STEM is for girls too! A side of confidence boost.
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STEM is for girls too! A side of confidence boost to go along with it.
My youngest child and by most accounts the diva of the family is finishing up her second-grade year. Earlier in the year, she announced her love for art and science. The art we’ve known about for some time and have encouraged her to continue with it. She is very artistic in a lot of ways.
Until this year she has not shown a lot of interest in science. Since her announcement and because I know women have been pushed out of science for a long time, I have done everything I can to keep her interested in science.
She is determined to find out why the dinosaurs went extinct. She has learned the different theories but says she will find the truth. Who am I to argue? I am not one to tell a child not to pursue their dream no matter how difficult it might appear. Her dream is to find out how dinosaurs became extinct while becoming a world-class gymnast, famous dancer, singer and actress, and veterinarian.
Now if only I could get her to clean her rabbit’s cage.
We support every one of those dreams whenever we can.
One way we have kept her interested in science is through a subscription service called MEL STEM kits. Every month she receives a STEM project that she must read about, put together, and get it to work on. She’s probably completed 6 or 7 now.
Initially, the plan was for us to work on them together, and we did for the first two. Now she doesn’t even wait for me and completes them as soon as they arrive.
The first kit she received was a hydraulic jack. It still sits on her nightstand in working condition many months later.
Since then, she has completed kits with 3D glasses, a cannon, and one involving lights and refraction, to list a few. She has learned a lot on her own and takes great pride in completing the projects. She has shared a few of them for show and tells at school.
The most important aspect of her being able to complete the stem kits (on her own) is she is building confidence. One day someone will tell her science is not for girls, and she will have the confidence and experience to tell that someone they are wrong.
MEL Science kits also include an app that allows kids to continue learning (for life) with augmented videos. What child doesn’t love watching videos?
MEL STEM project kits are great for younger children, but the fun and learning don’t have to end there. MEL also has:
MEL was named the BETT Innovator of the year and received the EdTech Cool Tool award as the best VR/AR tool of 2020. These science kits are fun, educational, challenging, and great for building confidence in your children’s ability to complete projects.
My daughter cannot wait until she receives the next one. They come once a month and she usually completes them within a few days of receiving them. She takes pictures and sends it to her teachers, shows us the completed project, and explains what it does and how it works.
To put this into perspective, she received a microscope and slides for Christmas (to encourage her in science). They remain in the box 6 months later. She is extra motivated by successfully completing a science project, and she is learning while doing them.
My daughter has always had issues with self-confidence. She often believes things are impossible until we finally convince her to just try. MEL STEM project kits have given her a boost of confidence not only in showing her she can solve complex problems but also in speaking intelligently about scientific topics.
Months after completing one of the kits she will still show it to other family members and explain it as if she just learned about it the day before.
MEL has done more than teaching my daughter about science. It has helped develop her confidence and piqued her interest even more in the world of science.
Now about that rabbit cage.
