As parents and educators, we always strive to encourage our children to pursue their passions, whether in art, literature, or sports. However, statistics show a worrying trend when it comes to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). While young girls are just as curious and capable as boys in these subjects, interest often drops off as they reach high school.
According to UNESCO, the average percentage of female students in STEM higher education is only around 35%. Furthermore, female researchers account for less than 30% of those in the field worldwide.
How do we fix this? Experts agree that representation matters. To boost female participation in STEM, we need to introduce girls (and boys!) to the brilliant female pioneers who shaped our world.
With the International Day of Women and Girls in Science approaching on February 11th, there is no better time to celebrate. Here are 10 hands-on Women in STEM activities that combine history, science, and fun to inspire the next generation of innovators.
1. Ada Lovelace: The First Computer Programmer
Before computers even existed electronically, Ada Lovelace saw the potential of the “Analytical Engine.” She is credited with writing the very first algorithm intended to be processed by a machine.
Activity: Binary Code Bracelets
Teach kids the language of computers! Computers speak in “Binary”—a series of 0s and 1s.
- What You Need: Pony beads (two different colors, e.g., Black and White), string or elastic cord, and a Binary Code Alphabet sheet (easily found online).
- The Mission: Assign one color to “0” and the other color to “1.” Have your child spell out their initials or a secret word using the beads.
- The Lesson: This teaches the fundamental concept of coding: that complex information can be broken down into simple two-way signals.
2. Marie Curie: The Queen of Radioactivity
Marie Curie is one of the most famous scientists in history. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different scientific fields (Physics and Chemistry). She discovered Polonium and Radium.
Activity: Q-Tip “X-Ray” Handprints
Curie’s work led to the development of X-rays. Let’s make a skeletal model!
- What You Need: Black construction paper, white paint (or chalk), Q-tips (cotton swabs), and glue.
- The Mission: Have your child trace their hand and forearm onto the black paper using white chalk. Glue Q-tips inside the tracing to represent the bones (phalanges) of the fingers and the arm bones.
- The Lesson: Discuss how X-rays allow doctors to see inside the body without surgery, thanks to radiation technology pioneered by Curie.
3. Katherine Johnson: The Human Computer
Made famous by the movie Hidden Figures, Katherine Johnson was a mathematician whose calculations were critical to the success of the first U.S. manned spaceflights.
Activity: Rocket Trajectory Challenge
Katherine calculated flight paths. Let’s see if we can calculate a landing!
- What You Need: Paper, tape, straws, and a target (like a hula hoop or a bowl).
- The Mission: Build simple paper airplanes or “straw rockets” (paper rolled around a straw). Place the target at different distances. Have the child predict (calculate) how hard they need to throw or blow to land the rocket in the target. Measure the distance of each flight.
- The Lesson: This introduces physics, aerodynamics, and the importance of precise calculations in space travel.
4. Jane Goodall: The Primate Observer
Jane Goodall is the world’s foremost expert on chimpanzees. She spent 60 years studying the social and family interactions of wild chimps in Tanzania.
Activity: Backyard Nature Journaling
Goodall’s greatest tool was observation.
- What You Need: A notebook, pencils, and binoculars (optional).
- The Mission: Go into the backyard or a local park. Ask the child to pick one animal (a squirrel, a bird, or even an ant). Sit quietly for 10-15 minutes and write down or draw everything the animal does. Do they eat? Do they interact with others?
- The Lesson: Science isn’t always about test tubes; sometimes, it is about patience and observing the natural world to understand behavior.
5. Rosalind Franklin: The DNA Decoder
Rosalind Franklin was a chemist whose X-ray diffraction images of DNA were crucial to the discovery of its double helix structure.
Activity: Candy DNA Models
Let’s build the building blocks of life.
- What You Need: Licorice sticks (or pipe cleaners), soft gummy candies (4 different colors to represent the 4 bases), and toothpicks.
