Christmas Science Activities – 3 easy last minute ideas

by | Dec 21, 2022 | Science

Christmas is such a fun time to celebrate. But heading towards the end of the year, it can be tough to keep students engaged in the classroom. Even harder because we are also ready to wind down for the Christmas break!

But don’t worry! I’ve got your back.

Here are 3 of my favourite last minute Christmas Science Activities for less than $5!

Christmas science activities blog

Disclaimer: This blog post, ‘Christmas Science Activities – 3 easy last minute ideas’, may contain affiliate links. This means I may receive a small commission on qualifying purchases. This is of no extra cost to you and it helps me to continue writing awesome content for you! Read full disclaimer here.New Science Teacher Advice

Christmas Science Activities for

Middle School

1. Christmas “chemis-tree” Bauble 

These chemis-tree baubles are perfect for helping students summarise their learning and understanding. While I like to call them ‘chemis-tree’ baubles, you can actually use the same concept for any topic or subject.

All you have to do is have students cut some circles, write down a key word on each circle and fill it with everything they know about that key word. 

Then, students fold them all in half and glue them together to make the bauble.

If you want one specifically for the periodic table then follow this link. 

Or sign up to my email list below to get my FREE template you can use for any subject or topic. 

Christmas bauble activity

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    2. Digital escape rooms

    Digital escape rooms are my absolute favorite resource to use in my class. They are engaging for students and promote problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and collaboration. They are also no-prep for you as they are self-marked and also come with a full set of teacher answers in case students need help along the way. 

    Here are some great digital escape rooms for middle school science that you can use regardless of what topic you are up to:

    Christmas Science Activities Digital Escape Rooms

    See my other digital escape rooms here.

    What is needed to access the digital escape room?

    Students just need access to a device with internet access. While the escape room uses a Google Form, students are not required to sign in so they don’t need an account to play. It is designed to be zero prep for you – just share the link with students and away they go!

    What does the digital escape room consist of?

    The activity contains a set of tasks students must complete in order to ‘escape’.

    Answers are entered into a Google Form (provided). The task cards are included digitally within the Google Form, but a pdf version of the task cards and answers is also included for you.

    Why use science digital escape rooms?

    1. It is zero prep! Just share the link with students and away they go!
    2. It is a fun and engaging way for students to review content.
    3. It builds student skills in problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaboration.
    4. It can be used in a wide range of environments including in the classroom, online learning, homeschooling, and distance education.
    5. It is self-marking.
    6. Full teacher answers included.

    3. Two-player racing quiz

    2-player racing games are an awesome way to engage students and revise content and key terms. You can build them yourself in Google sheets or purchase them for a few dollars.

    This bundle includes 3 racing games on the scientific method and branches of science in Christmas themes including reindeers, snowmen and gingerbread men.

    Christmas Science Activities

    meet the teacher handout template

    Why use Christmas Science Activities 2-player race games?

    1. They are zero prep! Just share the link with students and away they go!

    2. They are self-marking which means no marking for you and immediate feedback for students.

    3. They are fun and engaging for students.

    4. They can be used in many environments, including in the classroom, online learning, homeschooling, and distance education.

    5. Full teacher answers included.

     

    What is needed to access the science Christmas activity 2-player game?

    Students need access to a device with internet access and a Google account (students can get a Google account for free).  The 2-player game uses a Google Sheet, so it will ask students to log in to save the activity to their Google Drive.

     

    What does this science Christmas activity bundle consist of?

    The activity contains 3 different 2-player games in Thanksgiving themes.

    1. Reindeer – This includes key terms and vocabulary related to the Scientific Method
    2. Snowman –  This includes key terms and vocabulary related to the Scientific Method (note: these are different terms to the Reindeer quiz)
    3. Gingerbread man – This includes the branches of science and the titles of job roles in scientific fields

    Each game contains a set of definitions or descriptions and students must fill in the key term for each one. Each correct answer (in any order) will move their image upwards. The player who answers all questions correctly first and gets their thanksgiving character to the top, wins. 

    Christmas Science Activities

     Conclusion

    Preparing middle school Christmas Science Activities doesn’t have to be an onerous task. Just grab one of the above resources and watch your students engage and have fun this Christmas!

    Christmas Science Activities 

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    Written by Katrina

    Katrina Harte is a multi-award winning educator from Sydney, Australia who specialises in creating resources that support teachers and engage students.

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