Creative and engaging HSing with a math/science/tech twist (Warning: STEM)

[SunnyDays]

Is it safe to let kids take apart a laptop? We have one that is barely working and I'm expecting its death very soon. My 6-year old would love to tear it apart with help from Daddy, who has built his own computer so has a decent amount of knowledge. I know computers have to be recycled properly because of their components. Does that mean I need to worry about lead, mercury, and/or who-knows-what-else?

 

I'd like to know this too... we are in the same boat with a near-death old laptop. I think DH and DS could have a great time with this!!

[nono]

Is it safe to let kids take apart a laptop? We have one that is barely working and I'm expecting its death very soon. My 6-year old would love to tear it apart with help from Daddy, who has built his own computer so has a decent amount of knowledge. I know computers have to be recycled properly because of their components. Does that mean I need to worry about lead, mercury, and/or who-knows-what-else?

 

From my dh:

 

No for a laptop. Let it sit unplugged and without its battery for 45 min so all capacitors discharge. Then go for disassembly. You may need special screwdrivers such as Torx. The batteries and display would be where most of any toxic items would be, and they are contained.

 

He also noted "Don't let the kids break the components or suck on them" and noddded towards our younger child. :lol:

[*Jessica*]

From my dh:

 

No for a laptop. Let it sit unplugged and without its battery for 45 min so all capacitors discharge. Then go for disassembly. You may need special screwdrivers such as Torx. The batteries and display would be where most of any toxic items would be, and they are contained.

 

He also noted "Don't let the kids break the components or suck on them" and noddded towards our younger child. :lol:

 

Thanks! We definitely won't let him suck on anything. lol

[ChandlerMom]

I still remember disassembling an old 8-track cassette with my dad (Yeah, I'm that old). :D

 

I think anything, no matter how simple, can be a good learning opportunity. It doesn't have to be big, expensive, or complex. I learned a lot from that 8-track (seeing how it can continuously loop), and then a reg cassette tape. As an adult, my boss and I played with seeing how many scratches an (old) CD can have before the player barfs, making it unbalanced by sticking things onto the top side. :lol: Even a humble toilet paper roll holder is quite a work of engineering.

 

IMO, it's really about learning to look at things in a new way and think about how they work, WHY they are done that way, the order of assembly... Then when they ask "how does that work" you're ready to pull out the screwdriver and say, "hmm, let's find out!" ;)

 

PS: glad to see I'm not the only one who can't stick with just ONE curric! :lol:

[nono]

From my dh:

 

No for a laptop. Let it sit unplugged and without its battery for 45 min so all capacitors discharge. Then go for disassembly. You may need special screwdrivers such as Torx. The batteries and display would be where most of any toxic items would be, and they are contained.

 

He also noted "Don't let the kids break the components or suck on them" and noddded towards our younger child. :lol:

 

More fun than just editing the text:

 

+t

-d

 

Everybody with me?

[Heathermomster]

Thought I'd make a place for those who put a particularly mathy/scientific twist on their kids' education to meet up and exchange ideas and inspiration, rather than if such a thing is wise.

 

 

The USN used to train and test sailors with booklets called NEETS modules. NEETS modules cover many topics pertaining to electricity. PDF downloads are available, so check them out.

 

ETA: Free links, because free is good.

Edited March 29, 2012 by Heathermomster

[FairProspects]

LOL, you are describing my oldest. I have found more broken toys at the back of closets!!!

 

I've often thought we have the same kid a few years apart. :D

[FairProspects]

What if neither I nor my husband know anything about building stuff? I am the one who assembles IKEA furniture in my household, but the last time I soldered was in middle school, aside from an electronics project I helped the kids with at an activity. I took a metalwork class in 6th grade (! -- it was required, honestly, I'm not that old!) and in 7th grade I built an AM radio on the weekend at some class my mom signed me up for. In short, I don't know much.

 

I don't like it either. I let the kids do projects and rip apart computers with my dad, the materials engineer. But when he's not around I do feel like I'm holding ds back somewhat. Eventually I think he'll get old enough to just do things on his own, whether or not I'm involved.