- The Mission: Use the licorice as the “backbone” of the DNA. Pair the colored gummies (e.g., Red always with Yellow, Green always with Blue) and attach them with toothpicks between the licorice strands. Twist the whole structure to create a spiral.
- The Lesson: This visualizes the double helix structure and teaches how genetic information is stored.
6. Mae Jemison: The Star Voyager
Dr. Mae Jemison was the first African American woman to travel into space. She is also a physician and an engineer!
Activity: Constellation Geoboards
Mae looked at the stars; let’s map them out.
- What You Need: A piece of wood or corkboard, push pins, and rubber bands.
- The Mission: Print out a map of simple constellations (like the Big Dipper or Orion). Have the child place push pins into the board to match the stars, then connect them with rubber bands to reveal the shape.
- The Lesson: This combines astronomy with pattern recognition and fine motor skills.
7. Grace Hopper: The Bug Hunter
Rear Admiral Grace Hopper was a pioneer of computer programming. She is credited with popularizing the term “debugging” after pulling an actual moth out of a computer relay!
Activity: “Debug” the Maze
Teach logic and problem-solving.
- What You Need: Masking tape (to make a maze on the floor) or a printed maze on paper.
- The Mission: Create a maze. Place an obstacle (a toy bug or block) somewhere in the correct path. The child must write a “code” (instructions like: step forward, turn left) to navigate a toy robot or themselves through the maze. When they hit the obstacle, they must “debug” their code to find a way around it.
- The Lesson: This teaches algorithmic thinking and that making mistakes (bugs) is a normal part of the process that requires fixing.
8. Rachel Carson: The Environmental Protector
Rachel Carson was a marine biologist and conservationist whose book Silent Spring is credited with advancing the global environmental movement.
Activity: Water Filtration Experiment
Carson fought for clean ecosystems. Let’s clean some water.
- What You Need: A plastic bottle cut in half (top inverted into the bottom), cotton balls, sand, gravel, and “dirty” water (water mixed with dirt and oil).
- The Mission: Layer cotton, sand, and gravel in the inverted top part of the bottle. Pour the dirty water through and watch how clean it comes out into the bottom cup.
- The Lesson: This illustrates how pollution affects our water supply and how nature (and science) filters impurities.
9. Mary Anning: The Fossil Hunter
Mary Anning was a paleontologist who became known around the world for the finds she made in Jurassic marine fossil beds in England.
Activity: Salt Dough Fossils
Let’s go digging for dinosaurs!
- What You Need: Salt dough (flour, salt, water), plastic dinosaur toys or seashells.
- The Mission: Roll out the salt dough. Press the dinosaur toy or shell firmly into the dough to leave an imprint. Bake or let dry. You can then bury these in a sandbox for the kids to “excavate.”
- The Lesson: This explains how fossils are formed over millions of years and how we learn about creatures that lived long ago.
10. Zaha Hadid: The Queen of the Curve
Zaha Hadid was an Iraqi-British architect and the first woman to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize. She was known for her intensely futuristic architecture characterized by curving facades.
Activity: The Paper Structure Challenge
Engineering meets art.
- What You Need: Strips of paper, tape, and a small weight (like a toy car).
- The Mission: Challenge the child to build a bridge or a tower using only paper and tape. The catch? Try to incorporate curves or arches like Zaha Hadid, rather than just squares. Test if it can hold the weight of the toy car.
- The Lesson: This introduces structural engineering, geometry, and the concept that strong structures can also be beautiful.
Conclusion
The gender gap in STEM isn’t due to a lack of ability; it is often due to a lack of encouragement and visibility. By introducing children to Ada Lovelace, Marie Curie, Mae Jemison, and others, we show them that science is for everyone.
These activities are more than just crafts; they are seeds of curiosity. Whether your child is decoding binary bracelets or filtering water, they are walking in the footsteps of giants. So, grab your supplies and celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science—you might just be raising the next Nobel Prize winner!