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10 FREE Online Science, STEM, STEAM Classes for Kids- September and October 2024

If you are looking for a little something extra for your kids in the science, STEM, and STEAM department, then this post is for you! I've rounded up 10 different online classes that your child can try for FREE this fall. 

Science inspired book clubs, princess and wizard STEM, dinosaurs, biology, current scientific research and more! 

Use my code: MSSARAH2020 for a $20 credit you can use towards any class on Outschool. (New enrollments only.) Each of the classes I've listed in this post are $20 or under. Use your credit to try a class for FREE! 

FREE online science STEM STEAM Class for kids


STEM, STEAM and Science Fantasy Fun!

Who says you can't mix in a little fiction with your science? Check out these magical classes: 

In this class for ages 7-10 kids will complete fun STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) projects through scientific spells, potions and alchemy! Learn more here.

This class/book club combines reading comprehension with STEM and STEAM projects for ages 6-9. Learn more here.

We love the Zoey and Sassafras books! A great combination of fantasy and science for young readers. 
(Learn more about this book series in these blog posts: Design an Insect Investigation with Zoey and Sassafras: NGSS Linked Activity and this one, perfect for fall: Monsters and Mold: An Apple Experiment)

Hands-on STEM projects with a princess!! For ages 4-9. Learn more here

Hands-on STEM and STEAM projects through storytelling for ages 7-11. Learn more here. 

Use my code: MSSARAH2020 for a $20 credit you can use towards any class on Outschool. (New enrollments only.) Each of the classes I've listed in this post are $20 or under. Use your credit to try a class for FREE! 

FREE online science STEM STEAM Class for kids


Classes for Kids Wild About Animals and Dinos


Students travel back in time to learn about dinosaurs and fill in their dinosaur field guide along the way. For ages 4-8. Learn more here. 

Investigate a new ocean animal each week in this science and art class for ages 4-9. Learn more here. 

Use my code: MSSARAH2020 for a $20 credit you can use towards any class on Outschool. (New enrollments only.) Each of the classes I've listed in this post are $20 or under. Use your credit to try a class for FREE! 



Free Online Science Classes


Maybe you're looking for a science curriculum. Check out these Hands-On Science courses. 
Hands-On Science 4/5! for ages 8-11, or Hands-On Science 6/7! for ages 10-13. 

In Biology for Beginners: Life Science for Curious Learners students learn the basics of life science, including classification and observation skills, etc. For ages 7-10. Learn more here. 

Learn about the human body by building models with play dough for ages 6-11. Learn more here. 

What an awesome opportunity to think like a scientist! In this class for ages 10-13 students discuss current scientific research in articles adapted for kids. Learn more here. 

Use my code: MSSARAH2020 for a $20 credit you can use towards any class on Outschool. (New enrollments only.) Each of the classes I've listed in this post are $20 or under. Use your credit to try a class for FREE! 


Funding for Online Science Classes

Be sure to use the code: MSSARAH2020 when you checkout on Outschool to redeem your $20 credit. This code is only valid for students who have not enrolled in an Outschool class before. If you did not see something you liked in this post, there are so many other courses available! The $20 credit will work towards any class, in any subject.  

If you are in search of additional funding for Outschool online classes, and live in Arizona, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Indiana or New Hampshire you can use your ESA funds through Classwallet for Outschool Classes. You'll find more information here



Solar Oven Recycled Crayons Activity

Recycling your bits of broken crayon into new crayons is always a fun activity. Have you ever built a solar oven to recycle your crayons in? 

When the sun is hot and you're looking for something to do with your kids or students, this makes for an engaging STEAM project. Not only will you create something new that you can make art with, there are science and engineering concepts inherent in each step of the process. Plus, making crayons in the solar oven is adaptable across a wide range of ages.

