Year-Round Activities
Year-Round Activities
Enjoy the resources below for year-round STEAM fun – as well as finding ideas for hosting your own Wisconsin Science Festival event!
Lesson Plans and Activities from Statewide Partners
Not sure what activity to present at your venue? Looking for creative ways to explore this year’s festival feature? Take a look at some of the great resources provided by our statewide partners!
Geology
The Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey has a great collection of educational resources related to the geology that shapes our state. Check a few of them out below:
- Sculpt Wisconsin’s aquifers using modeling clay (lesson plan)
- How to identify red granite (the Wisconsin state rock) (online activity guide)
- Hydrogeology of Wisconsin (online lecture)
- Getting hit by a meteorite – what are the odds? (lesson plan)
Physics
The UW-Madison Wonders of Physics program has put together numerous try-it experiments for kids on a variety of physics concepts as well as plenty of lesson plans for educators. Take a look through a few of them below or download the full PDF of home experiments:
- The Doppler Effect (at-home experiment)
- Make a Miniature Roller Coaster (at-home experiment)
- Full list of at-home experiments
- Activities and demos for educators
Music and Sound
The team at the Les Paul Foundation have compiled a whole series of activities and resources related to the inventions of Les Paul and the science behind sound and music for all ages:
- School-age activities and lesson plans
- Collegiate resources
- STEM-STEAM activities (includes Maker Kits)
Beesly Scavenger Hunt
Click on the image to download the PDF with everything you need to do a Beesly Scavenger Hunt!
- Print off the images included in the PDF and hide them around your location. These images all contain tips to help keep bees happy!
- Print and post the instructions page for your participants to better understand the mission. They need to locate the hidden letters in each image to unscramble a word (the answer is HONEYBEE in case you need to provide hints).
Wisconsin Science Festival Coloring Pages
Click on the images below to download our coloring pages. Share your artwork with us at info@wiscifest.org or tag us @WiSciFest on social media!
Design Your Own Mini Mural
Click on the image to view and download our mini-mural activity. The PDF includes directions, fun information about the project, an optional hand-out version of the project to be printed out, and materials needed!
Share your Statewide Science Story
In 2024, the Wisconsin Science Festival launched a new initiative, inviting event attendees to use art to share what science means to them. These science enthusiasts have become part of Beesly’s hive – visit our Statewide Science Stories page to scroll through and learn more about our science artists!
If you would like to join Beesly’s hive, simply download the coloring page attached and scan or send us a picture of your artwork along with your name, age, city, and what science means to you to info@wiscifest.org. Visit our science stories page to learn more.
Banner image by Ueda Photography.
