Hi Friends, Greetings from San Salvador!
My kids are out for the summer. AHHH! If you are a parent, you know that feeling!
I am excited they will have all the time they want to play, but I know I need to have some type of plan, or my house will be chaos!
Every year since my eldest was three, I have been writing a list of age-appropriate activities to have materials ready in the house. This year, I have focused on STEAM activities. My home has turned into a science lab, art studio, and museum!
You have probably heard about STEAM in education; it stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math. Learning through STEAM activities empowers students to be curious learners who seek solutions to real-life problems.
Students are learning problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration, and other real-life skills through STEAM activities in schools, which is great! But, schools are only open for 180 days. What happens when we go home for summer break?
Studies show that after taking a two-month break, students can lose anywhere from 20-30% of their academic learning momentum. Losing the force with which their brains are learning is a setback for many students whose parents view summer as a time off to recharge. This is a total myth!
I know what it’s like to have your kids at home with no routine or no plans for two whole months. It can become overwhelming at times. I also know a thing or two about teaching from my early years as a teacher. And I know learning should not be paused. Taking a short break can refresh our minds and prepare us for learning, but two months off can become a disadvantage.
I have curated a list of the best STEAM activities I have tried out at home with my kids! These are easy to prepare, meaningful to learn, and have lots of conversation around them.
My mission for #STEAM7 is to provide parents with fun and easy-to-prepare activities for kids, so they can have less screen time and a keener mind!
Your kid’s job is to explore, ask questions, think about complex concepts, fail, try many times, and succeed in learning. Have fun!
These activities will help your child:
Build problem-solving and critical thinking skills
Use their knowledge to apply to “real-life” experiences
Try taking risks
Foster creativity
Apply previous knowledge to solve new problems.
Strengthen patience and resilience
Practice collaboration skills
Have Fun!
Hit the reply button to share your feedback or experience with this!
Until next week,
Ale
P.S. Oh! And before I forget!
Post photos of the activities done daily and tag us on Twitter and Instagram with the #STEAM7.
This will help the word get out and our community to grow in support of one another!