Halloween STEM activities for kids

1. Spooky Arduino buzzer tune

Ages 8+ · 10 minutes

What kids learn: Arrays, loops and the tone() function: every note is just a number (its frequency in hertz).

1. Open the buzzer experiment in Circuit Shala.
2. Replace the sketch with the code below.
3. Press Run and turn the sound on. Then change the numbers to write your own creepy tune.

int buzzer = 8;
// Low and creeping... then a scream!
int notes[] = {220, 262, 247, 220, 196, 220, 165, 880};
int beats[] = {400, 400, 400, 400, 400, 400, 800, 300};

void setup() {
  for (int i = 0; i < 8; i++) {
    tone(buzzer, notes[i], beats[i]);
    delay(beats[i] + 50);
  }
}

void loop() {
}

Open the buzzer experiment →

2. Jack-o'-lantern night lamp

Ages 8+ · 15 minutes

What kids learn: Light sensors and if/else: the LDR reads how bright it is, and the code decides when the pumpkin glows.

1. Open the night lamp experiment in Circuit Shala.
2. Replace the sketch with the code below and press Run.
3. Drag the Light Level (A0) slider down to make it dark. The LED flickers like a candle inside a pumpkin.

void setup() {
  pinMode(13, OUTPUT);
  Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop() {
  int light = analogRead(A0);
  if (light < 300) {
    // Dark: flicker like a candle in a pumpkin
    digitalWrite(13, HIGH);
    delay(120);
    digitalWrite(13, LOW);
    delay(40);
    digitalWrite(13, HIGH);
    delay(200);
  } else {
    digitalWrite(13, LOW);
    Serial.println("Too bright for ghosts...");
    delay(200);
  }
}

Open the night lamp experiment →

3. Glowing monster eyes

Ages 7+ · 5 minutes

What kids learn: Timing with delay(): short and long pauses turn one LED into a blinking monster.

1. Open the blink experiment in Circuit Shala.
2. Replace the sketch with the code below and press Run.
3. Try making the stare longer or the blinks faster.

void setup() {
  pinMode(13, OUTPUT);
}

void loop() {
  // Two quick blinks, then the monster stares...
  digitalWrite(13, HIGH);
  delay(150);
  digitalWrite(13, LOW);
  delay(150);
  digitalWrite(13, HIGH);
  delay(150);
  digitalWrite(13, LOW);
  delay(1500);
}

Open the blink experiment →

4. Pumpkin abacus math

Ages 5+ · 10 minutes

What kids learn: Place value and adding with carries, using Halloween word problems.

1. Open the 3D abacus in Free play.
2. Show each problem on the abacus, then open the answer to check.

Open the 3D abacus →

5. Drone pumpkin run

Ages 8+ · 15 minutes

What kids learn: How a quadcopter climbs, hovers and lands: throttle, pitch and roll.

1. Open the flight simulator in Drone Shala and press Arm Motors.
2. Take off, then fly low (under 3 m) over each of the three pumpkins to light it up.
3. With all three glowing, land softly on the orange H pad to finish the Halloween mission.
4. The pumpkins appear on the flight field every year from October 20 to 31.

Open the flight simulator →