Sunshine and Science – Free Summer STEM Activities
Sunshine & Science: Free Summer STEM Activities for Families
Looking for simple ways to keep STEM learning going over the summer?
Sunshine & Science is a free collection of family-friendly STEM activities from Switch Classroom. Each volume helps kids explore energy at home through hands-on activities, simple investigations, and real-world questions.
Whether your family is building circuits, testing solar ovens, exploring wind, or looking at how energy is used around the house, these activities make summer learning feel practical, curious, and fun.
What Is Sunshine & Science?
Sunshine & Science is Switch Classroom’s yearly summer publication for families. Each summer, we release a new volume with fresh, hands-on STEM activities that help kids explore energy at home.
The series began with Volume 1 in 2024, continued with Volume 2 in 2025, and Volume 3 is coming in summer 2026.
Each volume includes activities families can do together using accessible materials, guided questions, and links to free Switch Classroom resources. Kids can practice science, engineering, observation, data collection, and problem-solving while learning how energy shapes the world around them.
Sunshine & Science: Volume 1
Volume 1 is a great place to start. Families explore foundational energy topics like:
- What energy is and where we use it
- Home electricity use
- Mining and natural resources
- Natural gas and biofuels
- Solar energy
- Wind energy and engineering
From completing a home electricity audit to building a solar oven or testing windmill designs, Volume 1 helps families connect energy concepts to everyday life.
Sunshine & Science: Volume 2
Volume 2 adds even more hands-on energy activities for families, with projects connected to:
- Thermal energy and insulation
- Family energy conservation
- Play-Doh circuits
- Coal mining models
- Density and energy density
- Nuclear chain reactions
- Passive and active solar energy
This volume is full of kitchen-table STEM activities, simple models, and investigations that spark conversation across all ages.
Sunshine & Science: Volume 3 Is Coming Soon
We’re already working on Sunshine & Science: Volume 3, coming in summer 2026.
Like the first two volumes, Volume 3 will include new free STEM activities for families to use at home during the summer. Check back soon for more ways to explore energy, science, and engineering together.
Keep Exploring Energy Together
Switch Classroom is a free, nonpartisan online resource that helps students and families better understand energy. Sunshine & Science is one more way to bring that learning home during the summer.
Explore the current Sunshine & Science volumes, try an activity together, and keep the curiosity going all summer long.
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