My 10 year old son, Ethan, and I had fun in the kitchen this morning making pies for Thanksgiving. It was a great way to learn about food science. We decided to make a Lemon Meringue Pie. First, we needed to look at the formula (recipe) and talk about all the ingredients that we needed. We uses several types of measurements - liquid measuring in ounces, solid measuring in measuring cups and spoons (next time we'll try using a recipe with weights), and counting of individual items (such as eggs). When mixed together the ingredients for the filling we talked about the chemical changes that were occurring in the pot as the ingredients bubbled together and thickened. As we whipped the egg whites we talked about physical change as the molecules captured the air and coated the air bubbles. It was a great way to reinforce what he is learning in his 5th grade class without it feeling like homework. The best part is you get to eat the results!
Looking for a few more experiments for physical and chemical changes? Here's a related blog post you might like at Owlcation. Debbi graduated with a Culinary Arts Degree from Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island. It has been another busy fall SPLASH season travelling to different New England Universities for my son to attend their SPLASH programs. We spend about every weekend for a month on the road for these wonderful programs. This season started with classes at Northeastern University and ended today at MIT SPLASH in between were visits to Brandeis, Amherst College & Boston College. There was exposure to Business Philosophy, Budgeting, Behavioral Economics, Programming in Python, Unity 3D, The Art of Strategy and we can't forget Rubics Cube 101. These classes are just sampling, most just one hour, but it the opportunity to explore so many topics that makes attending SPLASH so worthwhile. Having students as teachers makes them relatable as they're just a few years older than these middle and high school students. Thank you to all the students volunteers that make these programs possible! I'm sure we will see you again in the spring for the next round of SPLASH! If your kids are attending MIT SPLASH this weekend, you might be tempted to just drop them off and enjoy the free time or catch up on all the things you haven't been able to get to. Though it may be tempting, I would like to suggest that you reconsider. MIT has one of the best SPLASH Parent Programs. While your kids are learning all kinds of interesting things, parents have a chance to do some learning as well. One program that I have attended that I would rate as a do not miss is "Seven Common Flawed Assumptions About College Admissions" by Amy Estersohn. Chances are if you child is attending SPLASH, there is a good likelihood that they are thinking about heading to college after they graduate. This seminar is presented by a former admissions officer and give some great insight to the college admissions process. The MIT Admissions Office also offers an information session. During the weekend you'll have the opportunity to take a sample class. Have you ever wondered about "Superman/woman and Science Fiction/Fantasy" or wanted to learn about "Household Chemistry for the Biologist"? Now is your chance. Here's a tip, get there early, the seats at the parents session fill up quickly. The parent program is also an opportunity to meet some of your peers, look around the room, these are people a lot like you (come on, admit it, how many other families do you know that choose to spend their weekend driving to colleges and taking classes?). While you're waiting, why not introduce yourself to the parent next to you, you already know you have something in common and you may make a new friend. You could see the excitement as the boys in Cub Scouts Pack 16 entered Dutch Kitchen Bakery and gazed into the display case loaded with all kinds of delectable treats. They were soon whisked downstairs to the decorating room, where on the tables were all the fixings for gingerbread houses. Each boy had the chance to create their own masterpiece. They didn't know that even this activity had a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) connection. Building a gingerbread house could be their first exposure to civil engineering which includes the design and building of structures. As they decorated, they worked through creating patterns in their designs. While they toured the bakery, they used math to calculate how many cakes could be baked at a time in all those ovens. They guessed 9 cakes per oven and multiplied it by the 12 ovens to come up with 108 cakes. They learned that recipes are formulas of ingredients and the weighted scales are for measurements. All the boys knew is they were having fun, as a mom it made me realize how many opportunities are around us which expand STEM learning.
it An early morning picturesque fall drive brings us to Amherst College for their SPLASH program, which is offered for students grade 6-12. While my son's brain is probably throbbing as he is learning Quantum Mechanics (yes, I am proud to admit my son is smarter than me), I sit quietly in the library taking in the beautiful view of the autumn colored leaves and the open space of the quad. The Amherst College campus has a feel like no other we have visited, it is like taking in a breath of fresh air, it has a calm and relaxed feel. Its SPLASH program is smaller than many, which is appropriate for this small college, but that doesn't make it any less valuable. You can learn about fractal geometry by creating wire tree sculptures? What is fractal geometry? No worries, I had to look that up too! They offer courses from Neuroscience, Physics, Chemistry to Origami, Watercolor, Arabic and Jazz - a little something for everyone. There isn't a parent program here, but there is time to do a little exploring. I visited the farmer's market where there was a nice selection of fresh produce, honey, maple syrup. Last visit, I discovered The Glazed Donut, it was a must revisit so I could purchased some special treats for home like a French Toast Donut.
Many people thinking about how to introduce STEM education to their children think about having them learn coding, working with circuits, performing science experiments and many other hands on indoor activities. Don't forget to think "outside" the box and look to our National Parks. There are so many great opportunities to discover and learn, make sure to check out the Jr. Ranger Program, typically for kids age 5-13, though open to all ages. Kids complete activities while in the park and earn a Jr. Ranger Certificate and either a badge or a patch. Some of amazing places that we have been that I would highly recommend:
There are so many more amazing places to explore, but I will save those for another post, in the meantime, what is your favorite national park and why? STEM Saturdays are another way to get some great exposure to different areas in the Science, Technology, Engineering & Math fields. There are many free programs offered at local area libraries and colleges (some do charge a fee as well).
