Everyone’s a Winner with STEAM Olympics

Every four years, the world comes together to witness the extraordinary athletic feats and heartwarming stories of perseverance at the Summer Olympics. From the thrilling sprints on the track to the grace of gymnasts in mid-air, the Olympics inspire us with the limitless potential of human endeavor. This global celebration of excellence and sportsmanship ignites a unique energy and excitement that transcends borders and brings people of all ages into the spirit of competition and camaraderie.

Inspired by the Summer Olympics, we’ve created our very own STEAM-Olympics! Feeling hot? Cool down with our STEAM-Olympics! If you’re feeling energized by the Summer Olympics buzz and can’t shake off the extra excitement, try one of our activities to let off some “STEAM!”

1. Hit the Floor…Skipping?

Create your own choreography for a gymnastics routine at home! You’ll get a perfect 10 using the Arduino Science Journal app on a smartphone to detect motion in this Summer Olympics version of Gyro-Gymnastics. How smooth are your moves?

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2. Set Sail for Fun

Even well-trained Olympic sailors need to catch some wind and you can too. Build your own water (or land) vehicle and harness the power of the wind to push it forward. Simply fill a shallow pan, bathtub or baby pool as your testing zone for an open-ocean adaptation of our Cupcake Delivery activity. Safety first: Make sure that electric fans are kept away from the testing pool! 

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Tip: Want to keep moving? Test out your triathlon skills in Motion Impossible as you travel over water, land, and air!

3. Young Athletes in Training

Feeling energetic from watching all the sports? Young learners, get your athletic training in as you practice the concepts of energy in this game of Energy Red Light, Green Light. Kinetic energy is a “green light” and potential energy is a “red light.” Ready, set, go!

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4. Mother Nature in the Lead!

What features in the natural world would help you design the best badminton shuttle? Consider the aerodynamics of a kingfisher as it dives into the water for prey, or maybe the skull of a woodpecker as it takes impact from drilling holes. Try our Biomimicry Mash-Up activity and see what features from different organisms can help you in different summer sports.

Here are a few of our favorite Olympic Mash-Up combos: 

• Cat + Tennis Racket (Cats can catch anything in the air, right?)
• Bamboo + Golf Club (Did someone say sustainable golf clubs?)
• Polar Bears + Sitting Volleyball Shorts (When you need to be agile and stable at the same time)

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5. Down to the Last Second

Which athlete was faster? Every second counts in the Olympics! Educators, challenge your students to create their own mechanical timers with our Count the Seconds lesson.

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