[Guest]

These (and others like them):

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Basher-Science-Physics-Dan-Green/dp/0753432900/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Periodic-Table-Duplicate-Elements/dp/0753415119/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Biology-Life-We-Know-It/dp/0753417316/

 

(clean links - no affiliate kickbacks)

 

These look interesting! Thanks! I just checked a few out from the library.

[Guest]

 

Here is the post to the TED talk originally posted by Beth that you asked about . . . it was great!

 

Thank you for posting this.

[Guest]

Both hubby and I disassembled stuff when we were younger. At this age and given our limited space, we have not allowed Adrian to get into that yet, but will in the future when he is around ten.

 

We usually avoid giving Adrian spoon fed answers to his questions and do try to show him things practically when the occasion arises and where possible or we will talk him through figuring out the answer on his own . He has been in his bedroom for over an hour hooking up various circuits with his snap circuit kit. He just finished the book (we just need to work on the ones that involve water, definitely not in his bedroom ;)) so I need to upgrade that soon.

 

Adrian is also very much into K'Nex and we have been getting him the curriculum K'Nex packages. We have two so far (Engineering Marvels and Intro to Structures: Bridges) but I have not used them as a curriculum yet. In grade 4 my goal is to focus on physics, chemistry and engineering. This won't be for another year though. I am still focusing on working out my plan for next year. I am incorporating the first two years of study ala WTM but using mostly my own selections as resources. I have not worked out activities and experiments yet. Still working out the books for now.

 

This year we used Apologia Zoology 1 (we still need to go back for the section on insects) and have started Houghton Mifflin Science. I really like them both but can see that I am never satisfied with any kind of materials completely, when it comes to science. My goal is to get the Apologia books as resources. They are very meaty even though I would prefer they were secular but oh well. I still find them useful. As for Houghton Mifflin, I am not sure if I will get it again or not. It is pretty pricey to use just as a resource and I have come to realize that I just don't like being tied down to a curriculum when it comes to science.

 

Anyway, I don't have much to contribute to this thread at the present time but I am following with interest.

 

:lurk5:

 

ETA: For math we use Singapore and Miquon.

Edited March 28, 2012 by Guest

[happycc]

I have always been a mathy/sciency kind of kid. My favorite bday gift at the age of 10 was a subscription to New England Journal of Medicine and Science. Now that is me.

 

However with my kids this does not seem to be the case....sigh;<

 

The 17yrs ds likes football-basic jock

the 15yrs dd-boy crazed, fashionista, likes to read fiction books

14yrs dd-jock/fashionista

10yrs dsd -likes to write, likes to makes movies on video camera

10yrs dsd-like to play with spygear

8yrs-talks to herself about animals, lives in fantasy land

 

my only hope it seems is my 2.5yrs ...yesterday my chiropractor was taking my blood pressure and he walks in and looks quizzical and asks "IV?"

 

So the kids I am currently homeschooling are not mathy/sciency type of kids at all but I feel the subjects are really really important. So the last weeks up until STAR testing we have been doing nothing but math because they are relatively ahead in language arts. They started homeschooling behind in math in my opinion. I am trying to get them ahead so once they reach puberty and get kind of dumb again (memory issues or something) they will not fall back behind too much. Why do girls fall behind so much during puberty? It wasn't close to 17-18 yrs old that I started to see the light but between 13-16 it was a huge fog.

 

 

Things we are using for math:

Teaching textbooks ( a grade ahead) for review-daily

Key to series -I think it should be started in 3rd grade (Key to Fractions 1)-daily

key to fractions 2 shouldn't start until the child is introduced to multiplication-

we started key to decimals 1 after key to fractions 1

Key to Measuring and Metric can be started after Key to Fractions 1

Key to Percent I think not after Decimal 4 or something like that.

Hands on Algebra

Math steps 5th grade

Mep for the summer

Rightstart B-daily

Rightstart Games

Singapore Math for the summer

Timez Attack

KO's Journey-summer

Study Island-daily

Dream Box-daily

Get A Grip

Math Ties

Saxon 54 textbook

BJU 5 textbook

manipulatives galore

 

Things I am planning to use in the future:

Key to algebra and Key to geometry

Beast Academy

Art of Problem Solving

Calculus for Young People maybe

Patty Paper Geometry maybe

Edited March 28, 2012 by happycc

[melmichigan]

Don't forget the yearly PhysicsQuest challenge. Our kit just arrived!

