Each fall, organizations and libraries across the state of Maryland hold special events that celebrate curiosity, innovation, and discovery in science, technology, engineering, and math (S.T.E.M) through the Maryland STEM Festival. In this guide you’ll find events by age group and interest to explore throughout the month.
The 2025 Maryland STEM Festival is packed with hundreds of events for kids, teens, and adults, from hands-on experiments and coding workshops to planetarium shows and robotics demonstrations. This guide will focus on events and activities in the Washington, DC metro area. Feel free to explore other Maryland STEM Festival events going on across the state through their main events page.
Notes: Links (blue text) will navigate to the event host’s website and/or other verified sites. Please make sure to click the links and confirm no additional updates have been made since the time of the last update for this post.
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In this Guide...
What to Know Before You Go
This year, the Maryland STEM Festival will be held from Friday, October 17th through Sunday, November 16th. This month long festival highlights events across the state of Maryland and beyond and the theme this year is ENERGY.
Most events are free and take place at local libraries; however, there are a few paid classes and workshops available as well.
I highly encourage you to review the list with your youngster to find themes and activities that interest them. Encourage them to try something new and make sure to discuss what they learn from the activity afterwards!
STEM Events by Age
All Ages Celebrations + Activities
- [Just Added] Friday (11/7) at 2:00 pm | STEM Festival ~ Chemistry Magic Show and Mathstravaganza at Stevenson University in Owings Mills
- The Chemistry Magic Show (2–3 PM) will showcase the magic of chemistry through demonstrations that make ordinary materials behave in extraordinary ways. The Mathstravaganza (3–4 PM) features hands-on math demonstrations that makes problem solving come alive. Explore the Monty Hall problem with jelly beans, create fractal patterns through the chaos game, experiment with bubble surfaces, investigate probability with Buffon’s needle using Pixy Stix, and more!
- Every Sunday in November | Celebrate Native American Heritage Month at KID Museum in Bethesda ($)
- [Just Added] Sunday (11/9) at 11:00 am | HCCS Robotics Team Demo at Howard Community College
- FIRST Lego League and FIRST Tech Challenge Robot Demo
- Saturday (11/15) at 11:30 am | Autumn Nature Crafts at Savage Branch Library in Laurel
- Drop in and make a variety of crafts with natural materials like pressed fall leaves and acorns. Learn why leaves change color and how to identify local trees in the process!
- [Just Added] Saturday (11/15) at 1:30 pm | Community STEM Day at Rockville Science Center
- [Just Added] Sunday (11/16) at 1:00 pm | MD STEM Fest: Closing Ceremony at Gaithersburg Library
STEM Activities for Young Kids & Elementary School Students (Ages 4-10)
Prince George’s County
- Wednesday (11/5) at 1:00 pm | STEM Fun: Snap Circuits at Mount Rainier Library
- [Just Added] Wednesday (11/5) at 3:30 pm | Legos: Bricks and Beyond at Beltsville Library
- Wednesday (11/5) at 4:30 pm | STEM Fun: Pumpkin Boat Challenge at Hillcrest Heights Library
- Thursday (11/6) at 4:00 pm | STEM Fun: Build and Create! at Bowie Library
- Saturday (11/8) at 1:30 pm | Legos: Fall Building Challenge at Oxon Hill Library (Best for ages 5+)
- [Just Added] Monday (11/10) at 11:30 am | Ready 2 Read STEM at Upper Marlboro Library (Best for ages 3-5)
- [Cancelled] Wednesday (11/12) at 6:00 pm | STEM Fun: Ozobots at New Carrollton Library
- Wednesday (11/12) at 6:00 pm | Science of Native Life at Baden Library in Brandywine ♥
- Using the techniques of experimental archaeology, we will take a deep dive into the lives of Native Americans living in the Chesapeake region 500 and more years ago.
- Wednesday (11/12) at 6:00 pm | Talking in Code at Upper Marlboro Library (Best for ages 7-10) ♥
- Get ready for a fun program from the National Cryptologic Museum about real-life heroes called Code Talkers! Discover how these brave Native Americans used secret codes in World War I and II to help protect our country.
- [At Capacity] Wednesday (11/12) at 6:30 pm | STEM Fun: Catapults at South Bowie Library
- Saturday (11/15) at 10:30 am | Be Excited about Math (B.E.A.M.) Fair at Oxon Hill Library ♥
- Families are invited to join a fun math event where K-5 students rotate through engaging math games led by math teachers and earn prizes.
- [Just Added] Saturday (11/15) at 11:00 am | STEM Lab: The Hidden Life of Spices at Upper Marlboro Library (Best for ages 7-12)
- Join a chemist from the American Chemical Society for a hands-on program on the chemistry of spices.
