FUN VALENTINE’S DAY STEM ACTIVITIES

Feb 10, 2025

Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity to mix fun, learning, and a little bit of science! Engaging children in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) activities with a Valentine’s Day twist helps spark curiosity while celebrating the holiday in an educational way. Whether at home or in the classroom, incorporating hands-on experiments can make the day even more special. If you’re looking for exciting Valentine’s Day STEM activities, here’s a simple yet fascinating experiment that teaches scientific concepts in a fun and festive way.

Crystal growing is a fantastic way to introduce children to chemistry while creating a beautiful, heart-shaped keepsake. This activity teaches kids about supersaturated solutions, evaporation, and the formation of solid structures from liquid.

• Pipe cleaners (preferably red, pink, or white)
• Borax powder
• Boiling water
• A glass jar
• A pencil or popsicle stick
• String

1. Shape the Heart – Bend a pipe cleaner into a heart shape. Ensure it’s small enough to fit inside your glass jar without touching the sides.
2. Prepare the Solution – Boil about two cups of water and carefully pour it into the jar. Slowly add borax, stirring until it dissolves completely. Keep adding borax until no more will dissolve—this creates a supersaturated solution.
3. Suspend the Heart – Tie one end of a string to your heart-shaped pipe cleaner and the other end to a pencil or popsicle stick. Place the stick across the top of the jar so the heart dangles in the solution without touching the bottom or sides.
4. Let the Crystals Form – Leave the jar undisturbed overnight. As the water cools and evaporates, crystals will begin to form on the pipe cleaner.
5. Admire Your Work – By morning, you’ll have a beautiful, heart-shaped crystal decoration! Remove it from the jar, let it dry, and enjoy the sparkling results.

This experiment demonstrates how a supersaturated solution works. When hot water dissolves borax, it holds more of the substance than it could at room temperature. As the solution cools and the water evaporates, borax particles settle onto the pipe cleaner, forming solid crystals. This is the same process that occurs in nature when minerals crystallize to form geodes.

Incorporating Valentine’s Day STEM activities helps children develop problem-solving skills, creativity, and a love for learning. Science experiments like crystal growing introduce foundational chemistry concepts in a hands-on way, making learning feel like play. By connecting STEM with a holiday kids love, we make education more engaging and memorable.

At Children’s Learning Adventure, we believe in making education fun and exciting every day! Our STEM-based programs encourage hands-on learning, critical thinking, and creativity through interactive experiences. If your child loves exploring science and discovery, enroll in one of our engaging STEM programs today! Visit Children’s Learning Adventure to learn more about how we make learning an adventure.