Exploring Mathematics in STEAM

Like many parents and educators across the country, you may be looking for ways to address recent learning losses or unfinished learning in academic subjects including mathematics. Here at the National Inventors Hall of Fame^® (NIHF), we know that one of the best ways to keep children engaged in effectively building their math skills is to integrate math with other subjects in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) education.

The Role of Math in STEAM

Math includes the study of numbers, shapes, structures and space organized by reason, symbols and rules.

Math is essential in identifying patterns, interpreting data, producing measurements, managing finances, and understanding the spaces and structures around us. It’s also at the core of many career fields, from architecture to IT to medicine.

For some, math is regarded as one of the most intimidating and least engaging of all academic subjects. But by integrating it with other areas of study, educators and parents can encourage children to embrace math and find success (and even have fun!) in building skills that will benefit them for a lifetime.

Hands-On Math at Camp Invention

Each year, NIHF’s education team creates an all-new curriculum for our flagship education program, Camp Invention^®, and math plays an important role throughout.

Our 2021 program, Recharge, provides opportunities for children to actively acquire and apply math skills each day. For example, in Duck Chuck, children build and test their own device for launching rubber ducks to reach landmarks across the world. This involves using a ruler to measure the distance of each duck’s flight and using a protractor to experiment with different launching angles in efforts to help the ducks fly farther.

In addition to Duck Chuck, each opportunity to engage in collaborative, hands-on activities in Open Mic, SolarBot and Road Rally helps children to gain confidence in their capacity to master math skills, practice persistence and realize their innovative potential.

For more information on this summer’s Camp Invention program, parents and educators are encouraged to visit invent.org.

Keep Exploring STEAM

Curious about the other subjects involved in STEM and STEAM learning? Stay tuned to our blog to learn more!