At this time of year many people are thinking about the gifts that they are going to buy for the children in their lives. In the past I have always given books as gifts and though the children in my life don't always seem excited to receive them I often find out weeks or months later that those books are a staple in their household. The children want to re-read them all day and re-read them at night before bed.
Over the past couple of years my interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) has greatly increased. I always loved science when I was growing up and I want to pass that love along to my students and other children in my life. I have been doing a lot of research on integrating STEM principles and activities into my classroom and am also preparing to teach an afterschool Engineering Challenge class in January. My research has led me to some great resources that inspire curiosity and excitement about engineering and science, so I wanted to share some of the gifts I am buying this year, as well as some of the more popular STEM kits out there.
Please remember, science and technology isn't just for boys! Fewer and fewer women are making progress in the area of technology and science, so please encourage your girls to love and enjoy science and engineering as much as you can. Below are some pretty good articles on how adults can encourage the girls in their lives to stick with the sciences.
Article: "How Parents Can Get Girls Interested in Math and Science"
Mini Film Series: Encouraging Girls to get Involved with STEM
Over the past couple of years my interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) has greatly increased. I always loved science when I was growing up and I want to pass that love along to my students and other children in my life. I have been doing a lot of research on integrating STEM principles and activities into my classroom and am also preparing to teach an afterschool Engineering Challenge class in January. My research has led me to some great resources that inspire curiosity and excitement about engineering and science, so I wanted to share some of the gifts I am buying this year, as well as some of the more popular STEM kits out there.
Please remember, science and technology isn't just for boys! Fewer and fewer women are making progress in the area of technology and science, so please encourage your girls to love and enjoy science and engineering as much as you can. Below are some pretty good articles on how adults can encourage the girls in their lives to stick with the sciences.
Article: "How Parents Can Get Girls Interested in Math and Science"
Mini Film Series: Encouraging Girls to get Involved with STEM
Awesome Gifts to Help Children Develop Curiosity in STEM
1. Snap Circuits, Jr. - Great for ages 4-8, They also have Snap Circuits for older children and a version that focuses on alternative energy sources
2. Robot Turtles- A board game that develops early programming skills
3. Goldie Blox: Builders Survival Kit- I like this better than the smaller sets because it allows for more freedom in designing and building. The other sets have specific tasks and not much else can be done with them.
4. Roominate Chateau- This is pretty awesome because kids can build and design their dream house over and over again. The kit even includes circuits so that the dream house can have working components like lights, elevators, windmills and carousels.
5. MagnaTiles- I have these in my classroom and my students build endlessly with them. They are so proud of their creations and always ask me to take pictures of their work to post on our class blog.
Here is a link to a great article on different S.T.E.M gifts with links and pictures included!
This is a fantastic list of books to get kids excited about engineering and inventing!
Have a happy and safe holiday season, and please check out my post from last December about "The December Dilemma."