- [Just Added] Saturday (11/15) at 1:00 pm | STEM Fun: Snap Circuits at Mount Rainier Library
- Saturday (11/15) at 11:00 am | Ready 2 Read STEM at Laurel Library (Best for ages 3-5)
Montgomery County
- Wednesday (11/5) at 5:00 pm | Mini Makers at Rockville Library (Best for ages 6-10)
- [Just Added] Wednesday (11/5) at 6:45 pm | STEM for Kids at Wheaton Library! (Best for ages 6-12)
- [Just Added] Friday (11/7) at 11:00 am | Little Scientist Storytime at Gaithersburg Library (Best for ages 5 & under)
- [Just Added] Saturday (11/8) at 3:00 pm | Science Saturday – Egg Drop Engineering Challenge at Maggie Nightingale Library in Poolesville (Best for ages 6-10)
- Monday (11/10) at 4:00 pm | STEM at the Library: Catapults at Olney Library (Best for ages 6+)
- [Just Added] Saturday (11/15) at 10:30 am | STEM at the Library: LEGO & DUPLO Play at Chevy Chase Library
- This hands-on STEM program will provide children with the opportunity to use their critical thinking and problem-solving skills to achieve a result.
- [Just Added] Saturday (11/15) at 2:00 pm | Egg Drop Engineering Challenge: STEM at Germantown Library (Best for ages 5+)
- Learn how NASA engineers landed the most recent rover, Perseverance. Apply some of the same techniques they used to plan, build, and test out your very own creation.
More Maryland Events
- Thursday (11/6) at 5:30 pm | Is it AI? at Savage Branch Library in Laurel (Best for ages 6-11)
- Play a fun trivia game to learn how to identify AI generated images.
- Monday (11/10) at 10:00 am | Little Learners: STEAM, Play, & Learn: Patterns & Colors at Savage Branch Library in Laurel (Best for ages 3-5)
- Wednesday (11/12) at 2:00 pm | Make Your Own Wind-Up Toy at Severn Library (Best for ages 6-10)
- Make your own wind-up toy vehicle using the power of springs and rubber bands, and then compete to see whose runs the best!
STEM Activities for Middle School Students (Ages 11-13)
- [Just Added] Wednesday (11/5) at 4:00 pm | AI IRL.: Real Talk for Teens at Quince Orchard Library in Gaithersburg
- [Just Added] Wednesday (11/5) at 6:00 pm | STEM Lab: AI Adventures – Train Your Own Smart Bot at Fairmount Heights Library (Best for ages 11-17)
- [Just Added] Wednesday (11/5) at 6:45 pm | STEM for Kids at Wheaton Library! (Best for ages 6-12)
- [Just Added] Saturday (11/8) at 1:30 pm | Legos: Fall Building Challenge at Oxon Hill Library (Best for ages 5+)
- [Just Added] Saturday (11/15) at 11:00 am | STEM Lab: The Hidden Life of Spices at Upper Marlboro Library (Best for ages 7-12)
- Join a chemist from the American Chemical Society for a hands-on program on the chemistry of spices.
- Wednesday (11/12) at 4:00 pm | Tech Takeover Teen Lounge at Rockville Library (Best for ages 12+)
- Featuring VR headsets and 3d pens!
STEM Opportunities for High School Students (Ages 14-18)
- [Just Added] Friday (11/7) at 6:00 pm | Paranormal Librarians at La Plata Branch Library
- A hands-on ghost hunting experience! Participants will learn the methods used by professional paranormal researchers, including how to operate equipment such as EMF detectors, spirit boxes, dowsing rods, audio and video recorders, and trigger objects.
- Wednesday (11/12) at 4:00 pm | Tech Takeover Teen Lounge at Rockville Library (Best for ages 12+)
- Featuring VR headsets and 3d pens!
- [Just Added] Wednesday (11/12) at 4:00 pm | Careers & Opportunities from Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection at Brigadier General Charles E. McGee Library in Silver Spring
- Discover the possibilities in the environmental field for teens, tweens & adults!
Additional STEM Workshops
Coding & Tech
- Wednesdays at 4:30 pm | Coding with Python at Potomac Library (Best for ages 10-14)
- Free-to-attend six week course!
- Wednesdays (10/29, 11/5, 11/12, & 11/19) at 6:00 pm | Introduction to Cybersecurity at Energetics Technology Center in Indian Head (Best for middle school students)
- [Just Added] Wednesday (11/5) at 4:00 pm | AI IRL.: Real Talk for Teens at Quince Orchard Library in Gaithersburg
- Last session is Wednesday (11/12) at 4:00 pm.
Robotics
- Saturday (11/15) at 1:00 pm | WIE are Makers: Robot Cars at UMD College Park ($) (Best for grades 7th – 12th)
Engineering
- Monday (11/10) – Friday (11/14) at 10:00 am | Animal Architects: Engineering for Wildlife at the Maryland Zoo ($)
- This hands-on design challenge invites you to put your problem-solving skills to the test as you create innovative solutions to real-world challenges faced by our animal friends.
STEM-Based Places to Visit
- Sundays from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm | KID Museum in Bethesda – Tickets are $15 per person.
- I recommend this museum for older kids & teens! Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in October & Native American Heritage Month in November.
- They offer Sunday Workshops for an additional fee for elementary & middle school students too.
- Tuesdays – Sundays at 10:00 am | Maryland Science Center in Baltimore – Tickets are $21+ per person.
- Three floors filled with hands-on activities for kids of all ages to explore! Best in my opinion for elementary and middle school kids.
- Wednesdays – Mondays at 9:30 am | National Children’s Museum in DC – Tickets are $18.95 per person.
- Adding this one to list as well for the younger kids! There are many hand-on activities and STEM based stations as well.
- There’s a temporary exhibit featuring Thomas the Tank that’s open through January 2026.
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