How to Build a Windmill Plus More STEM Activities for Kids

Are you looking for cool STEM activities for kids? Learn how to build a windmill plus find more free activities in the 4-H STEM Lab. This post is sponsored by HughesNet, a 4-H partner that has helped make the STEM Lab website possible.

What is the 4-H STEM Lab?

The STEM Lab is a joint effort of HughesNet (the country’s #1 provider of satellite Internet) and the National 4-H Council. HughesNet and 4-H have partnered together to create a great resource for STEM activities.

The STEM Lab is an online hub offering fun, hands-on STEM activities for kids ages 4-16. The activities and experiments were developed by top public universities and 4-H groups to spark kids’ interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).

HughesNet created STEM Lab with 4-H so that all children, no matter where they live, have access to hands-on experiential STEM learning. The company’s support of STEM education is part of its larger commitment to bridging the digital divide.

New activities are added to the STEM Lab website on an ongoing basis. Some of the activities are even developed by 4-H Youth in Action winners. Check out the Bean in the Bottle experiment or the Science Bug activity as examples. I love how 4-H allows kids to share their creativity!

How to Build a Windmill

How Can We Use Wind to Lift a Load? is one of the activities in the STEM Lab that my kids and I just had to test out. The goal of the activity is to build a windmill and use a pulley system to lift a bucket.

This STEM activity is recommended for grades pre-K to 2. (Each activity in the STEM Lab has age recommendations.)

Step by step instructions are given for one way to build a windmill. A materials list and pictures are also included.

What I love about this project is that the developers suggest a modification for older youth. Have them reverse engineer their designs from the picture to create their own windmills.

That’s what I had my 8 year old do. I gave him materials (he was free to ask for different ones as well) and challenged him to build a windmill.

Aiden based his design off of the windmill my 4 year old and I built together following the directions in the STEM Lab project.

Watch the video of Aiden building his windmill.

Both of my kids started by decorating the windmill bases. The STEM Lab directions recommend a 16 oz cup or an oatmeal container. We found 2 suitable containers in our recycling bin.

The next step was to cut out and decorate the pinwheel portion of the windmill. The project directions have a pinwheel template. Click on “Activity Downloads” at the top of the project page.

Use a straw, skewer, or pencil to build your pinwheel.

Attach the pinwheel to your base to create the windmill.

Use a small paper cup to create a bucket to lift with your windmill. Attach it with string.

After you build the windmill, the fun doesn’t stop there. It’s time to test it out. The STEM Lab project page includes “Questions to Engage Youth.” These question extend the activity and help kids make connections.

How many pennies can your windmill lift? How long does it take to lift the pennies? Can you change the design to make your windmill faster or stronger?

The optional add-ons in the materials list included a fan, so of course we had to see how our windmills would work with a fan. The kids found it much easier than using their own breath.

Want to know more about the science behind windmills? The STEM Lab project page has an “Explanation” section that provides more information. This section will help you understand what’s going on in your design and can help you make improvements.

More STEM Activities for Kids from the 4-H STEM Lab

Next up on our list is to make a Science Bug Necklace. This project adds in an art component so it’s a STEAM activity. Kids learn about circuits, LEDs, and electricity as they design a light up bug necklace. So fun!

Be sure to check out all of the cool, hands-on STEM activities and experiments in the 4-H STEM Lab brought to you by HughesNet.

Learn more about HughesNet on their website: https://www.hughesnet.com/

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