A broadened area branching out from STEM education, STEAM typically refers more to the creative side of things. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, which also happen to encompass some of the most prominent careers today. If we add an 'A' to make it STEAM, however, now we're incorporating art as well. Though not super closely related to science and technology on the surface, the arts may seem to be a strange element to add into STEM learning. With more opportunities to be creative, however, students can develop many of the key skills they'd need for success in a STEM career. STEAM learning encompasses many different areas—from artistic projects or makerspace endeavors to creatively solving problems. As kids try new, hands-on experiences, they also have more chances to activate inquiry and curiosity. And, these are two key drivers of learning and discovery.
Essentially, moving from STEM to STEAM involves adding extra creativity and opportunities for artistic freedom and exploration. Oftentimes, children will leverage various technologies in STEM or MakerEd projects but they can do even more. Tapping into the STEAM side of things, this gives them a chance to learn how thought-provoking questions and unique design elements can also come into play during their problem-solving processes. Educators could still encourage students to question things and connect problems to solutions—albeit with a more artistic lens. In STEAM projects, children often get to incorporate personalized details that illustrate some of their passions. And, while this self-expression is also important, it's how they authenticate these projects to the next degree that's truly valuable. Browse our STEAM content below for more insights and check out our store for all the tools you'll need.
Inventing things is a great way for children to blossom into STEAM superstars. Never running out of things to invent is a whole different experience. The littleBits Pro Library is new and improved, providing creative students with enough parts to design intricate inventions or colossal creations.
In this week’s Eduporium Experiment, we are taking a deeper look at Stikbot and its potential to enrich hands-on education in the early grades. Besides being an entertaining, posable toy that allows kids to use stop motion animation anywhere, it’s also a great way for them to learn to work in small groups, problem solve, and more.
It pays to have a friend with a makerspace and, using this connection, we put on a day of PD for 30 teachers at Pinky Inc. in Marlborough, MA. At the day-long workshop, the teachers worked together and designed some creative classroom activities centered on STEM tools, like Sphero, E-Blox, Cubetto, and more!
Kids today don’t seem to have the same enthusiasm to build a pillow fort or make costumes out of cardboard. Instead, it is all too common to see them playing with a smart device, but, the line of inventive kits from MakeDo aim to spark creativity in kids by facilitating hands-on building and engaging them with something other than technology.
Essentially, the premise of Marbotic is providing preschool teachers with a technology tool that engages students, allows for physical interaction, introduces letters and numbers, and helps build their foundational tech skills. You can probably see why we’re such big fans of this system and how it allows for tactile learning at such a young age!
In the 21st century, students belong in the driver’s seats of their learning experiences. Makerspaces are such a great option for educators. They provide a safe space for kids to fail, get creative, and use their interests to help them develop 21st century skills. Perhaps the best part of these environments is that there’s no wrong way to learn within
We thought ‘Going Green’ and how teachers can lead STEM lessons that help promote environmentalism was a great topic for this week’s post. Not only does environmentalism help preserve our planet, but practice with eco-friendly initiatives can help students build STEM skills they can go on to use in just about any arena later on in life.
Covering engineering, arts, programming, and robotics, Hummingbird is a true STEAM experience as it combines technology and robotics with artistic creativity. Students use the kit’s components, including LEDs, motors, sensors, servos, and craft materials to build a functional robot that they can program in various languages.
Generally, the common belief is that this should start around first, second, or third grade. What if it could start earlier, though? Like even as early as preschool. Those extra couple of years could wind up making a pretty large difference in the development of a child and, who knows, could ultimately help them reach greater heights.
The Carvey is quite a powerful, simple, and accessible CNC machine that will put children in control of their Maker Ed experiences! With its free and easy software program, students in middle and high school can transform any ideas to digital designs then into tangible objects as they build maker, invention, and innovation skills that’ll serve them well for years
