Juniors
STEM
Junior STEM Career Exploration Activities for Kids
Explore the Future
Now complete this challenge about making a difference in a STEM career.
(Leverage the video above to help your planning.)
Activity Details
Time needed: 60 minutes
Materials needed:
- For the Computer Science Challenge: Paper, pencil and the STEM Field Sheet: Computer Science handout
- For the Creative Technology & Design Challenge: Paper, pencil, colored pencils, and a ruler or measuring tape
- For the Engineering Station Challenge: Building supplies like blocks, toilet paper tubes, dowels, newspaper, tape, scissors, string, etc.
- For the Food & Agriculture Challenge: Paper, pencil, and assorted snack or food items, like fruit, pretzels, M&Ms, etc.
Important Note: Snacks and food should be prepared with considerations for food allergies such as nuts and gluten.
- For the Health & Wellness Challenge: Paper and pencil
- For the Nature & Environment Challenge: Paper, pencil, and colored pencils
- Computer or internet-connected device to look at profiles of women working in STEM and stream videos in the list below.
Video List :
- Computer Science: Allie K. Miller, US Head of AI Growth for Startups and Venture Capital at Amazon
- Creative Technology & Design: Mitu Khandaker, CEO of Glow Up Games and Assistant Professor at NYU
- Engineering: Aisha Lawrey, Senior Director, Programs and Scholarships at the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME)
- Food & Agriculture: Chavonda Jacobs-Young, ARS Administrator and Acting USDA Chief Scientist
- Health & Wellness: Kirsten Tulchin-Francis, Engineer and Biomechanist at Scottish Rite for Children
- Nature & Environment: Kris Inman, Manager of Strategic Partnerships and Engagement at the Wildlife Conservation Society
For a longer list of videos for each field, check out the list at the bottom of each section in the activity.
Setup:
STEM has helped us discover everything from things smaller than our eyes can see to bones of dinosaurs that lived millions of years ago and things as big as a new planet. People have discovered new animal and plant species here on earth and entire galaxies far away from our own.
You can use also use STEM to invent and build new things that make life easier and more fun, like bicycles, airplanes, and board games.
Activity:
Explore careers in STEM by learning about six different STEM fields, watching a video from a STEM professional and completing a challenge for each field.
Field 1: Computer Science
The field of computer science focuses on the study of computers, the internet, and how they’re used. There are programmers, whose job it is to write code that can build websites, animate movies, design apps, program video games, and so much more. There are also cybersecurity professionals whose job it is to keep computer networks, systems, and information safe.
Here are some ways you can make a difference with a career in computer science:
- Build devices: Computer hardware engineers design, develop, and test computer parts, such as keyboards and memory chips. They stay on top of what’s new and innovative in tech to make sure the new device, like a phone, tablet, or computer, can run the latest apps and other programs.
- Design robots: Roboticists build robots that can do jobs that are too hard, dangerous, or boring for humans.
- Solve cybercrimes: Digital forensics experts search for digital clues to keep us, our computers, and all of our data safe.
- Keep data safe: Cryptographers write code, or instructions, to encrypt sensitive data (that’s information!). This keeps the data safe from hackers and provides privacy for people and businesses.
To explore what it’s like to have a career in computer science:
- Check out the IF/THEN Ambassador profile and watch the video for Allie K. Miller, US Head of AI Growth for Startups and Venture Capital at Amazon.
- Take a look at the STEM Field Sheet: Computer Science handout and write your name in Morse code.
- Optional: Share your encrypted message with someone else to see if they’re able to decrypt it.
If you want to learn more about the field, check out these other profiles and videos from IF/THEN Ambassadors:
Field 2: Creative Technology & Design
The field of creative technology and design combines art, design, and computer science to create things that are both useful and fun, from apps to sound effects. For example, people working in the field might build clothing that lights up or that responds when the weather is hot or cold. They might design buildings or new products, from sneakers to lighting systems, using computer software. They might even build their ideas with technology like a 3D printer.
