3 Outdoor Spring Challenges That Encourage STEM Learning

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It’s spring! The weather is finally starting to warm up and the kids are itching to get outside. So how about an outdoor challenge?

Even though many of your kids are old enough to get outdoors by themselves. I want to challenge you to go outside with them. It provides a great opportunity for you to spend a little more quality time as a family while learning about something new.

And trust me. You’ll learn something new! As you well know, kids are full of questions. By giving them a challenge, you’ll encourage observation which naturally turns into questioning.

And guess what? Making observations and asking questions are the first two steps in the scientific method. So you’re actually practicing STEM skills (science, technology, engineering, and math) while playing outside!  

3 Outdoor Spring Challenges That Encourage STEM LearningBelow I’ve given you 3 simple yet fun nature challenges along with directions on how to turn it into a learning experience, even if you don’t know anything about science or nature.

3 Outdoor Spring Challenges:

  1. Find newly sprouted plants. Challenge your kids to find baby plants. It might be grass, flowering plants, or even trees. Tell them that many seeds sprout in the spring because the temperatures start warming up.
  2. Look for emerging insects. Many adult insects overwinter in warm burrows under the ground. As the weather starts to warm, they’ll come out of their burrows and start looking for food. In the East Mountains, we’ve already seen Red Shouldered Bugs, Milkweed Bugs, and Bordered Plant Bugs.
  3. Start observing the clouds. There are 3 main cloud types: cirrus (high and wispy), cumulus (fluffy like a cotton ball), and stratus (blanket-like). These are easy for kids learn and identify. All it takes is a little practice. When you’re playing outside at the park or going on a walk, make it a point to look up and try to identify the biggest cloud you see.

How to Encourage STEM Thinking:

  1. Tell your kids the outdoor challenge of the day. Then go outside.
  2. As they work toward completing their challenge, have a conversation. Here are some questions you can ask: Where do you think we’ll find newly sprouted plants? If you were an insect waking up from a long winter nap, where would you be? What are those big fluffy clouds called? Can you see a shape in them? As you have a conversation and ask questions, it will allow your kids to practice their observation skills.
  3. As your kids start making more observations, stop asking questions. Your kids will take over that role, and you can help guide them along the way. Remember, you don’t need to know the answer to any of the questions, and it’s okay to tell your kids that you don’t know the answer. It helps them understand that we are always learning!

After your outdoor challenge, choose one question that really stood out to your kids. Then go inside and research that question online. You may find the answer and you may not, but either way you’ll have learned something new.

I know it can be a little intimidating to get outside with your kids and encourage STEM learning. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me! My information is below.