My son is two. He loves trucks, blocks, sports, and everything Buzz Lightyear. His school years feel close, but still so far away. We read books, paint, build with blocks, and play with trains. He uses his imagination to be Buzz Lightyear and pretends to fly around the house all day. We talk to him, sing, and work on all the things he should be working on at two years old.
To be honest, STEM had not even crossed my mind. Or STEAM? Or is it STREAM?
I had heard of STEM but didn’t think I had any experience with it. (At least beyond my own elementary school days.) But I recently sat down with Shari Stewart, the Science Coordinator at Manzano Day School, to talk about STEM. It turns out, whether you say STEM, STEAM, or STREAM, it all means something similar. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. If you use STEAM, the acronym is similar, but you just add an A for Art. STREAM? Same thing, but with Reading and/or Robotics added in.
Kids are naturally curious. They have questions, and they want answers. As moms, it’s part of our job to foster their curiosity and encourage our kids to ask questions to find their own answers. Teaching STEM at home is a lot easier and more accessible than I thought, and it’s so easy to work into your daily routine. It is as simple as collecting leaves off the ground and talking about how they fall off trees. That’s the science part, but also the part that gets you and your kids outside and into the fresh air.
You can do STEM at home with your kids.
Remember doing leaf rubbings as a kid? Yeah, I forgot about it too. Leaf rubbing takes this simple science activity and turns it into an art activity as well. You can even talk to your kids about the leaves as you do the art. Why do they have veins? Why do leaves look different? As a toddler mom, I always appreciate any activity that takes us outside or any indoor activity that isn’t messy and doesn’t require me to go to the store for a million things. This sounded like a win for me!
STEM with older kids is also really accessible at home too.
Do your kids play video games, use tablets, or watch television? Talk to them about their device or their games. Get them thinking about how things work and the world around them. Someone put a code into their game to make it work the way it does.
There are simple activities you can do at home to get your kids thinking about coding. Even better? A lot of these activities use household objects and get your kids playing!
Now that it’s cold outside most days, we don’t always want to be outside all the time. Shari shared this fun and delicious STEM activity that everyone in your home will enjoy. It’s hot cocoa family science. The best part is that you get to enjoy hot chocolate as a family at the end!
If you are like me, you may not always have time to set up activities during the day. I work from home, have meetings all day, and can’t always set up activities for my son to do. Fret not my friends! Shari even shared a STEM Toys Gift Guide. I already have a few of these toys on their way to my house now. I can honestly say that I am just as excited about these toys as my son will be. With the holidays coming up, these would make great gifts for any of the kids (maybe even some of the adults) on your list.
I didn’t realize how simple it would be to include STEM activities in our day-to-day life.
I have found myself talking to my son more about his toy trucks, leaves, airplanes, and water. He helps me water plants, feed our animals, and make dinner. I have found small ways to incorporate learning while we are even doing tasks as simple as these.
Thank you so much to Shari for getting me thinking about STEM and how to start incorporating learning more at home. It’s been fun for me to use these techniques in our daily routine. I have even found myself thinking more about the world around me and how things work. Mostly, it has me thinking about hot chocolate.
Our partners at Manzano Day School have a unique approach to STEM for their pre-K through 5th graders.
Manzano Day School has an elementary school science coordinator, which means that even students in pre-K are talking about the scientific method. The science coordinator works hand-in-hand with classroom teachers to make sure that STEM activities and scientific thinking are prevalent throughout the curriculum. There’s also a designated science lab for Manzano students. The Bernitsky Science Lab provides a stimulating environment for exploration and experimentation of science topics. Lastly, The Fenton Environmental Program is closely integrated with the science curriculum and provides additional enrichment for the science curriculum.
Applications for the 2023-24 school year are open. You can also schedule a campus tour.
Check out the video below to learn more about how Manzano Day School incorporates STEM into its curriculum.
