Christmas science lab
The STEM Advent Calendar
24 days of fake snow, six-armed snowflakes, snow globes and ornaments. One small experiment behind every door, from 1 December to Christmas Eve.
Every door hides a hands-on activity you can do with things from the kitchen, the craft box and the recycling bin. Weekdays are short (10 to 20 minutes), and the bigger projects, like baking ornaments and making snow globes, fall on weekends. Every door has real science inside: chemistry, physics, maths and a little engineering.
Open a door
Tap a door to open it.
All the Christmas experiments
Let it snow
Snow & Ice
Snow you can make at the kitchen table, snowflakes with the right number of arms, and a blizzard that falls in slow motion.
How to Make Fake Snow (+ a Fizzing, Melting Snowman)
Two ingredients, cool to the touch, and a snowman that fizzes away when you add vinegar.
5 amazing balloon experiments
Christmas extension: static electricity makes tissue-paper snowflakes jump and dance.
How to Make Sugar Crystals (Rock Candy) - Easy STEM Experiment
Christmas extension: grow sparkly crystal candy canes to hang on the tree.
How to make a Lava Lamp
Add white paint and silver glitter, and the lava lamp becomes a snowstorm in a jar.
Make it, then gift it
Santa's Workshop
Ornaments, decorations and little presents children can make themselves, each with a bit of science folded in.
How to Make an Origami House: Easy Step-by-Step Guide
Christmas extension: fold a whole gingerbread village from brown paper.
How to make Christmas Reindeer Decoration
Three cinnamon sticks make a reindeer that makes the whole room smell like Christmas.
How to make a Pinecone Christmas Tree
Tiny trees from a winter walk, and a pinecone that opens and closes with the weather.
How to Make a Toilet Roll Christmas Tree
A table-top tree from cardboard rolls, with a counting puzzle hiding in every row.
How to Make Colored Rice (Easy Rainbow Sensory Activity for Kids)
Christmas extension: a red, green and gold sensory bin full of hidden jingle bells.
Launch, light and decode
Christmas Engineering
Catapults, circuits and secret codes for children who would rather build the present than wrap it.
How to Make a Popsicle Stick Catapult (Easy STEM Project)
Christmas extension: a snowball catapult and a paper-cup snowman to knock down.
Heat Conduction Experiment: Metal vs. Wood vs. Plastic
Christmas extension: a hot chocolate spoon race. Metal, wood or plastic: which wins?
How to Make a Potato Battery (Step by Step + Diagram)
Push the LED through a paper star and light the top of your Christmas tree with potatoes.
Caesar Cipher Wheel: Free Printable Template & Secret Codes
Write a coded Secret Santa clue that tells someone where their present is hidden.
Möbius Strip: Make Paper With Only One Side
Cut red, green and gold Möbius loops into a garland full of surprises.
Write Your Name in Binary
String your name in red and white beads: a 1 for every red, a 0 for every white.
Free 4-page printable
The STEM Advent Calendar
Stick it on the fridge and let your child colour in a door each day. The second page has every day's mini instructions, so you can plan the week and gather materials in advance.
Why waiting is good for children
Advent is a month of waiting, and that is a gift in itself. Psychologists have found that looking forward to something nice can bring as much joy as the event itself.
Waiting is also a skill that grows with age and practice. Young children wait more easily when the wait has a shape: one small thing to do each day, a door to open, a box to tick. That is exactly what an advent calendar gives them.
Count the doors that are left together, let your child do the ticking, and talk about what they are looking forward to.
Workshop rules
- A grown-up stays in the workshop for every experiment.
- Hot jobs (the oven, hot syrup, hot chocolate, glue guns) belong to grown-ups.
- Beads, glitter, jingle bells and other small parts are not for children under 3.
- Only taste what is food. Fake snow and salt dough are for hands, not mouths.
Behind every door there is a question worth asking. Happy experimenting, and Merry Christmas!