Create an engineering challenge out of designing a solar oven, or build a simple one and focus on the science of heat transfer, phase changes and melting point. If the kids are really young it is a great opportunity to identify and sort colors. 

solar oven recycled crayons STEAM activity

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Build a Solar Oven

First, decide how you will go about building your solar oven. You can make this an engineering challenge in and of itself. I had kids build them annually for years and it is always a super engaging learning experience. You can see how I've given students a solar oven engineering design challenge here

While I enjoy seeing kids create their own solar oven designs, this time around we were focused on the recycled crayon portion of this project. So we built a solar oven out of a pizza box with these directions from Science Buddies. 

solar oven recycled crayons STEAM activity

solar oven recycled crayons STEAM activity
solar oven recycled crayons STEAM activity


Preparing the Crayons for Recycling

First you'll need to gather up the bits and bobs of crayons from the crayon box. This crayon prep work is excellent for small hands. 

We measured to determine which crayons were keepers and which would be recycled. Then we made sure all the crayons that we were using to recycle had been peeled. 

solar oven recycled crayons STEAM activity

Next we sorted the crayon bits by color. There is a lot of discussion surrounding this. Do they have to be the same shade of the color? Can you make a rainbow crayon? The sky is the limit here, so anything goes. 

solar oven recycled crayons STEAM activity

solar oven recycled crayons STEAM activity

Then we put the sorted crayons into our silicone mold. You can use any shape silicone mold, or even a muffin tin. If you choose to use a muffin tin, spray with cooking spray ahead of time to assure your new crayons slip right out. 

solar oven recycled crayons STEAM activity

We like this set of molds that looks like building bricks and LEGO mini-figures. We got ours on Amazon, but you can find silicone molds in a variety of shapes anywhere they sell candy making and baking supplies. 

solar oven recycled crayons STEAM activity

As you can see the silicone molds are a bit stained. They have been used to make milk plastic (the directions for milk plastic can be found in the STEAM Kids activity book, which you can find digitally here or in print here) and many times for recycled crayons. The silicone molds work great for this, but I would suggest dedicating a set specifically for craft projects and science experiments and not for food.

Make Recycled Crayons with Solar Power

Find a spot that will remain sunny for several hours. Take note of the direction and angle of the sun and set up the oven where the sun is shining down. You may need to adjust the position of your oven throughout the day as the sun shifts. You can even build a sundial while you wait for your crayons to melt! 

solar oven recycled crayons STEAM activity

How long does it take before your crayons begin to melt? You may want to put a thermometer inside your oven, or use an infrared surface thermometer and periodically check the temperature. 

solar oven recycled crayons STEAM activity

Once the crayon bits have turned completely into a puddle, then very carefully move the solar oven into the shade, or bring it inside where it is cooler. We brought ours inside in the late afternoon. Just to be sure we didn't break any bits that hadn't solidified all the way we waited until the following morning to pull them out of the mold. 

solar oven recycled crayons STEAM activity

Once they are completely cooled, carefully pull them out of the mold.  

solar oven recycled crayons STEAM activity

solar oven recycled crayons STEAM activity

solar oven recycled crayons STEAM activity

Time to color!

solar oven recycled crayons STEAM activity

solar oven recycled crayons STEAM activity


Science Lessons with the Solar Oven

There are so many learning opportunities within this project. You could think about melting point and phase changes. With older children this may lead to further study. Check out this middle school lesson about melting point from the American Chemical Society. Or try this melting point experiment I like to do around Thanksgiving with pop-up poultry timers. 

With younger children a discussion about melting point and phase change could include a simple experiment to see what materials melt in the heat of our hand. Does our hand make as much heat as the Sun? Does a crayon melt in our hand? How about a chocolate chip?  Different materials have different properties. 

We also took the opportunity to discuss why the construction paper had changed color after being exposed to the sun for hours. If this is something you observe, you could continue this study by making nature prints with construction paper and natural objects in the sun. Or you could extend this idea to help answer the question, "Why do we need sunscreen?" and experiment with sunscreen and construction paper. 

solar oven recycled crayons STEAM activity

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solar oven recycled crayons STEAM activity