MomN Posted May 9, 2020 Share Posted May 9, 2020 It all started yesterday when I brought out the Snap Circuits and my kids loved them. I'm not really a STEM person, at least not the science and engineering stuff. Anyways, I was just thinking about how I would love for my kids to have opportunities to play and invent with STEM-type toys/projects/apps. But I'm not sure where to begin. Ages are 7, 6 and 3. I have legos and magnatiles and other building toys, which get played with, but aren't something we play with daily. My kids are HUGE on board games, which is great, but again I am looking for toys/projects/apps that will challenge them in the areas of science/engineering/math. Any ideas? Thank you, Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendyroo Posted May 9, 2020 Share Posted May 9, 2020 My kids (4, 6, 8, and 11) LOVE snap circuits (and many of the really cool add on packs) and have for many years. Other STEM toys they like: Science: A good microscope, I got the digital camera attachment so that we can all look at specimens at once on the computer. Kits like this and this. We save all the equipment and then do our own science with household substances, food coloring, purple cabbage juice, etc. My kids will literally "play science" for hours on end...preferably outside! Integrating science into all other play - we have a huge assortment of plastic animals in with the playdoh so they can make habitats and ecosystems, sometimes I fill our sensory tub with my magnet collection and items to experiment with, we have a huge geology collection (rocks, minerals, shark teeth, fossils, etc) that we can sort or "sell" in a pretend store, or use as math manipulatives, etc. Technology: code.org (drag and drop coding) and CodeMonkey (typed coding) are our favorite two beginning coding programs. Actually the first "technology" skill we work on is typing which is a prerequisite to so many later skills. Engineering: Marble Runs...we keep adding to our current set. And I recently backed MakeWay on Kickstarter - I chose one of the big packs! Supplying the kids with ridiculous amounts of paper and tape or cardboard and hot glue or marshmallows and toothpicks, etc. Games like Color Code, Gravity Maze, Rush Hour Jr., Laser Maze, etc. Gears, Gears, Gears and Boon pipe and gear bathtub toys The show Design Squad is great. Making sure the kids have opportunities to use tools: hammer, screwdriver, wrenches, drill, saw, stud finder, soldering iron, wire strippers, multimeter, etc. I occasionally give my kids old broken gadgets (radios, electronic toys, hand mixers) to take apart and examine. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wathe Posted May 9, 2020 Share Posted May 9, 2020 A random junk collection, aka "loose parts" in eduspeak, I think (we call it the tinker box) that kids can use to create stuff - cardboard tubes, pulleys, wheels, springs, string, empty thread spools, clean syringes (from kids meds), rubber bands. Cardboard. Lots and lots of cardboard. And junk pulled from the recycling. Kapla has gotten a ton of use. It's one of those fabulously designed things that looks like nothing but is actually amazing. Lego crazy action contraptions set- inexpensive as LEGO goes, and really good value. Lego technic - has gears, pulleys. Add a few motors. We were fortunate enough to score a sac of random pieces at the thrift store, and we have a few sets. Lego education simple machines sets Echoing PP - access to real tools. Mine each have their own set of hand tools since age 5 or 6 ( hammer, saws, hand-drill, clamps, screwdrivers, level, safety googles, and I forget what all else) and a bench in the garage. And a bucket of (old mismatched) nails and screws and scrap wood. They helped make the benches (simple wood table made of scraps with a peg board back, absolutely not pretty), and have remade them several times as they grow and the benches get too low for them. Small appliance disassembly wrecking is a favourite activity. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted May 9, 2020 Share Posted May 9, 2020 Amazon has STEM subscription options that send you the STEM selection of the month (or at the frequency you choose) and they have plans by age group. We've been on it a couple years now. Sometimes I take the things, sometimes I cancel, but they're usually at a significant discount and pretty interesting. Well I'm looking at this and the exact subscription we have is no longer taking people. We still get things monthly, but it's listed as no longer available. Here's a page with the other boxes they have. https://www.amazon.com/b/ref=s9_acss_bw_cg_sdbsfbtn_1e1_w?node=17795805011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-top-4&pf_rd_r=5CTH4V0224MZ08522M4J&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=6089ce50-8cbe-4a22-81b3-6683ec5d748e&pf_rd_i=14498690011 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted May 9, 2020 Share Posted May 9, 2020 younger ages https://www.lakeshorelearning.com/products/stem/building-engineering/create-a-chain-reaction-stem-kit-pre-span-stylewhite-space-nowrapk-gr-span2-master-set/p/PP566 3rd gr + https://www.lakeshorelearning.com/products/stem/building-engineering/create-a-chain-reaction-stem-kit-grspan-stylewhite-space-nowrap3-5-span-master-set/p/PP849 I'm using the bigger kid set with my ds right now and really like it. Have you seen K'nex? We did a lot with those years ago. Math kits, science kits, bridges, they have all kinds of stuff. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomN Posted May 11, 2020 Author Share Posted May 11, 2020 These are great ideas. Thank you! I'll start by bringing out a couple of things I have like the marble runs and the kid tools (never thought of these). I also want to make a collection of cardboard, paper, tape etc for free building - love this idea. Gear bath toys - have to check this one out! The Lakeshore and Amazon kits look amazing too! Will check out Code.org and such this summer. These ideas are great. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomN Posted May 11, 2020 Author Share Posted May 11, 2020 Wendyroo - Makeway on Kickstarter looks amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomN Posted May 11, 2020 Author Share Posted May 11, 2020 Wendyroo - quick question about Kickstarter. I've never bought anything off it before. I read this: "Crowdfunding is not shopping. Your donation is a way to support a project but does not guarantee that you will receive a perk." Do you know what this means? If I donate, will I for sure receive the product I choose? Thanks, Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 7 minutes ago, MomN said: Wendyroo - quick question about Kickstarter. I've never bought anything off it before. I read this: "Crowdfunding is not shopping. Your donation is a way to support a project but does not guarantee that you will receive a perk." Do you know what this means? If I donate, will I for sure receive the product I choose? Thanks, Laura I'm not wendy, but I would take that as a no, no guarantees. I once did kickstarter to support a project. I knew the people, but let's just say what they said we were going to get is *not* what we got. We eventually got the final product, but the interim thing (bonus item) was definitely not what they had said. So no, if you can't afford to lose it, you're better off going with a guaranteed thing. I didn't look at the linked product very carefully, but there definitely are other products like that. I know Lakeshore Learning has some. Also check Timberdoodle. But given the age of your kids, the products from Lakeshore might be spot on. And they do bogo and other deals all the time when you sign up for their app. If you have a store near you, you can order in store using a coupon and save shipping. Their stuff is never cheap but it's dependable and excellent quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomN Posted May 11, 2020 Author Share Posted May 11, 2020 Thanks PeterPan. Looking at the LakeShore links now and those look great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomN Posted May 15, 2020 Author Share Posted May 15, 2020 Just wanted to give an update. I brought out the marble run, Gravity Maze, and some building tracks this week. Will continue to gather ideas from this post to include more STEM activities in our schedule. Thank you! Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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