if you were a lit/history mama who wanted to up the "STEM influence"

[Lucy the Valiant]

. . . on a gradual / kid-led / interest-driven level, and had around $100 to spend, what would you do / purchase / focus on?

 

I feel pretty comfortable with the kids' lit / history academic abilities, but I feel like I'm ignoring some potential in the STEM areas, particularly w/my 6yo (almost 7) DS.

 

Just got home from a science center visit, so my brain's whirling - we do Legos and math games and such, but I am so completely inept when it comes to putting things together / figuring things out systematically - I feel helpless!

 

They spend a lot of time outside, identifying things in the pond, taking care of animals, etc. (chickens, honey bees, vegetable garden) - I have tried to maximize those experiences and supplement with books and discussion, but that has pretty much been the sum of our science, to this point.

 

Could you point me in the right direction and give me a push?

 

(kids are 8yo, 8yo, 6yo, and 2yo-going-on-8)

[Barb_]

Science is ripe for the unschooly sort of activities you're already engaging in. In the early years we read a lot of "let's read and find out" books, watch Magic School Bus and Bill Nye and other Sciency documentaries or shows (Schlesinger also comes to mind...check your library). We've done k12 science and I like their 2-4th grade programs a lot, although 1st grade is a little simplistic. We do fun demonstrations inspired by our reading or videos. I buy kits (snap circuits, Lego, chemistry sets) and let the kids have at it. More than any other subject area, a good Science foundation depends on sparking an interest and just feeding it. Nothing rigorous or formal until high school.

 

By way of a credibility check, I have one daughter with a degree in bio and another majoring in neuroscience with a second major in comp sci. So the approach is tried and true here so far. Science is more about attitude and a willingness to figure things out than any one curricular approach.

[rootsnwings]

Magic Schoolbus complete DVD Set is coming out/has just come out. I think it was due out July 31st (or that may have been for pre-order) it was like every episode ever made on DVD for $50-60 ish. HTH! (sorry to be so vague! LOL I do not recall details but I know I was happy to hear it!) =D

[Rebecca VA]

Could you find some machines (non-electronic) to take apart and put back together? People are always throwing out old lawnmowers and such. Maybe you could start with simple, non-motorized machines (like an eggbeater) and work up to simple gas engines? I know your children are still young, but Christian Light Publications has a high-school level book on Repairing Gas Engines that you could perhaps work through with them.

 

Timberdoodle (a home school supplier) used to sell Fischertechnik construction toys, which were absolutely excellent for demonstrating how machines work. Unfortunately, Fischertechnik has downsized their U.S. toy market. You can still find some Fischertechnik kits on Amazon and a few toy distributors.

[bettyandbob]

My oldest had a kit that accompanied the book The Way Things Work . Lots of little things to build.

 

I had a great book I sold some time ago. It had engineering projects for various historical periods. So, when we were studying ancient Egypt we built a level that would be similar to levels used by the Egyptians. It was a great way to bring science and history together.

[MSNative]

$40 - Snap Circuits - http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-SC-300-Snap-Circuits/dp/B0000683A4 My kids loved these.

 

$8-20 - A pocket microscope.

 

$10 -15 - a bug collecting bucket with clear sides and a lid

 

With the balance, I'd let my child pick some science kits that interest him.

 

Have fun!

[Mama Geek]

Alas, I have caught the Pinterest bug and have found several fun science demonstrations for younger kids. Some of the websites have better explanations of things than other, but I will link all of the websites I have found.

 

http://constructionmanagementdegree.org/blog/2010/100-awesome-engineering-projects-for-kids/

 

http://www.sciencebob.com/experiments/index.php

 

http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/fire-with-friction

 

http://www.housingaforest.com/category/experiments/

 

http://www.science-sparks.com/

 

I also agree with finding things to take apart and work on.

[SunnyDays]

I second the idea of Snap Circuits. They are a hit here. Also, my son loves the K'nex education sets... they have several different ones, including gears, levers and pulleys, bridges, etc.

 

And just watching videos and checking out library books is a great way to expose them to all different topics.

[Farrar]

Mostly make time for it, accumulate great resources like the ones being listed here, don't be afraid to learn yourself or get messy trying. There have been some great STEM discussions on the K-8 Board.

 

My personal favorite resource is the Bernie Zubrowski Boston Children's Museum Activity books. They're OOP, but mostly pretty cheap. They are a bit labor intensive in the set up, but they really let kids play with science concepts in physics and chemistry.

[Lucy the Valiant]

Oh, you people are AWESOME!!!! Thank you so much! I'm going to look into a bunch of these - my son is going to be so happy!

 

I really appreciate it. (We're big Magic School Bus people, and I've been wondering about the snap circuits.) Looking into some of the books, too.

[OrganicAnn]

We love Nova. (by we I mean my DD age 8 - it puts me to sleep about 1/2 the time) It can be seen on PBS.org or on Hulu. It has such a variety of topics, that you can find out if your kids have areas that they are more or less interested in and work from there.

[Rosie_0801]

I buy expensive reference books for my boy on each birthday. Obviously he's too little for them yet, so I don't know if the tactic will work. I always found it frustrating that we, as kids, weren't allowed to touch the glossy reference books unless we washed our hands and sat nicely on the sofa under supervision. They stayed nice and clean, but we didn't learn anything from them...

 

Rosie