STEAM for Sustainable Development (UNESCO, 2024)
UNESCO's official document on STEAM and the SDGs. The most authoritative source to cite in proposals and policy reports.
Download documentFree Teaching Resource Library
The world's most useful free STEAM resources, curated into a usable shortlist
For parents, teachers and education institutions across Asia-Pacific. We've tracked, read and verified these free STEAM resources so you don't have to. Organised in five phases by use-case to save you time.
Join AAES on LINE to get every new free STEAM resource and teacher-training update first.
PHASE 01
Build global perspective: how STEAM is defined worldwide
Best starting point if you're designing a curriculum, writing a proposal, applying for funding, or explaining STEAM to parents. Four authoritative international references.
STEM.org Official Site
The world's earliest STEM accreditation body. Standards, frameworks and authoritative reports — essential when establishing teaching standards.
Visit websiteNSTC CoSTEM (US White House)
The interagency STEM committee under the US White House OSTP. Useful for understanding national-level STEM strategy.
View policyU.S. News Best STEM High Schools
See how leading STEM high schools allocate faculty, equipment and interdisciplinary resources — a useful benchmark.
View rankingPHASE 02
Teaching in the AI era: turn AI into a real classroom tool
From assessment scales and AI literacy programmes to global STEM educator communities and industry policy reports — find the entry point that fits your school and age group.
Leon Furze: AI Assessment Scale v1
Widely cited 5-stage AI scale for educators, helping you decide how much AI involvement is allowed in student work.
View scaleAI Literacy Day Resources
Official global AI Literacy Day resources — ready-to-use classroom activities, videos and discussion prompts.
Visit websiteNASA STEM Engagement
NASA's free K-12 STEM library covering space, Earth science and engineering — high-quality reference material.
Open libraryMicrosoft Education STEM Resources (Traditional Chinese)
Microsoft Education's STEM page in Traditional Chinese with tool tutorials, lesson templates and curriculum scaffolds.
Visit websiteMicrosoft Education Workshop
Microsoft's official online educator workshop — a fast on-ramp into integrating digital tools in teaching.
Visit websiteTiny Thinkers: benefits of early STEM
Research-backed benefits of early STEM education — great material when explaining the 'why' to parents.
Visit websiteUS Department of Education — Green Strides STEM
Resources connecting sustainable schools and STEM teaching from the US Department of Education.
Visit websiteSTEAM Japan
Long-running Japanese STEAM education media and community — see how arts, local culture and tech meet the classroom.
Visit websiteWe Are Teachers — STEM column
A widely-read US teacher publication. The STEM column is full of grade-aligned activities you can use immediately.
Visit websiteThe Sector — STEM column
Australian early-childhood industry media with STEM case studies and policy updates relevant to centre operators.
Visit websiteSTEAM Powered Family
A family-facing STEM learning community with at-home activities and parent-friendly material.
Visit websiteJoin AAES on LINE to get every new free STEAM resource and teacher-training update first.
PHASE 03
Ready for the classroom: free international videos, hands-on activities and coding tools
From US science museums and public television to MIT, these free resources offer experiments, full lesson plans, coding tools and science videos for a curious start to class. Most are in English; preview them before choosing clips.
Hands-on activities: easy-to-find materials and clear steps
Steve Spangler Experiments
Classic demonstrations from a US science educator, with materials and explanations for lesson openings or science-week activities.
View experimentsScience Buddies
A large collection of science projects and hands-on activities, organised by difficulty with material lists for science fairs and interdisciplinary work.
Visit websiteExploratorium Science Snacks
Build your own versions of museum exhibits using simple materials, with instructions from San Francisco’s Exploratorium for inquiry-based teaching.
View instructionsTheDadLab
Short experiments using household materials, easy to follow for early-years and primary extensions or to recommend to families.
Visit websiteKiwiCo DIY
Free activities from a US STEM kit brand, covering science, engineering and arts-and-crafts.
View activitiesFull lessons and teaching plans: ready for preparation
PBS LearningMedia
Videos, lesson plans and interactive resources from US public television, organised by grade and subject.
