How It’s Made: STEM Videos for the Classroom

Inspiration can come from anywhere. When it comes to teaching kids to think like engineers, why not go straight to the source? Our list of STEM videos for the classroom aims to inspire STEM skills in students by covering a range of engineering accomplishments — everything from balloons to Tesla’s Model S electric car.

As educators looking to inspire STEM skills, we might be surprised at how readily our students absorb information in this format. If a few seconds of a video clip can instill an interest in engineering, it’s well worth it.

Introducing STEM to Elementary Students

LEGOs

Don’t tell the students this, but LEGOs aren’t just for children — they are a blast for everyone. Understanding how these little plastic toys are made is a fantastic way to introduce a passion for engineering and encourage hands-on stem education.

This elementary STEM video from The LEGO Group combines appealing visuals, great sound effects, and a clear voiceover to showcase how LEGOs are made.

Balloons

Balloons are a hot commodity for elementary students. Not only are they a birthday currency, but nothing attracts more attention than a renegade balloon, floating away into the sky.

This video from Insider walks you through the balloon-making process. It avoids complicated voice-over work and instead lets the high-quality imagery do the talking. Couple that with a quirky soundtrack and you’re sure to keep your student’s attention.

Ice Cream Sandwiches

Ice cream parties are the stuff of legend for elementary students. What better way to win the hearts, minds, and stomachs of your students?

This video from How It’s Made shows the entire process for making ice cream sandwiches in all its glory.

Honey

Food and bugs are sure to appeal to most of your younger students, so a video on how honey is made can’t go wrong.

This video from Discovery UK mixes honey, bees, and plenty of industrial machinery.

STEM Videos for Middle School Students

Glass and Glass Marbles

Watching someone manhandle molten glass on a stick is something out of this world.

This video from Discovery Channel’s Some Assembly Required shows how glass windows are made from sand to installation.

Matches

Sometimes the simplest things are the most interesting. Matches are not complicated devices, but making them is quite the effort!

This video from Insider on how matches are made will appeal to anyone with a mechanical mind — there’s plenty of industrial-sized shifters, shakers, conveyors, and chains.

Pringles

This video from How It’s Made breaks down the process of making Pringles. These oval-shaped, stackable chips present an interesting challenge for manufacturers.

Alternatively, this video from How It’s Made is a great look into how glass marbles are made.

Encourage High School Students’ Interest in STEM Skills

Laptops

It’s unlikely that any o`f our students could imagine life before computers. Whether it’s phones, laptops, desktops, or tablets, computers are everywhere.

This video from How It’s Made is a modern look at how laptops made for playing video games are crafted.

In addition, this video on how solid state drives are made is a perfect followup.

Space Pens

Covering the 1969 Moon Landing? An aside into how space pens came to be is a fascinating bit of history.

This video from How It’s Made explores the science behind space pens and finishes with a neat little demonstration of these pens writing underwater!

Steel (Steel Chains)

Who had any idea that making chains could be so complicated?

This video from How It’s Made walks us through the process from start to finish. If there’s a single video on this list aimed at those with a passion for mechanical engineering, it’s this one.

Watches

While smartwatches appear to be all the rage, many students may find the intricacies of watchmaking appealing.

This video from Bloomberg shows the immense complexities involved in luxury watchmaking. A great mix of beautiful imagery and excellent voicework makes for an excellent video.

Tesla’s Model S Electric Car

How do you go from a massive hunk of rolled steel to a cutting-edge electric car? A custom-built factory, filled to the brim with robots and advanced machinery. It’s an engineer’s utopia!

This video from Wired is a quick five-minute breakdown of how the Tesla Model S is made. It’s number one on this list and for good reason — watching robots build machines is just incredible.

Lava Lamps

This video from The Science Channel shows how a modern lava lamp is crafted and how we get those funky “lava” shapes.

STEM videos for the classroom can be an excellent way to inspire students to pursue an interest in engineering. Real-world STEM lessons can be fun, interesting, and educational. For some, engineering will just be a passing interest. For others, however, those few minutes spent learning how to make watches or a Tesla car could very well inspire a lifetime of discovery.