STEM Toys - Why You Should Care?

TEACHING KIDS STEM 高 et com XIIXI STEM (which stands for science, technology, engineering and math) is one of the most rapidly growing job markets in the country, with thousands of new, exciting and well-paying jobs opening up every year. Tomorrow's college graduates who are studying STEM fields can look forward to a very bright career path. Will your child be one of them? If so, then it's never too early to begin learning. Kids can learn STEM concepts from the moment they start asking questions. All they need is a little encouragement in the right direction. U.S. STEM STATS 1.7x 16% STEM jobs are growing at 1.7 times the rate of non-STEM Only 16% of high school seniors are interested in STEM graduates are more likely to get a job right out of college than non-STEM graduates. jobs. pursuing a STEM career. By the time a 12-year-old graduates high school in 2022, there will be millions of new STEM jobs with not nearly enough candidates to fill them. JOB $65,000 $49,500 An average STEM student earns $65,000 information science a year right out of college. A non-STEM student only earns on average $49,500 a year. Engineering and engineering technology students earn on average $73,700 right out of college. Computer and students earn on average $72,600 a year right out of college. GET THEM HOOKED To get kids interested in STEM, they have to develop a healthy relationship with these concepts early on. Here are some things you can do early on to encourage that. MAKE IT ACTIVE Don't confine STEM to classrooms and books. Show kids that STEM learning can happen anywhere and everywhere, from the beach to the zoo to their very own bedrooms. MAKE IT PART OF EVERYDAY LIFE Show kids how STEM affects their entire world. From the sun rising every morning to the grass growing in the front yard, STEM is all around us. APPLY IT TO THEIR INTERESTS Let them find STEM in the things they love. If they like video games, talk about coding. If they're into animals, teach them about biology. PRAISE THE PROCESS Reward them for trying and failing, experimenting and asking questions. STEM shouldn't be all about grades at this age. It should be about developing a healthy curiosity about the world and the way it works. STEM ACTIVITIES Getting kids active and involved in STEM doesn't have to be homework. It can be a lot of fun for the both of you! EDIBLE EXPERIMENTS Cooking is science! Teach your kids about the way different properties can combine and interact with each other by working alongside them to create tasty, homemade snacks and then eating them. NATURE WALKS Biology is all around us! Take your child on walks in the woods or even just around the neighborhood. Bring along identification guides and make a game out of identifying different types of birds, insects, trees and more. BUILDING TOYS LEGO sets, Erector sets and Lincoln Logs aren't just classic toys; they're also a chance to talk to your kids about the basics of engineering. The LEGO skyscraper your child builds today could be the blueprint for a real one in the future. GAMES AND APPS Here are some great STEM-themed games and apps. Put those smartphones and tablets to use. MIT APP MINECRAFT INVENTOR CODE ISLAND MONKEY This super popular video game is like the ultimate LEGO set Allows your kids to build their own apps and teaches them the fundamentals of and can teach kids all the same lessons about engineering. Kids build entire worlds brick by brick. A board game that teaches kids the basic language and principles of computer coding. programming and coding along the way. VISUALIZATION GET THE MATH +-X NASA EXPLORER: Created by NASA, this app is a compilation of thousands of images and videos gathered by the organization. It's an amazing tool to get kids excited about space exploration. An app that teaches kids about math through everyday situations, answering that age-old question, "When am I ever going to use this in real life?" SHOWS AND BOOKS There are some amazing shows and books out there that will open your kids' eyes to the wonders of STEM while still keeping them entertained. "INFINITY AND ME" by Kate Hosford: An amazing book for very young kids that will get them thinking about the universe and their place in it. MYTHBUSTERS This long-running show features tons fun engineering experiments. crazy and COSMOS The recent reboot of the Carl Sagan classic features animation and awesome special effects to introduce kids to all the wonders of the universe. fat, walet http://www.fatwallet.com/blog/teaching-kids-stem/ com®