[Heathermomster]

Was speaking with DH about STEM last night. He's never heard of STEM which is funny, as DH is in a STEM field and so am I.

 

Neither of us pulled electronics equipment apart as children. I took all advanced classes in school. DH is brilliant, but performed poorly in school. We met and married while attending an 8 month, intensive basic electronics school in the USN. DH left the USN after his service and entered cc. I literally taught DH algebra at home. Like I stated previously, the man is brilliant and his first encounter with any math was sitting in the college classroom.

 

As a teenager, DH built houses with his father over the summer. He can swing a hammer, fire up the skill saw, and read house plans. DH confidently works with wood and is rebuilding a 1986 Corvette. He reads and teaches himself to do these things. I grew up watching my mother sew. From a very early age, I taught myself to sew, and I also spent a great deal of time outdoors and learned to shoot shotguns and rifles. Anyho...

 

I see patterns everywhere. Both of our parents have an incredible, can-do spirit. They don't quit and that can-do spirit has influenced us. I used to pull apart vintage sewing machines, clean them up, repair, and use them.

 

I personally believe that problem solving with a positive attitude is one of the keys to raising a child who will be interested in STEM. I don't feel it's absolutely necessary to submerge our kids in electronics to peek their interests. Not certain that this is relevant, but wanted to put this out there.

Edited March 29, 2012 by Heathermomster

[amsunshine]

Don't forget the yearly PhysicsQuest challenge. Our kit just arrived!

 

Could you share a little more about this? It looks really fun!

 

I can't figure out how to register on the website to get a kit.:confused1:

[Tanikit]

My DH is in IT and I am a vet so my children get a lot of science thrust at them though it is very much more from a biological point of view when coming from me.

 

Here is a game I played with my DD (4.5 years) today:

 

DD: Let's play doctor, doctor

Me: Ok who is the patient?

DD: Me first then you

Me: Ok, what is wrong with you little girl? What are your symptoms?

DD: It is my heart and my lungs - I cannot breathe and am sore.

 

Of course having watched a few operations and heard a few more medical terms she is not quite linking things exactly right so today I heard:

 

DD: I must take an x-ray. Oh no, your bones are bleeding. We will have to fix that. I will put in a drain.

 

I left it then - she can learn more about human anatomy and physiology anytime and it will probably sink in better when she can actually see it.

 

Of course with all this biology/anatomy a lot of the other sciences get a bit neglected.

[LittleIzumi]

Thanks for the robot advice. I am scared to show her those Mylor books....

 

What female STEM role models/heroes do you use with your children? Dd is noticing that all of her science teachers/heroes are boys.

[nono]

What female STEM role models/heroes do you use with your children?

 

Luckily, my kids aren't as observant as your daughter, so for the time being, it's me. :D I'm the one who's all into math, had a good career in IT, blah blah blah, so I don't think much about it. But I did bookmark this list sometime back, for a different purpose. Maybe it'll help you: 15 Female Scientists Who Changed the World.

[stripe]

Luckily, my kids aren't as observant as your daughter, so for the time being, it's me. :D I'm the one who's all into math, had a good career in IT, blah blah blah, so I don't think much about it. But I did bookmark this list sometime back, for a different purpose. Maybe it'll help you: 15 Female Scientists Who Changed the World.

 

Since the two mathiest people in my kids' lives are my mother and me, I don't worry about it a lot yet other than having discussions about stereotypes (gender and racial). I also have Girls Who Looked Under Rocks

http://www.amazon.com/Girls-Who-Looked-Under-Rocks/dp/1584690119

[GoVanGogh]

I was wondering if you could share more about what you did. My 9 yr old daughter loves this stuff but I am at a loss on how to help her.

Sorry it has taken me several days to get back to this...

 

I started homeschooling six years ago using mainly unit studies. I now only do unit studies for our yearly engineer-type topics. I often just pick a science kit - say on solar science - then search the library for resources. I am always amazed that once I have a topic in mind, things fall in place. Like finding a blurb in the paper about a solar car competition or a guided walk on architecture. I have learned not to plan too much and just 'go with the flow.'