Open libraryMystery Science
Science lessons for primary teachers combining guided videos and hands-on activities; some lessons are free.
Visit websiteTED-Ed
Animated lessons on science, mathematics and critical thinking. Teachers can add questions and build their own lesson pages.
Visit websiteCoding and design tools: from blocks to 3D
Scratch
MIT-developed block-based coding for creating animations, stories and games, with a Traditional Chinese interface.
Visit websiteCode.org
Step-by-step coding and AI courses with student activities and teacher curriculum guides.
Visit websiteBlockly Games
Google’s introductory coding logic games require no login and support multiple languages, ideal for a coding warm-up.
Start playingTinkercad
Autodesk’s free 3D design and circuit simulation tool supports classroom groups and is often used with 3D printing lessons.
Visit websiteWarm-up videos: spark curiosity first
SciShow Kids
Accessible short videos about animals, the human body and weather, suitable for opening a science unit.
Watch channelMark Rober
Large-scale engineering challenges by a former NASA engineer, useful for discussing the engineering design process.
Watch channelCrash Course Kids
Short primary science lessons with extensive Earth science and engineering design topics.
Watch channelNumberblocks
BBC animations use number-block characters to develop number sense for older preschool and early-primary children.
Watch channelNat Geo Kids
National Geographic’s children’s videos on animals, nature and geography; the website also offers quizzes and games.
Visit websiteNASA Kids’ Club
NASA’s space-themed games and interactive activities for children complement the NASA STEM teacher resources above.
Visit websitePHASE 04
On-the-ground resources for Chinese-speaking regions
Curated long-running STEM lesson plans, policy research and curriculum design templates from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and China. Especially useful for frontline teachers and instructional designers.
Toy Brains (Taiwan)
A long-established STEM toy and education brand in Taiwan with a wide cross-age catalogue and teaching content.
Visit websiteEveryday We Play 365 (Facebook)
Daily parent-child STEM play built around household materials — great for parents and early-years teachers.
Visit websiteHK EdCity — Teacher Professional Community
Hong Kong EdCity's official teacher professional development platform with STEM lesson plans and training, suitable for HK and Macau educators.
Visit websiteMacau DSEDJ Curriculum Resources (2)
Macau's official cross-domain curriculum resources for K-12, useful across the wider Chinese-speaking region.
Visit websiteMacau DSEDJ Curriculum Resources (1)
Macau's foundational curriculum library, a good extension to the cross-domain set above.
Open libraryTaiwan NDC — STEM talent policy report
Taiwan's National Development Council policy research on STEM talent development — for policy and HR researchers.
Download documentTaiwan MoE — STEM Teaching Reference
Reference materials from Taiwan's Ministry of Education research arm — useful when aligning with the national curriculum.
Download document12-Year Basic Ed — STEM Cross-domain
STEM cross-domain resources designed for the 12-year basic education framework, with course modules and guidance.
Visit websitePHASE 05
Curated STEAM products and brands for ages 0–12
Split into Early Years and Primary, with brands tested in real classrooms so parents and institutions can pick with confidence.
Early Years 0–6 — sensory, structural and creative intuition
BAKOBA
European sensory blocks — safe materials and free-form structures, ideal for ages 3–6 to build basic engineering intuition.
View brandPlus-Plus (Taiwan)
Single-shape connector pieces with very open play patterns — a low-friction way to grow spatial reasoning and patience.
Visit websiteDena
An early-years brand combining aesthetics and hand-crafting — a great choice for parent-child making.
View brandTaiwan mamayo Art Toys
Taiwan-designed art toys for young children — strong on the 'A' (Arts) in STEAM.
View brandPrimary 6–12 — logic, design and hands-on building
Arnos
Engineering construction kits for ages 6–12 — supports more complex mechanical and structural challenges.
View brandOSMO Taiwan
Tactile + screen learning kits that train coding logic, maths and reading comprehension.
Visit websiteCarpenter Education (Taiwan)
Taiwan-grown hands-on woodworking education — a great real-world entry into the engineering design process (EDP).
Visit websiteEagles
Advanced engineering kits for primary-school children — extendable into mechanism and design mini-projects.
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