Last weekend, we enjoyed a wonderful presentation at MIT Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington. Welcome to the Jungle was a presentation on life in the Jungle with a focus on Chimpanzees. The presentation included real life experiences of a biologist whom studies Chimpanzees in their natural habitat. We learned how to make a hoot calls, how to identify chimpanzees from each other, the similarities with humans, the jungle environment, and that you need be careful when using a machete to cut a path because the if you cut the wrong branch a cobra might just drop on you! The STEM Saturday programs at Lincoln Laboratories are free and are open to those ages 5-17, though I find the presentations we have been to seem to be geared towards elementary and early middle school. The program is run every two months during the school year and pre-registration is required. Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester offers a STEM Saturdays program for middle school students which is held once a month from November - April. The classes are half day and there is a cost of $180. Parents are required to attend and there are programs geared towards them while their students work on hands-on projects. I previously attended presentations on admissions, financial aid, engineering and speaker sessions. If you're luck enough to live in one of the towns (Boston, Cambridge or Lawrence) that are supported by MIT's SEED Academy they offer a great opportunity for 7th through 10th graders. This free program offers an opportunity to explore engineering fields. Don't forget to check out your local libraries as many also offer STEM programs as well! Fall in New England means the cool crisp air, the vibrant colors of the leaves, pumpkins and the smell of apple pie. For us, fall is a busy time, it's time for SPLASH! No sleeping in late on the weekends, from mid-October through November we are up early, hopping in the car or on a train to get to one of the New England colleges that offer SPLASH (they are offered all over the country).
Why do we do this? My son loves it! SPLASH programs are run by university students to engage middle and high school students in the learning process. Several of the programs are free, the rest are low cost and most of the ones that charge a fee also offer financial aid in order to make the programs accessible to anyone interested. There are so many classes to choose from and they are on anything and everything! Want to Learn the History of Video Games, the Morality of Fictional Characters, Fractal Geometry through Tree Sculptures, Economics Makes Cents or even how to solve a Rubic’s Cube? SPLASH programs offer opportunities to get exposure to topics students may not otherwise have the opportunity. Student may even get an unexpected surprise, such as my son did when he realized Hacking the Mind Through Meditation isn’t a computer science class (oops!). Unfortunately, due to the short season, many of the colleges have SPLASH programs on the same day. This year we struggled since Amherst College and Yale University both were offering their program on November 5th. (You can see a calendar of events on my web page) We have been to both programs before and they were excellent. My son needed to compare their course catalogs to review this fall’s offerings and pick one of them (parents are not allowed to select courses for their student as the goal is student engagement). Again, for November 13th he had to choose between Clark University and Boston College. Luckily, most schools offer SPLASH each year, in both the fall and the spring, so the ones he didn’t make it to this time he can participate in the spring. What is a parent to do while their kids spend the day in classes? Several of the colleges offer parent programs where you can take a sample SPLASH class (regular SPLASH classes are only for students), learn about the college admissions process or get educated on the financial aid process (scary for many of us). You can take a college campus tour (you may want to pre-register for these). Several of the colleges have interesting things to do around them. When visiting Yale, you can explore Yale Museum (free admission) and the schools beautiful architecture (if you’re a photographer you probably want to bring a camera). Northeastern is next to the Museum of Fine arts and Fenway Park. If you’re at MIT, you can walk or take the T over to Faneuil Hall and take a free tour offered through the National Park Service or explore Kendall Square or Newbury Street. Fall festivals may be happening when you’re visiting Amherst College. If you’re not adventurous, there are always places to sit down with a good book or work on your computer. If you haven’t tried SPLASH I encourage you to do so! “Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be.” – Karen Ravn Over the years, we have done many STEM programs including Lego Robotics, Electronic Circuits, Science kits and all kinds of cool stuff but it was the SPARK & SPLASH programs that really got my son's juices flowing. Through a friend we heard about a program, for 7th & 8th graders, held in the spring at MIT called SPARK. Most classes are run by MIT students for students. What better scenario? Kids get to spend time on a college campus, take classes on anything and everything and are being taught by young people that they can relate to. Want to learn how to make slime? There's a class for that. Want to discuss the morality of fictional characters? There's a class for that. Want to learn about game theory? There's a class for that. Want to learn How to Get Rich, there's a class for that too!
SPARK and SPLASH classes are held at colleges all over the country with the purpose of fostering the love of learning in young students. Parents can't select the class, the student chooses what is of interest to them. Classes are often offered in the Spring and the Fall. Some programs are free and others are offered at a very low cost ($40 or under), several offer full financial aid so that anyone interested is able to attend. This fall will be the first time my younger son attends his first SPLASH program. It was hard to choose which classes because there were so many that interested him. Let's see if we have another SPLASH Maniac on our hands! Why STEM Advocates you might wonder? I am a mother of 2 amazing boys who are smart and curious. I am driven to seek out opportunities that will continue to engage and challenge them. These opportunities can be hard and time consuming to find but it has been absolutely worth it, my boys have had some amazing experiences. I want to be able to share information and resources with other parents and educators so that their children are able to easily find opportunities that will help fulfill their own curiosities. I hope you "Like" & Follow my Facebook page @STEMAdvocates, "follow" my Twitter @STEMAdvocates, and visit my webpage as we continue to evolve!
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AuthorWelcome! I'm Debbi and I'm so glad you're here! As a mom of two boys I found it difficult to find resources on STEM programs for my kids. I spent hours researching which resulted in my kids having some amazing STEM opportunities. I want to share information with other families. I try to focus on free or low-cost events so that opportunities are available to children no matter their family's income level. Archives
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