You have your children home for the long term and want to enrich their STEM education, but you need to figure out how to do this to keep the learning fun. Learn five ways to get your kids involved in STEM at home!
Science Experiments
Many experiments can be done with little ones, as well as more complex experiments for big kids. Nothing is better than getting your hands dirty and trying your hand at science.
Here are some tips to help you succeed in your home science learning.
Use your inferencing skills and math skills to create a hypothesis. Collect data to show the results of experiments.
Keep a log of what you do. This provides an excellent opportunity to learn cross-curricular. Please encourage your child’s ability to keep track of what they know and to either create graphs or draw pictures.
Engineering Challenges
The Engineering Design Process involves a series of steps that engage children in problem-solving. There are seven steps.
Ask questions.
Investigate the issue.
Think of solutions.
Plan.
Make a prototype.
You can test and then evaluate.
Improve and adapt.
We love engineering challenges that require children to create innovative solutions. Our kids love to challenge them to create Rube Goldberg machines, pasta towers, or cars that can fly by using a balloon. Engineering design is open to all, provided your child solves a problem.
STEM Subscription Boxes
A STEM subscription box will feature a new project each month. This is a great way to have low-prep and ever-evolving science fun at your home. Children will be excited to receive a new box every month.
There are subscription boxes that suit everyone. We recommend Kiwi Crate for all things, Greek Kids Crafts to the creative types, and STEM Discovery Boxes to those looking for whole-family activities.
Nature Walk
Engaging your child in science through the natural world is one of the best ways to get them interested. Take a nature hike to help them see the natural world around them. You can list things you want to find and turn your outdoor time into a fun scavenger hunt if you feel particularly creative.
DoingGoodTogether.org offers a template that we love for two reasons: first, the scavenger hunt includes both easy-to-find items to ensure success and hard-to-find items to ensure adventure; two, there are writing prompts included at the bottom to ensure the educational experience doesn’t come to a close as soon as the door back inside does!
Science Apps available for download
Many educational apps are available for kids today, and science is no exception. You might suggest that your child download BrainPop Jr., which will allow them to view videos on science topics and take quizzes to help test their knowledge. Consider other game-based options such as Complexity Science and Curiosity Machine. You’ll be able to give them tech time focused on their minds, not their YouTube history.
Open the World with STEM Activities
STEM activities will take your kids far beyond their living room, whether you live in an area still exempt from COVID-19 or you are trying to manage your work from home and have children this summer. Engaging in science projects, digital concept explorations, and subscription boxes will allow them to expand their worldview.
