three ways to add STEM learning in everyday play

Has anyone else noticed all of the focus on STEM learning lately? It’s always been as important as it is now, but I’m noticing that STEM is now a “special” at my kids schools and I’m seeing more and more articles on why STEM learning is essential in brain development.  Like it or not, our lives are way more high tech than they were when we were kids.  So I try to get a little learning in to our everyday play time.  Here are a few ways to bulk up your STEM learning at home:

1.  Bake with your children.  When you get right down to basics, baking is chemistry.  While you’re mixing up the ingredients, talk about the changes you’re seeing.  My kids LOVE to bake with me.  And I can get a chore done during play time.  Anything from apple crisp to play dough is STEM learning!  It’s so easy to talk about fractions and measurement during baking as well!

1. Get outside!  It’s so easy to talk about science when you’re surrounded by it!  We love talking about changing seasons, finding bugs and noticing that some have amazing camouflage and looking closely at spider webs.  And it’s not only nature outside–we can also talk about how all of the moving parts in a bike work together, why planes leave a trail and how gravity works to make that ball hit the ground.

1. Amp up the playroom.  With so many options out there and limited space in your playroom, make the toys work for you!  I encourage learning by making sure my playroom is stocked with toys that do some of the work for me. We’ve shared K’Nex with you before here and here and today I’m going to share a new K’Nex toy–the Clock Work Roller Coaster.  This set is made for kids 7 and up and includes 13 feet of roller coaster track and ends up 2.5 feet tall.  My kids love it when they can build something big, so the height is a nice perk.   And the motorized parts make the roller coaster actually move across the track while the clock arm lifts the car.  And K’Nex keeps things pretty budget-friendly.  The $35 price tag for such a large set was a pleasant surprise. K’Nex makes it simple to keep up with STEM learning through something as simple as playtime.

Do you do anything specific to help your kids learn STEM at home?