oshc activities
Theme days / After School Quick STEM

After School Quick STEM ideas for OSHC

37 DIY activities for a after school quick stem at before and after school care or vacation care, usually run around August or Any time / National Science Week (August). Pick and mix, or build a balanced day in one click.

Build a After School Quick STEM
Coding Unplugged · Robot Day · Cooking Day +2

Algorithm Sandwich

Children write precise step-by-step instructions to make a sandwich, then an educator follows them literally.

IndoorModerateSome prepPrep to Year 6Science Week · Science Day · After School Quick STEM

Bending Pencil Illusion

Children place a pencil in a glass of water and see it appear to bend, learning how light changes direction in water.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6Science Day · Volcano Day · Science Week +2

Bicarb Soda Volcanoes

Children shape a volcano around a bottle and make it erupt with bicarb soda and vinegar, exploring chemical reactions.

OutdoorModerateSome prepPrep to Year 6Chocolate Day · Science Week · Science Day +2

Chocolate Melting Experiment

Children predict and test where chocolate melts fastest, such as in the sun, the shade or in their hands.

EitherCalmGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6Magic Day · Science Day · Milk Day +3

Colour-Swirling Milk Magic

Children add drops of food colouring to milk, then touch it with soapy cotton buds and watch the colours burst and swirl like magic.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6After School Quick STEM · Science Week · Science Day +3

Cup Tower Book Challenge

Children engineer a tower from cups and card strong enough to hold a book, testing ideas about balance, load and stable bases.

IndoorModerateGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6Corn Day · Science Week · Science Day +1

Dancing Corn Experiment

Children watch corn kernels rise and fall in fizzy water and explore why.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6Milk Day · Science Day · Science Week +2

Exploding Colour Milk

Children drop dish soap into coloured milk and watch the colours burst outwards in bright patterns.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6Wizard School Day · Science Day · Halloween +3

Fizzing Potion Making

Children mix coloured vinegar into bicarb soda to brew bubbling magical potions.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6New Year's Party · Science Day · Science Week +2

Fizzing Soda Fountains

Children drop mint lollies into bottles of soft drink and watch foamy fountains erupt, then compare which drinks fizz highest. A loud, splashy way to ring in the new year.

OutdoorHighSome prepYears 4 to 6Science Day · Rocket and Plane Day · Science Week +2

Fizzy Canister Rockets

Older children add a fizzing tablet and water to small snap-lid canisters and watch the gas build up and pop the lids skyward.

OutdoorHighSome prepYears 4 to 6Coding Unplugged · Robot Day · Puzzle Day +1

Grid Coding Mazes

Children use arrow cards to code a path across a grid, guiding a classmate or toy to a goal.

IndoorModerateGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6Healthy Heart Day · Science Day · Science Week +1

Heart Rate Check

Children measure their pulse before and after exercise to see how activity changes their heart rate.

EitherModerateGrab-and-goYears 4 to 6Science Day · Science Week · After School Quick STEM +2

Homemade Lava Lamps

Children layer oil and coloured water in a bottle, then drop in a fizzing tablet to make bubbly blobs rise and fall.

IndoorCalmSome prepPrep to Year 6Robot Day · Coding Unplugged · After School Quick STEM +2

Human Robot Coding

One child is the robot and the others give step-by-step arrow commands to guide them across a grid, learning the basics of coding without screens.

EitherModerateSome prepPrep to Year 6Halloween · Science Day · Science Week +3

Lolly Colour Chromatography

Children separate the hidden dyes in coloured lollies using filter paper and water, discovering the colours inside.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goYears 4 to 6After School Quick STEM · Games Day · Board Games Day +2

Number Card Maths Game

Children use a deck of coloured number cards to play quick adding and multiplying games, turning maths practice into friendly competition.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goYears 4 to 6After School Quick STEM · Paper Crafts Day · Challenge Day +2

One-Sheet Paper Chain

Teams try to make the longest possible paper chain from a single sheet, planning how to cut and join strips for maximum length.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6Messy Play Day · Science Week · Science Day +3

Oobleck Exploration

Children mix cornflour and water into a strange goo that feels solid when squeezed but runs like liquid when relaxed.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6Rocket and Plane Day · Flying High · Paper Crafts Day +3

Paper Plane Challenge

Children fold and test paper planes, adjusting their designs to fly furthest, stay up longest or loop the loop.

EitherModerateGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6Science Week · At the Building Site · Teamwork Day +2

Peg and Pop Stick Tower

Children build the tallest tower they can using wooden pegs and pop sticks, testing balance and structure.

IndoorModerateGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6Cooking Day · Pi Day · Puzzle Day +1

Pizza Fraction Game

Children divide paper pizzas into fractions and match slices, making maths hands-on.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goYears 4 to 6Corn Day · Science Week · Movie Day +1

Popcorn Science

Children watch kernels pop and measure how much volume they gain.

IndoorCalmSome prepPrep to Year 6Brick Building Day · Challenge Day · Block World Day +1

Random Brick Challenge

Children build something using only 20 randomly drawn bricks.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6Challenge Day · Science Week · Science Day +3

Spaghetti and Marshmallow Tower

Teams race the clock to build the tallest freestanding tower from dry spaghetti and marshmallows, testing engineering ideas.

IndoorModerateGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6After School Quick STEM · Science Week · Science Day +3

Spaghetti and Tape Tower

Small teams build the tallest free-standing tower they can from dry spaghetti and tape, learning about triangles, bracing and teamwork.

IndoorModerateGrab-and-goYears 4 to 6Inventors Day · Challenge Day · Teamwork Day +3

Spaghetti Marshmallow Tower

Teams build the tallest freestanding tower from dry spaghetti and tape that can hold a marshmallow on top.

IndoorModerateGrab-and-goYears 4 to 6Challenge Day · Science Week · At the Building Site +3

Straw Bridge and Tower Challenge

Teams build the strongest bridge or tallest tower using only straws and tape, then test it to see how it holds up.

IndoorModerateGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6Space Explorers · Rocket and Plane Day · Science Week +2

Straw Rockets

Children make paper rockets that slide over a straw and launch them with a puff, measuring how far each one flies.

IndoorModerateGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6Balloon Day · Science Week · Rocket and Plane Day +3

String Balloon Rockets

Children tape a balloon to a straw on a string line and let it go, watching it zoom along and exploring how air pushes it forward.

IndoorModerateGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6Science Week · Science Day · After School Quick STEM +1

Surface Tension Coin Drops

Children predict and count how many water drops fit on a coin before it spills, discovering how water holds together.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6Brick Building Day · Challenge Day · One-Minute Challenge Day +2

Timed Brick Challenges

Children take on timed building challenges such as the tallest tower, a bridge or a vehicle that rolls furthest.

IndoorModerateGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6Wheels Day · Science Week · Planes, Trains and Automobiles +1

Toy Car Ramp Science

Children test how ramp height and surface change how far toy cars travel, measuring and recording their results.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goYears 4 to 6After School Quick STEM · Science Week · Science Day +2

Twisted Paper Loop Magic

Children make a twisted paper loop, predict what will happen when they cut it, then discover the surprising one-sided shape that results.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goYears 4 to 6Science Week · Rainbow Day · Science Day +1

Walking Rainbow

Children watch coloured water climb up paper towel bridges between cups and mix into new colours over time.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6Rainbow Day · Science Week · After School Quick STEM +1

Walking Water Rainbow

Children watch coloured water travel along paper towels between cups and mix into new colours. Simple science with wow factor.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6Science Day · Science Week · After School Quick STEM

Weekly Science Session

A regular hands-on experiment session where children try safe kitchen-cupboard science and talk about what they discover.

IndoorModerateSome prepPrep to Year 6