STEM-based learning (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) teaches children more than just science and math concepts. STEM involves critical thinking, flexibility, curiosity, decision making, and problem solving skills. STEM teaches the important lesson that failure is okay.
I teach my students:
First
Attempt
In
Learning
This important lesson tells kids that it is okay to make mistakes and we can learn and grow from mistakes. My favorite STEM quote is from Thomas Edison, "I have not failed. I just found 10,000 ways that won't work"
Here is my collection of STEM at home activities to keep brain muscles working:
- Baseball Accuracy: See how many balls you can hit out of 10. Then calculate your batting average. Did you know that a .300 batting average is considered to be an excellent average? That means a player only needs to hit 3 out of 10 balls!
- Be an Engineer: What is an everyday problem that needs a solution? Hard to reach cabinets? Back itches and you can't reach? Brainstorm simple problems and create a prototype of an invention.
- Beating Heart: Hold your finger to your pulse (try your wrist) and time for 10 seconds. Convert it to beats per minute. Now run around. Try taking your pulse again. What is the percentage increase?
- Goldilocks: Read the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Now build her a "Just Right" chair and bed out of items found at home (Popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, construction paper, index cards, etc..)
- Roller Coaster: Draw a roller coaster blueprint. Then use toilet paper rolls, paper towel, rolls, paper plates, or paper to bring your design to life. See how long you can keep a ping pong ball moving.
- Zip Line: Design a zip line to help an action figure travel from a height of 4 ft. You will need to build something to keep the action figure safe and attached to the zip line the entire way down.
- Water Balloon Challenge: Can you design something using every day materials to keep a water balloon from popping when thrown?
- Newspaper Tower: Using only newspaper, scissors and an arms length of masking tape, can you make the tallest tower that can stand on its own?
- Spaghetti Bridge: Using spaghetti and glue (hot glue with parents help only) can you make a bridge that spans 12 inches and can hold weight?
- Marshmallow Sculpture: Using only marshmallows and toothpicks, can you create a sculpture that can stand on its own?
What I love about STEM is you can take these ideals and turn them into new ones! Turn Baseball Accuracy into Basketball, try different Be an Engineer challenges, use your imagaination!