Here are some ways you can make a difference with a career in creative technology and design:
- Code apps, websites, or video games: Programmers write code to design things that are both useful and fun, from creating an app, website, or video game to animating a movie or TV show.
- Create digital designs: Tons of jobs use technology to bring an idea to life! Architects use computer software to sketch building plans. Entertainment engineers create museum exhibits that light up and respond to the viewer.
- Design clothing and products: Industrial designers might use a 3D printer to build a new pair of sneakers. Fashion designers might use sensors to create clothing styles that react to changes in weather and body temperature.
- Create sound effects: Sound producers build the noises you hear in movies, TV shows, and video games. They use computers and other technology to record the sounds before carefully mixing them to fit the project.
To explore what it’s like to have a career in creative technology and design:
- Check out the IF/THEN Ambassador profile and watch the video for Mitu Khandaker, CEO of Glow Up Games and Assistant Professor at NYU.
- For the challenge, pretend you’re creating a new piece of art made of stained glass that can light up!
- Create a design with different shapes to fit into a rectangular window.
- Measure how much wiring you’ll need to outline the shapes.
If you want to learn more about the field, check out these other profiles and videos from IF/THEN Ambassadors:
Field 3: Engineering
The field of engineering focuses on building things like bridges, cars, and other products. Engineers look for ways to improve and create new products that make life easier and more efficient. They may work in many different areas, with careers designing things like prosthetics for the medical field, agricultural systems to grow more food, or clean energy systems that aren’t harmful to the environment.
Here are some ways you can make a difference with a career in engineering:
- Understand our world: Chemical engineers work in chemistry, physics, and biology to design new foods, medicines, and materials.
- Build our world: Civil engineers design infrastructure like bridges, water systems, and roads.
- Power our world: Electrical engineers build electronics like motors and sensors.
- Invent our world: Mechanical engineers create all types of machines, from batteries to refrigerators.
To explore what it’s like to have a career in engineering:
- Check out the IF/THEN Ambassador profile and watch the video for Aisha Lawrey, Senior Director, Programs and Scholarships at the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME).
- For the challenge, use materials from your house to build a prototype of a bridge that can reach across two chairs.
If you want to learn more about the field, check out these other profiles and videos from IF/THEN Ambassadors:
Field 4: Food & Agriculture
The field of food and agriculture focuses on growing, cooking, and consuming food. While you may think of a chef, baker, or farmer, there are tons of careers that help to feed the world!
Here are some ways you can make a difference with a career in food and agriculture:
- Cook and bake: Chefs and bakers have the important job of making food that’s delicious! A baker makes tasty food using algorithms (recipes!) and the science of mixing different ingredients together. Research chefs create and test new recipes and menus for places like restaurants and hotels.
- Farm in a city: Urban farmers create green space in vacant lots, backyards, and even rooftops to create gardens and farms in city settings.
- Design new recipes: Food scientists come up with new flavors and food combinations to create a new dish or product to be made in a factory.
- Grow more food: Agricultural engineers find new ways for farmers to grow food and feed more people, like using drones or vertical farming.
To explore what it’s like to have a career in food and agriculture:
- Check out the IF/THEN Ambassador profile and watch the video for Chavonda Jacobs-Young, ARS Administrator and Acting USDA Chief Scientist.
- We have five basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. Umami is a kind of savory flavor. For this challenge, identify one food item in your house for each flavor category.
If you want to learn more about the field, check out these other profiles and videos from IF/THEN Ambassadors:
- Magan Lewis, Integrated Field Sciences Global Innovation Lead at Corteva Agriscience
- Helen Tran, Postdoctoral Scholar at Stanford University (she uses tech to help agriculture!)
Field 5: Health & Wellness
The field of health and wellness focuses on helping people. Medical professionals specialize in all different things, like treating patients (children, adults, or the elderly); studying a disease, such as cancer or diabetes; or becoming an expert on a part of the body, like the heart (cardiology) or brain (neurology).
Here are some ways you can make a difference with a career in health and wellness:
- Help others to be healthy: You might first think of being a doctor or nurse, but there are tons of jobs in medicine! For example, a sports conditioning specialist trains athletes to be game-ready and stay safe on and off the field.
