You probably know Hank Green of The Vlog Brothers and a ton of other cool nerdy sites (NerdFighteria being one). We spoke last week about what parents need to know about STEM, STEM careers, and fostering a love of inquiry. Green is currently partnering with Emerson whose whole goal is to try to figure out how to create the next generation of who they can hire. They're looking for engineers and … [Read more...]
Kids Love Sphero’s SPRK+ for Creative STEAM Learning
Disclosure: I’ve partnered with Sphero to write this article. #sponsored #beyondcode Your kids can do SO MUCH with Sphero’s new app-enabled robot that inspires not just coding but also learning STEAM topics in creative ways. SPRK+ from Sphero caught my kids attention from the get-go and held it as they began to explore the various learning possibilities with it. This is creative technology … [Read more...]
8 Fascinating STEM Picture Books
STEM picture books introduce young children to science, technology, engineering, and math. Not only that, some of these picture books actually teach the STEM concepts which is big fun within a story. 8 Fascinating STEM Picture Books I Lost My Sock! A Matching Mystery by P.J. Roberts, illustrated by Elio Help Fox and Ox find Fox's missing sock. Fox tries to describe his sock exactly -- it's … [Read more...]
Big Hit For Kids: PlayWell LEGO Engineering Party
PlayWell gave us an afternoon of FUN with a LEGO-inspired engineering party. Designed for kids ages 5 - 14, we took advantage of the age range, inviting both boys and girl friends that were 9-, 10-, and 12- years old to join my daughters who are 12 and 15. I loved the instructor, how well the class was organized, the trial and error involved in the kids' projects, the engineering and design … [Read more...]
Basher Science Games for Kids
If you haven't read the Simon Basher science books, you'll LOVE their quirky and entertaining style which is just perfect for kid readers. This book series recently launched science games for kids with bonus super cute collectible figurines. The goal is to playfully interest and educate more kids in STEM, particularly science, especially ages 10 - 14. So far the Basher Science … [Read more...]
Charming STEM Beginning Chapter Book Series: Zoey and Sassafras
You're going to LOVE this charming STEM beginning chapter book series called Zoey and Sassasfras! Seriously. Love it. It's written by former science teacher, Asia Citro, and illustrated by Marion Lindsay with a total of three books so far. It's entertaining and well-written with the coolest mix of science and magic, a diverse main character, and fantastic illustrations. This series is perfect for … [Read more...]
Kids’ STEM Holiday Gift Guide 2016
Since you want to encourage your kids in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), my first holiday gift guide is new and awesome STEM (and STEAM) gifts (toys and kits) for 2016! I'm including building with engineering so all the building blocks and building kits are on this list, too. See last year's STEM Gift Guide here. Kids' STEM Holiday Gift Guide 2016 Lauri Toys … [Read more...]
Osmo Pizza Co for Budding Entrepreneurs
Osmo is launching a cool new game for budding entrepreneurs called Pizza Co. so kids (ages 5 - 12) can learn financial and entrepreneurial skills through engaging play. Osmo Pizza Co for Budding Entrepreneurs Last week I saw a demo of Pizza Co.. Here's what I think: kids will love this hands-on game! And parents, we will love the math and entrepreneur learning components. After you … [Read more...]
Girls Can Crate: STEAM Subscription Box
Girls Can! Crate is a cool STEAM monthly subscription box that introduces kids ages 4 - 8 to one strong female role model and fun related activities. The kits provide 2-3 STEAM activities, creative play props, and a 20-page GIRLS CAN! activity book featuring the inspiring woman's story, games, experiments, and more. Girls Can! Crate wants every little girl to see something in the life and … [Read more...]
Flybrix DIY Drone Kit
Do you want to build a drone? Now you can with the new Flybrix drone kits that use LEGOs and other components. The unusual feature of this particular drone kit is that it's designed to crash and break apart. So you can rebuild it again in one of the three ways -- quadcopters, hexacopters, and octocopters. Flybrix is meant for kids 14 and older. My daughter is 11 and did fine. I think it's … [Read more...]
Must-Read NonFiction Books for Kids
Grab one of these must-read nonfiction books for your kids to get them reading expository text and learning from what they read. Here you'll find a variety of selections from true stories to high-interest topics as well as books filled with interesting experiments. Enjoy! Must-Read NonFiction Books for Kids My First Book of Hockey Sports Illustrated Kids A Rookie Book I highly recommend this … [Read more...]
Hands-On Coding for Kids with Osmo
Osmo Coding takes the computational thinking of programming and makes it easy-to-learn, hands-on, totally fun, and gamified so that even the youngest learners can develop coding knowledge within a playful format. I'm sold on this as a fun way for kids to develop foundational programming skills! Hands-On Coding for Kids with Osmo When kids learn to program, they start with … [Read more...]