additional benefit of this kit is there are extension kits available for purchase as children complete lessons and are ready to move on to more complex, challenging lessons.

Focus Skills: This STEM kit introduces students to science, specifically chemistry.

Price: $79.95

Link to Product

Strawbees STEAM Starter Robotics Kit

Why You Should Buy It: The Strawbee Robotics Kit is a great way to introduce children to engineering and technology at home. Using detailed instructions, children will use their imagination and critical thinking skills to build and code a fully functional robot. Coding jobs are in high demand, which is making the need for qualified, passionate coders increasingly important in the STEM workforce. By instilling this skill in middle school-aged students, parents can help set their children up for success in their future careers.

Focus Skills: This STEM kit teaches students key engineering and technology skills.

Price: $75.00

Link to Product

Horizon Educational Wind Energy Science Kit

Why You Should Buy It: The Wind Energy Science Kit introduces students to science and engineering concepts through real world, hands on examples. During this lesson, children build their own wind turbine, spending time to perfect angles, weight, and resistance,creating a functional windmill used to generate electricity. This provides parents with the opportunity to talk to their child about earth science, physics and engineering careers that use these skills to better society and the future of the planet.

Focus Skills: This STEM kit teaches children key science and engineering skills.

Price: $199.00

Link to Product

STEM Sports® All Star Kit

Why You Should Buy It: The STEM Sports® All Star Kit is a recurring monthly subscription STEM education program that uses sports as a way to facilitate hands-on learning. The STEM kit is offered for grades 3-5 and grades 6-8 to ensure alignment with skillset, classroom curriculum, and educational standards. Each month, children will receive a turnkey box that uses a different sport as the application of how STEM concepts can be applied to the real world. This benefits children in understanding why what they are learning is important and what jobs utilize these skills.

Focus Skills: This subscription kit highlights all areas of STEM: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Price: $24.99 / month

Link to Product

Carolina Cross-Sectional Human Eye Model

Why You Should Buy It: The Carolina Cross-Sectional Human Eye Model is a foam model showing the inner anatomy of the human eye. This model is five times larger than the average human eye and comes with a full guide and diagram for the lesson. Children use the guide to fill out their diagram and learn more about the different parts of the eye and how they work together to allow full vision and function. This is a great and cost effective STEM kit for a child who is currently learning about biology and anatomy and/or has an interest in the medical field.

Focus Skills: The human eye model introduces students to science, more specifically, biology and anatomy.

Price: $22.10

Link to Product

GoCube STEM Puzzle

Why You Should Buy It: The GoCube is similar to a traditional Rubix Cube. However, this cube utilizes Bluetooth technology and an IOS/Android application. Once purchased, children have access to hundreds of STEM lessons, games, and puzzles meant to be done at home or on the go. Outside of the direct STEM benefits this product provides, it also helps strengthen memory, problem solving skills, and other 21st century skills linked to success in the workforce and classroom.

Focus Skills: The GoCube teaches STEM skills and 21st century learning skills through interactive app puzzles and games.

Price: $99.95

Link to Product

Kitables DIY Mini Drone Quadcopter Kit

Why You Should Buy It: The Kitables Mini Drone is an at home STEM kit that transforms middle school children into robotics engineers. Using step-by-step online instructions, children use their imagination and engineering skills to construct a working drone from scratch. Once the drone is properly built, children will go outsid,play with their drone, and witness how their building and electrical skills are applicable to real world activities and technology.

Focus Skills: The Kitables DIY Mini Drone Quadcopter Kit highlights core science, technology, and engineering lessons for children.

Price: $59.99

Link to Product

Elevate Prep Math Game

Why You Should Buy It: The Elevate Prep Math Game is the perfect addition to family game night or after school activities with friends! The interactive math game helps children strengthen their subtraction, multiplication, and division skills in a fun, fast paced environment. The game promotes the use of math literacy and allows children to practice in a safe environment where getting the answer wrong and trying again is okay. As these skills are strengthened, children will see improved scores on exams/standardized tests and will be more comfortable using these skills in day to day life.

Focus Skills: The Elevate Prep Math Game promotes math learning through play.

