Just because school’s out for the summer doesn’t mean learning should stop, too, especially since continued learning can help counteract that dreaded summer learning loss.

Here’s a list of 24 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) activities that we highly recommend you introduce to your child or student this summer.

• Make Your Own Lava Lamp: For kids, lava lamps never go out of style. Using every-day household items, use these instructions to have your student build his or her very own lava lamp. Enjoy the show! 

• Find the Best Buy: Help your student learn how important math is in the real-world with this activity that encourages them to find the best deal. To make the activity even more fun, use real incentives to have your child guess correctly--like a get-out-of-chores free pass!

• Inspire Budding Engineers with ‘Bridge Construction’ Activity: Using only two pieces of paper, three styrofoam cups and 12 pennies, you can teach your budding engineer the basic science behind bridge construction. 

• Teach Geometry with Candy: It might not seem like geometry and M&Ms have anything in common, but this activity combines the two to make learning the concepts of the concepts of diameter, division and radius both fun and tasty. 

• Learn the Basics of Programming for Free: Want to teach your student a little bit about computer science? Alice.org "provides tools and materials for teaching and learning computational thinking, problem solving, and computer programming across a spectrum of ages and grade levels.” After downloading the free software, children can learn the basics of programming typically taught in an introductory course for free. 

• ’Try on a Career’ with Engineer Girl: EngineerGirl.com is a great resource for getting young girls into STEM. Introduce your child to the many different career paths available to them in the field of engineering. By “trying on a career,” girls will learn about the kinds of skills and lifestyles that different engineering careers require as well as introduces girls to other famous women in the field. 

• Exploring STEM Careers for All: This resource is not gender specific and encourages all students to learn about the different career options available in STEM fields. The site’s resources include teaching students about real-world experiences, scholarships available to them and how to do self-learning exercises outside of the classroom.

• Ask Dr. Universe Anything: Inspire your child’s creativity by introducing them to Ask Dr. Universe, a fun site run by Washington State University that encourages students to ask Dr. Universe questions for an e-mail response. Through the site’s search and explore function, children can see what other questions about the universe have been asked pertaining to a series of categories. Without a doubt, this site is likely to keep kids entertained for hours. 

• Use Science Buddies for Project Ideas: All out of science experiments to try? Have no fear- Science Buddies is determined to help brainstorm project and activity ideas.

• Learn About Using Math in ‘Real Life:' One of the reasons why a lot of students are hesitant to get into math is because of the stigma that it won’t be used in real-world applications. Break that mode of thinking by introducing you child to WeUseMath.org. 

• ’Mars Explorers Wanted’ Posters: Introducing your child to these ‘Mars Explorers Wanted’ posters from NASA is certain to capture your child’s attention and pique interest in learning about the beyond. 

• Fireworks in a Jar: A great activity, especially for the firework-heavy month of July. 

• Teach the Importance of Protecting the Earth: Unfortunately, kids might not be learning all they need to know about climate change in the classroom due to the highly politicized nature of the conversation. Do your part to keep learning happening by introducing your child to The Greens, a site that inspires kids to protect the planet through a web series and corresponding games.

• Maker Activities!: As part of the National Week of Making, the White House has compiled a list of making events, many of which span the entirety of the summer. See here to find a making activity occurring near you. 

• 5 Unique Careers in Mathematics: Graduates of bachelor’s degree programs are prepared for a wide variety of careers in mathematics. Not only do professionals with a strong background in mathematics often have expertise working with numbers and complex mathematical concepts, but they may also possess highly valued skills in logic, problem-solving, critical thinking, and analysis.

• Ultimate Boredom Buster: 101 Things to Do When Kids Are Bored:  List of some of our favorite activities to try if you don’t know what to do with bored kids, especially if you’re stuck at home.

Related Resources:

• 50+ Genius STEM Activities for Kids 
• 20 Super Cool Summer STEM Activities 
• 7 STEM Apps for Students 
• 31 Days of STEM Activities for Kids
• 32 Cool Science Experiments for Kids (that are Fun AND Easy!)

Nicole Gorman, Senior Education World Contributor