 

Two examples ---

 

Bridge construction unit:

K'nex bridge set

Assorted books and videos from the library on bridge designs

We looked out for bridges on every major road trip that year - stopped and photographed to add to our science journal.

 

Architecture:

Assembled “Fallingwater†and Empire State Building Lego sets

A Child’s History of Art: Architecture by Hillyer (Calvert School set)

Architecture is Elementary by Gibbs Smith, Publisher

Assorted books and videos from library

Architecture drawing class at local art studio

Lots of field trips, including guided walking tour of large downtown city

[ChandlerMom]

I personally believe that problem solving with a positive attitude is one of the keys to raising a child who will be interested in STEM. I don't feel it's absolutely necessary to submerge our kids in electronics to peek their interests.

 

I just wanted to say that I agree that the most important thing is encouraging a positive approach to problem solving, and hands-on experience may not be absolutely necessary, but it definitely gives kids an advantage in STEM education (and even knowing if they are interested in STEM as a career)!

 

Growing up, my older brother was the one to always help my dad with cars and mechanical things, even though I was clearly headed into engineering (like my dad). No matter how much I bugged them to let me help, I was sent away.

 

Then I got into college only to discover that many of the professors *assumed* anyone interested in Engr had been rebuilding car engines and the like and living in a machine shop (my high school didn't even have one). If there was a tough concept to explain, they'd use some part of a car as the example and all the guys would be nodding their heads like, "oh, NOW I get it!" and I was left clueless. Out of self preservation I cornered a few of the guys in my class and traded lunch for diagrams of how a clutch works, and what a catalytic converter was. Mind you, this was before the internet. :D I spent my first year of dynamics feeling like I was playing catch-up.

 

I survived, but I definitely want to expose my kids to a wide range of basic mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. Whether they go into STEM fields or not, at least they will know what they are. :)

[Nicholas_mom]

Great thread! I am all :bigear: to incorporate all the wonderful ideas from this thread. :D

[Stellalarella]

My 13yo son has been taking apart things for years now. He got started down that path out of natural curiosity, but it was fed by this book, Junkbots, Bugbots and Bots on Wheels. This is a how-to manual about taking apart electronics to build small robots.

I soldered electronic circuitry in college to make money, so I had some basic equipment and knowledge to teach him how to solder.

One thing--we use lead solder and I believe that is common for circuitry. If your kids are handling circuit boards, don't let them eat snacks at the same time. :001_smile:

 

A helpful young man at Radio Shack recommended this book on electronics. "Getting Started in Electronics: A complete electronics course in 128 pages." by Forrest M. Mims.

 

We have been enjoying several read alouds this year as a family (for my husband, son and myself).

The Disappearing Spoon This is an engaging story of the periodic table and chemistry. I learned a lot.

We are now reading, For the Love of Physics by an award winning professor at MIT. His courses are also online on MITs open web courses.

I just enjoyed reading The Beak of the Finch and I would like to share it with my son.

 

You know you can get MIT classes online for free, right? :001_smile::001_smile:

 

For the little kiddos, I let them play outside a lot. The way to learn about nature is by being out in nature.

My oldest son whipped up a simple bird house last spring and chickadees moved in. They were nesting just a few feet from our window. It was WONDERFUL. Now they are back again this year and we have an even better bird house that lets us peek at them. :001_smile:

 

Last but not least, we are blessed to be part of a major library system. Our library is constantly getting in new books on science topics. Honestly, I just go to the 14 day loan shelf and grab books that interest me. I look for books with lots of pictures and I leave them laying around where the kids can find them--and they do. If I just bring it home, they gravitate toward those science books. That's how we found this amazing photo book about ants, "Adventures Among Ants." , the Disappearing Spoon and The Love of Physics books. We also checked out an enjoyed this Smithsonian Natural History book. I think it must weigh 20 lbs, it is so big.

 

Anyway, for my age of kids, we seem to be doing a lot of playing and a lot of reading. Lots of books. Not so much science textbooks, though.

[jamajo]

Well, I know I have said this before on other threads, but DH and I feel that one of the best things to do for children is give them lots of broken electronics (and whatever other broken items you can find) and let them tear them apart.