Price: $18.99

Link to Product

STEM with STEM Sports®

Are you interested in learning more about the benefits of STEM learning and how it can be implemented with K-12 students? Read these comprehensive blogs about STEM education for kids:

  • 6 Effective At Home STEM Activities for High School Students
  • 9 Hidden Benefits of STEM Curriculum
  • Why is STEM Learning Important in the World
  • How to Get Kids Interested in Technology

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STEM Kits for Middle School Students (2024)

FAQs

What do middle schoolers learn in STEM? ›

Students learn challenging concepts in both core and elective courses. Common STEM courses for middle schools include intermediate math, introductory life sciences, computational thinking, digital literacy, coding, and more.

What are STEM learning kits? ›

You don't often hear the words “STEM” and “fun” together but, when you are talking about STEM educational kits, that's exactly what they are about! STEM kits allow the learner to engage with science, technology, engineering, and maths subjects in a fun way.

Are STEM programs good for kids? ›

STEM-Based Education Encourages Critical Thinking

In addition to practicing critical thinking, kids are also empowered to collaborate, use their imaginations and take the initiative. These are all wonderful attributes they can rely upon in other areas of life.

What should every STEM lab have? ›

Science & Math Tools - A STEM lab can support core curriculum by incorporating science tools and math manipulatives during lessons. Common tools such as microscopes, magnifying glasses, rulers, scales, and calipers are useful for in-depth exploration and testing. You can explore more STEM tools at STEMfinity.

What does a STEM curriculum look like? ›

A STEM class in your school can be any class that focuses on STEM-related subjects, i.e. a lesson that has a science, technology, engineering or math element. This includes life sciences like genetics, botany, zoology, and ecology. It can also include physical sciences like analytical chemistry and physics.

Should STEM be taught in schools? ›

STEM education is paramount for shaping the future, driving innovation, and securing economic prosperity. According to the U. S. Department of Commerce, STEM occupations are growing at 24%, while other occupations are growing at 4%. Even in non-STEM careers, holders of STEM degrees tend to earn higher incomes.

What is STEM toolkit? ›

What is the STEM Toolkit? This toolkit brings together tips and activities for college access programs new to implementing STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). Explore recommendations and lessons learned from GEAR UP programs across the country.

Are STEM classes worth it? ›

Is a STEM degree worth it? For many people, the answer is yes. Here are just some of the benefits of STEM career: Increased Salary – People employed in STEM occupations earn over double the median income according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (USBLS).

Why are science kits important? ›

These kits are a great help for parents who teach their children at home by themselves and want to make the topics interesting. Science kits make use of real life investigations that help kids to think about what they have learnt and how to apply it when they go outside to discover, or while they are in the classroom.

Is STEM for smart students? ›

At its core, the concept of students in STEM fields being smarter than others comes from the way society has defined success. There is no specific correlation between success and lucrative careers. Many people agree with this, but less people actively carry out the idea and make money less of a factor in the equation.

Is STEM good for ADHD students? ›

Benefits of STEM Education for ADHD Students

For example, the 'flipped classroom' often used in STEM education classes works well for children with ADHD. In this model, the direct instruction component, such as reading and taking notes, is completed outside of the classroom at home.

Is STEM for gifted students? ›

STEM education encourages critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and applying knowledge to real-world scenarios through Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Activities that incorporate STEM can be enjoyed by students of all ages and skill levels.

What does a STEM classroom need? ›

To create a well-equipped STEM elementary classroom, it's important to have a variety of key supplies. Building materials, such as cardboard, popsicle sticks, and construction paper, provide a foundation for hands-on projects. Tools like scissors, tape, and glue enable students to bring their ideas to life.

What are the four STEM categories? ›

STEM degrees are college programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. STEM degrees have seen increasing demand in jobs for the last decade.

How to create a STEM lab? ›

How to set up a STEM Lab
  1. Get the furniture.
  2. Get STEM lab equipment.
  3. Get other equipment.
  4. Get a 3D printer (optional)
  5. Ready the curriculums.
  6. Create the atmosphere.
Jan 17, 2023

What is taught in a STEM class? ›

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education is an integrated, interdisciplinary, and student-centered approach to learning that encourages curiosity, creativity, artistic expression, collaboration, computational thinking, communication, problem solving, critical thinking, and design thinking.

What is STEM 6th grade? ›

6th Grade STEM -Science, Technology, Engineering & Math.

What are the learning areas in STEM? ›

STEM is an approach to learning and development that integrates the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Through STEM, students develop key skills including: problem solving. creativity.

What do kids do in a STEM class? ›

STEM is an acronym that stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. STEM subjects develop creators, thinkers, problem solvers, doers, innovators, and inventors. Exposing kids to simple STEM activities at an early age today sets a foundation for higher learning tomorrow.

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