With the new school year in full swing, we’ve compiled a few tips and tricks for you and your child to incorporate STEM into everyday activities.
STEM continues to be a hot topic in academic curriculums. At Wiz Robotics, we can’t stress enough the importance of learning STEM for the younger generation (as you can see from our previous blog articles here and here).
With the new school year in full swing, there’s no reason to stop learning about STEM outside of the classroom. You might not have realized it already but STEM touches on almost every aspect of our lives! We’ve compiled a few tips for you and your child to incorporate STEM into everyday activities.
Here are the 5 ways to incorporate STEM everyday!
1. Build enthusiasm for STEM through Marvel superheroes.
YES you read that right! Marvel universe superheroes have a direct connection to STEM. From Ironman to the Hulk, the key component driving most of the heroes is a solid foundation in STEM.
When asked about the characters from Infinity War and the connection to STEM, the directors of Infinity War, Anthony and Joe Russo commented:
“Their fluency in science and technology is a big part of their super power, if not their entire super power in some cases,” Anthony says. “That’s a core part of their identity and who they are.”
Source: STEM saves the world
The next time you are watching the Marvel movies during family movie night, help build enthusiasm for STEM by talking about the super heroes and their super powers!
2. Incorporate STEM through household activities such as baking and cleaning
STEM is all around us even in activities such as baking and cleaning. If you love to bake with your children, this would be a great opportunity to get them practice addition and subtraction (as well as converting different measurement units)! Additionally, through observing the different reactions of ingredients being combined together in the process of baking, you can introduce the very interesting (and delicious) subject of food science.
Are you wondering what you can do with a background in food science? Read about being an Ice Cream Specialist in our previous article.
Cleaning is another day-to-day activity for your children to learn about STEM. You can introduce the various chemical reactions that would happen when certain cleaning products are applied to various stains and grease around the house.
3. Encourage curiosity and observation
Children are naturally curious about the world around them. Use this as an opportunity to teach them about STEM. If you don’t know the answer, build a framework with your children to encourage research and observation so you can find the answer together.
Observation is also an important process in science. Always support your children in observing the world and encourage them to share what they observe in their environment. For example, looking at the way that leaves change colour, new blooms taking place around the garden, and the change of seasons are all great starting points to introduce STEM.
4. Talk about STEM’s role in addressing some of the biggest challenges facing our world
STEM plays an important role in helping to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges from pollution, to climate change, to food shortages.
For example, STEM in agriculture helps us generate more produce with less effort. This is especially important in areas facing food shortages due to environmental factors and lack of funds.
By introducing and discussing these issues with your children, it encourages them to think about STEM and get them excited about the ways that STEM can save the world.
Source: STEM Beyond the School: Its Role in Everyday Life
5. Get crafty and create STEM projects out of everyday objects
There are a lot of resources out there online that you can create with your children at home (and doesn’t involve spending a fortune on at-home robotics kits).
We’ve came across a few websites with lots of ideas and projects that you could build together with your children:
- 23 Fun STEAM and STEM Activities for Kids — parents.com
- Western University STEM @ Home
- Challenger Centre STEM at Home
Do you have any tips and tricks that you would like to share?
Let us know!
Ready to take on the next level of STEM learning?
At Wiz Robotics, our STEM classes offer exciting and engaging opportunities for students to practice problem solving.
Try a demo class and see for yourself!