STEM
Learn STEM through play.
This is the engineering half of early science: towers that have to stand, bridges that have to hold something, boats that have to float with cargo, runs that have to get a marble to the bottom.
The value is in the loop rather than the finished object. Build it, test it, watch what actually happened, change one thing, test again. A child who is allowed to run that loop will stay with a difficult problem far longer than one who is shown the answer.
Cardboard, tape, string and the recycling box cover nearly all of it. Things falling over is the activity working, not failing.
Activities
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Grow Hair on an Eggshell
Half an eggshell, a face drawn on, cotton wool and cress seeds. In a week it has green hair you can eat.
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Rescue the Frozen Toys
Freeze small toys in a tub of water overnight, then hand over warm water, salt and a spoon. It buys a genuinely quiet hour.
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Cardboard Box Marble Run
Cut a delivery box into ramps and tape them inside the lid. It never works first time, and that is the entire point of it.