Christmas Activities for Science - Middle School LOW PREP & Last Minute

These SUPER fun and easy-to-step-up Christmas Holiday Science Activities are the perfect way to spend the week before break. Students will love this collection of activities that does not sacrifice learning for fun. Make science ornaments, play holiday games, Christmas STEM and STEAM, and Forensic Science Christmas activity all included. NINE Activities included!

Activities Included:

1. Forensic Science Christmas Activity
2. Milk Plastic Biology Ornament
3. Copper Patina Science Ornament
4. Crystal Snowflake Science Ornament
5. Science Ugly Christmas Sweater Activity
6. Christmas Science Crossword Puzzle
7. Holiday Science Two Truths and a Lie (Plus Christmas Break Countdown)
8. Holiday Science BINGO
9. German Candle Pyramid STEM Activity

Forensic Science Christmas Activity

Looking for a FUN Forensic Science Christmas Activity? This public-school, low-prep activity is EASY to set up and FUN for students! Students will use brown paper bags to investigate the fat content of cookies. This information will be used to solve a holiday mystery. Then, students will examine motives for each suspect in the mystery and write a short article. Your students will love this Holiday-themed, engaging FUN FORENSICS activity... NO ONE DIES! This activity aligns with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and is perfect for integrating STEM into your Holiday-themed lessons.

The Story:

Help! Just before the Holiday Cookie Contest is about to begin, volunteers realize that a prankster took the Nutrition Facts labels and used them to make paper snowflakes! They need your help to quickly identify which label goes with which cookie….

Activity 1:

Analyze fat content of cookies and then match labels to cookies.

Activity 2:

Examine the motives of suspects and write a short newspaper article to share the details.

Milk Plastic Biology Ornament

These milk-plastic Christmas ornaments are easy to make! Students will end up with a really great-looking ornament. Students can make different colors of milk plastic to create patterns and decorate their ornaments, or they can each make one color and swap colors with a friend. Using cookie cutters to form the shape, each student will end up with a terrific-looking finished product (check out the thumbnail photos!) that they will cherish for years to come! The ornaments also make lovely gifts ♥️ Even the students who are challenged with creativity will have a fabulous-looking end product - this is a fool-proof STEAM project!

Copper Patina Science Ornament

This easy, fun chemistry activity uses easy-to-find materials (copper foil, salt, and ammonia). The end result is an amazingly beautiful ornament (check out the thumbnail photos!) that students will cherish for years to come! The ornaments also make lovely gifts ♥️ Even the students that are challenged with creativity will have a fabulous-looking end product - this is a fool-proof STEAM project!

This resource begins with background information on copper and how patina forms on copper. Then students make observations about copper foil. Ornaments are made by cutting the foil into a Christmas-y shape. Templates for the shapes are provided for students to cut and trace onto the copper foil. The students then treat the copper with salt and ammonia and allow the patina to develop over a period of 24-48 hours. Follow-up discussion questions are provided, along with ways to extend the fun with more hands-on learning.

Snowflake Crystal Science Ornament

Looking for a SNOWFLAKE CRAFT that's as unique as a snowflake itself? Try this Social-Emotional Learning Holiday STEAM Activity! Students will love making their own snowflake science ornaments and learning how we, just like snowflakes, are shaped by our journeys. This activity includes a nonfiction reading passage about Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl that shared her challenging story through her diary.

This EASY Christmas STEAM activity uses only the ingredients: borax and water. You will also need pipe cleaners, a skewer, and a 3-cup heat-proof cup, such as a styrofoam cup. Step-by-step instructions with photos and a SNOWFLAKE Identification Guide are included!

This Holiday Social Emotional Learning Snowflake Craft takes a good look at snowflake formation and relates snowflakes to our own personal journey!

These crystal snowflake Christmas ornaments are easy to make! On Day 1, students will create a pipe cleaner snowflake and place it in a borax solution. Then, wait 1-2 days for the crystals to form. Each student will end up with a terrific-looking finished product (check out the thumbnail photos!) that they will cherish for years to come! The ornaments also make lovely gifts ♥️ Even the students that are challenged with creativity will have a fabulous-looking end product - this is a fool-proof STEAM project!

Science Ugly Christmas Sweater Activity

Looking for a FUN, NO PREP activity to celebrate the holidays? Your students will LOVE this Ugly Christmas Sweater for Endangered Animals. This resources includes 30 nonfiction reading comprehension passages and ugly sweater templates (what...? endangered animals wearing Christmas sweaters?!...how fun and adorable!) This is a conservation meets fashion Christmas-themed activity!

What Will Students DO?

1. Read a 2-page, high-interest, nonfiction reading comprehension passage about an endangered or threatened animal
2. Design an ugly Christmas sweater using the knowledge gained from the reading passage, using symbols, patterns, and colors that represent the assigned animal
3. Decorate a unique and adorable ugly Christmas sweater for their assigned animal using the ugly sweater template for their animal
4. Students present their sweaters and share their knowledge with the class

Christmas Science Crossword Puzzle

Looking for a touch of Christmas Holiday fun without sacrificing learning time? I hear you! This Christmas Science Crossword Puzzle is just the ticket! Made for middle and high school students, it combines relevant science facts directly related to the Christmas holiday. It’s a print-and-go activity, no setup involved. Perfect for class parties, incentives or just some fun!

5 Versions Included:

• Black and White
• Color
• No Word Bank
• Word Bank
• "Christmas" and "Holiday" Versions

Holiday Science Two Truths and a Lie (Plus Christmas Break Countdown)

Add this to your list of PUBLIC SCHOOL FRIENDLY Holiday Activities for Middle and High Schoolers! Kids LOVE Two Truths and a Lie (seriously... who doesn't?). This set is unique - it is all about HOLIDAY SCIENCE! Offer your students a playful brain break, use these for Holiday bellringers (warm-ups) or use them for a classroom game before Winter Break. BONUS: Includes Countdown Slides!

What's Included?

• 20 Fascinating Two Truths and a Lie Questions related to Holiday science
• 23 Countdown Slides that can be used with the Two Truths and a Lie Question (see preview for more details)
• Easy-to-Understand Explanations for Two Truths and a Lie Questions
• Editable text
• Beautiful, high-quality images

Holiday Science BINGO

Looking for a touch of Holiday fun without sacrificing learning time? I hear you! Holiday Science Bingo is just the ticket! Made for middle and high school students, it combines relevant science facts directly related to the holidays. It’s a print-and-go game, no setup involved. Perfect for class parties, incentives or just some fun!

What's Included:

• 30 Unique Bingo Cards in black and white and color
• 1 Teacher Calling Card with prompts and answers

German Candle Pyramid STEM Activity

Anytime is the perfect time to make a German Christmas Pyramid, a fun Christmas or Holiday STEM (or Christmas STEAM activity). This hands-on activity will help students understand how thermal energy can be converted to mechanical energy to do work. Perfect for the holidays or anytime! Includes BONUS CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) graphic organizer - 4 versions!

Students will build a German Christmas pyramid (AKA German Candle Pyramid, German Candle Windmill, German Christmas, Carousel) using easy-to-find materials. Then students will perform tests to find the relationship between the amount of thermal energy and the mechanical energy produced. T

Included in the Product:

• Introductory information on energy conversions
• Step-by-step instructions, with photos, for building the German Christmas pyramid
• Hands-on experiment to investigate the relationships between the amount of thermal energy and the mechanical energy
• Data tables for recording data and comparing/analyzing
• Discussion questions
• "Make Connections" section answering the following questions:
• How does a German Candle Pyramid work?
• What are the variables in a controlled experiment?
• Why does warm air rise?
• Extension activities

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