STEM activities for kids inspired by Black innovators are a powerful way to spark curiosity and creativity at home. When families in Collier and Lee Counties pair real stories with simple projects, children see that scientists and inventors are regular people who use their imagination to solve problems and make life better for others.
Why connect Black innovators with hands-on activities?
When kids only read about history, the people they learn about can feel distant. But when they try STEM activities for kids inspired by Black innovators, those stories suddenly become personal and exciting. Your child is not just learning about someone else’s creativity—they are practicing their own.
Seeing a wide range of people represented in science, technology, engineering, and math helps children understand that innovation is not limited by race, background, or circumstance. These inventors and scientists often faced big challenges, yet they kept experimenting and creating. Talking about that resilience can encourage your child to keep trying, even when something feels hard.
As you explore these stories together, you also open the door to meaningful family conversations. You can talk about fairness, opportunity, and how small ideas can grow into something that changes the world. Each activity becomes a chance to practice problem-solving and empathy at the same time.
How do these activities build creativity?
Every project below connects directly to the work of a Black scientist, inventor, or explorer. That makes it easier for your child to see how imagination turns into real inventions. Instead of just hearing what someone discovered, your child tests ideas, observes what happens, and tries again.
These STEM activities for kids inspired by Black innovators are designed to be simple and flexible. You can use what you already have at home, adjust for different ages, and follow your child’s interests. The goal is not a perfect result—it is to encourage questions, experimentation, and playful learning.
10 Black innovators with creativity-boosting STEM activities
1. George Washington Carver: creative scientist and inventor
Known as the “Peanut Man,” George Washington Carver developed hundreds of products from peanuts, including peanut oil and paper. He also promoted sustainable farming practices that protected the soil and helped farmers grow more food.
- Try this: Crush roasted peanuts, wrap them in a paper towel, and press down with a heavy object. Watch the oil seep out and ask your child to imagine new products that could be made from peanuts or other foods.
2. Mae Jemison: first Black woman in space
Mae Jemison is an astronaut, physician, and engineer who became the first Black woman to travel to space in 1992 aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. She continues to encourage young people to dream big and pursue STEM.
- Try this: Make a simple “rocket” with a plastic bottle, baking soda, and vinegar. Set it up outside, stand back, and watch the reaction launch your mini rocket. Invite your child to design a mission for their rocket, just like Jemison did.
3. Garrett Morgan: traffic safety innovator
Garrett Morgan invented the three-position traffic signal, making roads safer for drivers and pedestrians. He also created a breathing device that later influenced modern gas masks.
- Try this: Build a traffic light model with cardboard, colored paper, and a flashlight. Let your child “direct traffic” with toy cars and brainstorm other inventions that could make roads safer.
4. Katherine Johnson: math that took us to the moon
Katherine Johnson was a mathematician whose calculations were critical to NASA space missions, including the Apollo 11 moon landing. Her work inspired the book and movie Hidden Figures.
- Try this: Draw a simple “space path” on paper and create a math problem that uses angles or distances. Have your child calculate and sketch the path a spacecraft might take, then decorate the page with planets and stars.
5. Benjamin Banneker: clockmaker and astronomer
Benjamin Banneker was a self-taught mathematician and astronomer who built the first clock made entirely in America. He also published almanacs with information about astronomy and weather patterns.
- Try this: Make a sundial with a paper plate and a pencil. Place it in a sunny spot and check the shadow throughout the day. Challenge your child to design and decorate a creative clock face of their own.
6. Dr. Patricia Bath: sight-restoring eye surgeon
Dr. Patricia Bath was an ophthalmologist and inventor who developed a laser technique for removing cataracts. Her work restored sight to many patients who might otherwise have remained blind.
- Try this: Build a simple pinhole “camera” using a shoebox, wax paper, and aluminum foil. Explore how light travels and forms images, then talk about why protecting our eyes and vision matters.
7. Lewis Latimer: lighting up everyday life
Lewis Latimer worked with Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell to improve the light bulb and telephone. His carbon filament invention helped light bulbs last longer and made electric light more practical for families.
- Try this: Use a battery, wires, and a small bulb to make a basic circuit. Encourage your child to experiment with turning the light on and off, then imagine how life changed when homes first had electric lights.
8. Marie Maynard Daly: heart health chemist
Marie Maynard Daly was the first Black woman in the United States to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry. Her research explored how hypertension affects arteries and how diet influences heart health.
- Try this: Test the acidity of everyday items such as lemon juice, vinegar, and baking soda using pH strips. Invite your child to sort foods into groups and talk about what helps keep hearts and bodies healthy.
9. Elijah McCoy: “the real McCoy” engineer
Elijah McCoy invented an automatic lubricator for steam engines that helped trains run more smoothly and efficiently. His work was so respected that people began asking for “the real McCoy.”
- Try this: Build a simple model train or car and talk about friction. Add a small drop of safe oil to gears in a toy and notice how smoothly they move, then ask your child where else reduced friction might help.
10. Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson: telecommunications trailblazer
Physicist Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson’s research led to advances in telecommunications technology, including innovations like touch-tone phones and fiber optics.
- Try this: Make a string telephone with two paper cups and a long piece of string. Pull the string tight and speak into one cup while your child listens in the other. Talk about how information travels along wires and cables today.
What’s your next step?
These stories and STEM activities for kids inspired by Black innovators show how imagination, persistence, and courage can change the world. Choose one or two innovators to explore this week, gather simple supplies, and let your child guide the questions and ideas.
Look for local museum programs, school events, and STEM nights in Collier and Lee Counties that highlight science and history. Check the Neapolitan Family events calendar for family-friendly opportunities, and keep returning to these activities all year long as you nurture your child’s creativity and love of learning.