Hands-On, At-Home Summer Learning
While summer brings with it a much-needed break for both parents and children alike, due to the learning loss that accompanies these warmer months, paired with the additional academic disruption caused by COVID-19, it is more important than ever that children remain engaged.
Though your child might be wary of the term “summer learning,” our hands-on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities are so much fun, they won’t even realize they’re developing crucial 21st-century skills that will aid them in this upcoming school year and beyond.
Try these STEM activities for the summer by clicking their titles:
1. Waking Up to Invention
In this hands-on STEM activity, children are given the opportunity to invent their perfect morning routine. Requiring just a notebook and writing utensil, here children are tasked with brainstorming ways to overcome pesky challenges they confront each morning. Perhaps they will invent a bed that makes itself or even a cereal bowl that plays their favorite cartoons. Because all great inventions first begin as a seed of an idea, recording solutions on paper is a crucial step in the innovation process. Once their ideas are on the page, students are then able to improve on them over time by creating different prototypes of the same device!
2. Science Spot
Here, participants create a special area for exploring science and invention. Creating a space like this can help children (and adults) be more mindful of incorporating science into everyday activities. By searching through your junk drawer and recycling bin to find items that can be used for exploration and prototyping, you can help your child design a “science spot” where they can create freely. When students approach a space like this one, they are reminded that they have the power to experiment, discover and invent.
3. Be a Solver
This STEM activity challenges children to identify 20 things that bug them and then create solutions that would eliminate these annoyances forever. For example, maybe their backpack is too heavy to carry around, or perhaps they have a hard time waking up in the morning. Using materials found around the house, they can practice using the SPARK (strengths, problems, areas to grow, reflect and keep solving) method to make their creations even better.
4. Homework Station
While the details of the upcoming school year are still being ironed out by districts across the country, one thing that will aid any learning scenario is having a dedicated place to complete homework and school tasks – a homework station! Check out our blog for helpful tips on selecting the right location, including the right supplies and using organization techniques that will enable your child to be productive, comfortable and focused.
For more hands-on STEM activities and helpful learning resources, we invite you to visit our blog.
Check out our brand new, at-home activity kits
Looking for even more imagination-stretching summer fun? We’ve created a series of boredom-busting STEM kits to help children enjoy an action-packed summer! Each Innovation Exploration Kit™ in our I Can Invent® series is made by innovators, for innovators, and includes:
- A different, awesome robot
- An amazing amount of hands-on, creative materials
- Step-by-step activity instructions and access to exclusive digital content
- Opportunities to design, build, experiment and invent
To find out how much fun fits in each box, visit our website!