S.T.E.A.M. Play - DuPage Children's Museum | Hands-on Activities

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S.T.E.A.M. Play

Explore a variety of hands-on activities that cover the topics of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. From Squish Painting to experimenting with Chromatography, there’s a little something for everyone.

DIY Sidewalk Chalk

Watch creativity bloom when you mix up this fun DIY Sidewalk Chalk Paint.

Sensory Light Box

Boxes are magical for young children and so are small cozy spaces where they can hide, play, read, and dream. Let kids get creative, use imagination, and make their own special place.

Chromatography Experiment

Did you know that some colored markers are made using more than one color? Try this simple Chromatography experiment to see for yourself!

Taste-Safe Aquafaba

This stuff is taste-safe and produces lots of fun fluff! Sensory play can be fun for all ages. Check out the video for a recipe for sensory foam made from aquafaba – the thick liquid that results from soaking or cooking legumes, such as chickpeas a.k.a. garbanzo beans.

Tube Puppets

The show must go on! No puppets at home? Say “encore!” to cardboard tubes and recycle them into fantastic finger puppets. Imagine, design, create, and put on a show!

Ice Cube Painting

Ice Cube Painting is a “cool” activity to try with your kiddos! Making and then playing with ice is scientific observation in its purest form.

Include your child in the making of the cubes so that they can observe them change from liquid to solid to liquid again. Sounds simple, but these simple experiments that promote open ended exploration allow children to seek answers to their own questions and that is the most powerful type of learning.

Squish Painting

Children love to squish and squash – it makes hands-on activities super fun! This is a great activity for artistic exploration. Talk about what happens when paint squishes and about how the colors mix. The most exciting part is the mystery and anticipation that comes with revealing the final painting!

For older children you can take it a step further. Art and math collide with the beautiful symmetry of Squish Painting. This activity is a great opportunity to talk about math concepts like fractions (when you fold the paper in half) and symmetry (the end result). Have fun!