Ways To Explore STEM With Your Kids

Whether you’re working remotely or still going into the office, there’s no doubt that you’ve had a little more time with your kiddos this year than you previously did. There is definitely an artform to remote learning. Regardless of what’s outlined in lesson plans, expanding on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is essential in helping our children grow, learn, and discover. If you’re looking for something creative to do, here are a few ways to explore STEM with your kids.

Explore the Outdoors

With social distancing and different establishments opening and closing, there’s one place you can count on to take your kiddos to learn and explore. Venturing outdoors with the proper gear allows you to explore nature as a family. Whether you’re observing plants, weather patterns, or wildlife, remember to bring a notebook to log what you see and draw pictures as well. Note-taking and logging information are both important qualities when working through the scientific method and drawing conclusions after observation and discussion.

Interact With Different Animals

Though you can view different types of wildlife while out in nature, a great way to allow your child to further observe different types of animals is to take a trip to a pet store. These shops offer an array of different animal species. Ask your children to articulate the variety of characteristics that differ between sections of creatures. The cages and aquariums allow for up-close observation of animals.

Visit Museums

Another great option is to visit museums to explore STEM. Not only can you look at innovative technology and engineering, but you and your child can increase your understanding of extinct creatures through museum exploration. As you explore the fossilized dinosaurs, test your child’s math skills by counting bones, compare their calculation to the number of bones in other remains, or study the differences between ancient time periods and current ones. If your local museums are still not open due to COVID-19, consider taking a virtual museum tour instead. Several accredited museums are currently offering free virtual tours, so you can keep learning and exploring even while stuck at home.

Conduct Experiments at Home

If you are unable to leave the home, there are many ways to study STEM-related subjects. The aspects associated with STEM are fairly open to interpretation, and there are very few rules when it comes to exploring this field. Whether you bake, build, work together on measurements, explore model figures, grow plants, or study the habits of family members or pets, the possibilities for exploration at home are endless.

There are many ways to explore stem with your kids. There is no reason to establish a bunch of boundaries at this time. As you explore together, you’ll be amazed at how many things fall into the STEM realm. At the end of the day, applying the steps in the scientific method and exploring the way things work can help expand you and your child’s thinking greatly.