 

DH has been in the tech field for 25 years. :001_huh: He has a great many co-workers/friends that have been in the field even longer. One things they all talk about is taking everything apart that they could get their hands on and how valuable that experience is.

 

Our neighbor was a history teacher (slash football coach :tongue_smilie:) in middle school but last year switched to teaching "technology" classes. DH has had several long conversations with him about how tech is taught in schools today. DH feels strongly that kids today have a great deal of 'surface' knowledge about technology (like how to use PowerPoint at an early age), but don't have a deep enough understanding of how the gadgets actually work. This hinders them when they go on to college to study either technology or engineering.

 

 

So true. My husband does not have a college degree but demands a nice salary in his industry b/c of his technical knowledge (he dad bought a computer and my husband took it apart and put it back together again). He backed up that knowledge with industry certifications but never finished college.

[Guest]

My 13yo son has been taking apart things for years now. He got started down that path out of natural curiosity, but it was fed by this book, Junkbots, Bugbots and Bots on Wheels. This is a how-to manual about taking apart electronics to build small robots.

I soldered electronic circuitry in college to make money, so I had some basic equipment and knowledge to teach him how to solder.

One thing--we use lead solder and I believe that is common for circuitry. If your kids are handling circuit boards, don't let them eat snacks at the same time. :001_smile:

 

A helpful young man at Radio Shack recommended this book on electronics. "Getting Started in Electronics: A complete electronics course in 128 pages." by Forrest M. Mims.

 

We have been enjoying several read alouds this year as a family (for my husband, son and myself).

The Disappearing Spoon This is an engaging story of the periodic table and chemistry. I learned a lot.

We are now reading, For the Love of Physics by an award winning professor at MIT. His courses are also online on MITs open web courses.

I just enjoyed reading The Beak of the Finch and I would like to share it with my son.

 

You know you can get MIT classes online for free, right? :001_smile::001_smile:

 

For the little kiddos, I let them play outside a lot. The way to learn about nature is by being out in nature.

My oldest son whipped up a simple bird house last spring and chickadees moved in. They were nesting just a few feet from our window. It was WONDERFUL. Now they are back again this year and we have an even better bird house that lets us peek at them. :001_smile:

 

Last but not least, we are blessed to be part of a major library system. Our library is constantly getting in new books on science topics. Honestly, I just go to the 14 day loan shelf and grab books that interest me. I look for books with lots of pictures and I leave them laying around where the kids can find them--and they do. If I just bring it home, they gravitate toward those science books. That's how we found this amazing photo book about ants, "Adventures Among Ants." , the Disappearing Spoon and The Love of Physics books. We also checked out an enjoyed this Smithsonian Natural History book. I think it must weigh 20 lbs, it is so big.

 

Anyway, for my age of kids, we seem to be doing a lot of playing and a lot of reading. Lots of books. Not so much science textbooks, though.

 

The resources you have posted look great! Thank you! My hubby soldered quite a bit when he took electronics courses in College and can help Adrian, but I have never shied away from things like that either and would jump at the change to get into it. Robotics is another area I have wanted to get Adrian into and when he saw me open the links with the books he came right over ;).

 

I'll be putting together a great list of future resources through this thread :)!

[nono]

The 17yrs ds likes football-basic jock

the 15yrs dd-boy crazed, fashionista, likes to read fiction books

14yrs dd-jock/fashionista

10yrs dsd -likes to write, likes to makes movies on video camera

10yrs dsd-like to play with spygear

8yrs-talks to herself about animals, lives in fantasy land

 

<snip>

So the kids I am currently homeschooling are not mathy/sciency type of kids at all but I feel the subjects are really really important.

 

I wanted to get back to this. If I were you, I'd find tie-ins. I'd work on units about how to make football gear with the oldest, broadening out to all types of sports equipment and also uniforms. That could then tie-in to clothing, for the next couple. I'd have them studying fabric and how to make it, including dyeing it, sewing it, and oh, how to fix a sewing machine, perhaps? The 10 yr olds can make their own spygear, maybe with cool trenchcoats designed by the fashionistas!

 

Overall, study of technical fabric for sport and fashion may be one way to go...

 

Good luck!!!