- Practice a specialty: Cardiologists are doctors that focus on the heart, and speech-language pathologists work with children and adults who have issues with speech, language, and swallowing.
- Cure diseases: Medical scientists conduct research to investigate how to treat and prevent people from getting sick.
- Invent medical devices: Biomedical engineers solve health-care problems by designing things like prosthetics and artificial organs.
To explore what it’s like to have a career in health and wellness:
- Check out the IF/THEN Ambassador profile and watch the video for Kirsten Tulchin-Francis, Engineer and Biomechanist at Scottish Rite for Children.
- For the challenge, find out how many times your heart beats in a minute. First, place two fingers between the bone and the tendon over your radial artery, located on the thumb side of your wrist.
- When you feel your pulse, count the number of beats in 15 seconds.
- Multiply this number by 4 to calculate your beats per minute.
Tip: If you’re having a hard time finding your pulse, try doing some jumping jacks first!
If you want to learn more about the field, check out these other profiles and videos from IF/THEN Ambassadors:
- Joyonna Gamble-George, Health Scientist at the National Institutes of Health (she studies diseases!)
- Ana Maria Porras, Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow at Cornell University (she’s a biomedical engineer!)
- Dorothy Tovar, Graduate Student at Stanford University (she studies microbiology and infectious diseases!)
Field 6: Nature & the Environment
The field of nature and the environment focuses on science, nature, space, and the outdoors. People in this field might look at rocks and fossils, study plants or animals, go to space, or explore the ocean. There are also people whose job it is to take care of all different types of animals.
Here are some ways you can make a difference with a career in nature and the environment:
- Care for animals: Some people have jobs that focus on helping animals—a veterinarian treats household animals like cats and dogs, a zoologist studies bigger animals like elephants, and a marine biologist looks at aquatic animals.
- Study earth and climate: Meteorologists predict weather and learn about how it affects the earth and people. Environmental scientists study how problems like pollution affect nature and human health.
- Explore the universe: Aerospace engineers are experts on flight and help astronauts travel to space. They develop, design, test, and produce aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, missiles, and defense systems.
- Protect nature: Conservation scientists are experts on how best to use land without hurting the soil and water. They work at parks and forests to help communities have enough water, minerals, trees, and other resources for today and tomorrow.
To explore what it’s like to have a career in nature and the environment:
- Check out the IF/THEN Ambassador profile and watch the video for Kris Inman, Manager of Strategic Partnerships and Engagement at the Wildlife Conservation Society.
- Scientists and others who work in nature sometimes create field maps as part of their field notes. Field notes help them to collect data and remember what they observed. For the challenge, create a quick field map of your home or room.
- Write down any observations, questions, and things you notice.
If you want to learn more about the field, check out these other profiles and videos from IF/THEN Ambassadors:
- Kiki Jenkins, Associate Professor at Arizona State University (she’s a marine scientist!)
- Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Steward Observatory at the University of Arizona (she’s an astrophysicist!)
- Kimberley Rain Miner, Physical Scientist and Research Assistant Professor at the Department of Defense and the University of Maine
And that’s it! You've explored how STEM can help to make a difference, and now you know more about careers in STEM. Even more, you’ve watched videos to hear directly from STEM professionals and completed challenges related to six different fields of STEM.
If you had fun doing this, you might want to continue exploring your interests and how you can change the world with the Junior STEM Career Exploration badge.
If you want to continue learning more about STEM, search for STEM Journeys and Badges for Juniors on the Girl Scout Award and Badge Explorer.
Troop Leaders: The instructions for all badge steps are available free of charge in the Girl Scout Volunteer Toolkit.
Girl Scout Activity Zone activities have been adapted from existing Girl Scout programming.
Adapted from Steps 2 and 3 of the Junior STEM Career Exploration badge. Contact your troop leader or your local Girl Scout council to become a Girl Scout member and learn all the requirements needed to earn the badge.
Made possible by a generous grant from Lyda Hill Philanthropies.
Explore more activities.
