#1: Introducing STEAM at Home
Hello everyone,
We understand that this is a challenging time for everyone. In our WonderLab community, we have families with schools and workplaces closed, many people practicing social distancing, and many communities with “stay at home” orders. And of course, our spring semester came to an unfortunate early finish. We hope that everyone is doing well and supporting each other during this time.
Given the current situation, a few of our parents have asked about STEAM activities to do at home, so we are delivering! For the next few weeks, we will be featuring WonderLab activities and other awesome easy-to-do STEAM activities. We hope that some of our activities will inspire your kids and help keep creative, hands-on learning experiences going in our new “stay at home” world.
Spaghetti Structures
Got any leftover spaghetti or pasta at home? This WonderLab classic could be for you. Over the years, the Marshmallow challenge has been a WonderLab favorite, where students have to build the tallest tower with only a handful of spaghetti strands, two pieces of masking tape, and a marshmallow. Don’t have marshmallows? This activity can be done with many supplies. Need a challenge? Use fewer supplies, set a time limit, or see if you can make it touch the ceiling!
Getting Outside
Whether you are walking in a park, taking a stroll through your neighborhood, or hiking down a trail, there is always nature to explore! Even in a stay-at-home world, the outdoors can be a great place to get away from everything, practice social distancing, and burn some energy! If it safe and you feel comfortable doing so, there are so many ways to practice STEAM skills in nature. Even a simple game of iPhone iSpy or a nature scavenger hunt can pique your kid’s curiosity. For iPhone iSpy, simply have someone ask everyone else to take a picture of the thing they see (example “I spy.. something round” could be a rock, a bush, or a bug). We also have printouts/references for nature scavenger hunts to start you off.
Rainy Weekend?
We attached a water scavenger hunt if you’re feeling adventurous. You can also make forest putty or create an animated story with some of favorite coding websites and apps. Your kid might have seen scratch or scratch jr in school, so you can also try hopscotch for an extra challenge.
https://scratch.mit.edu/
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hopscotch-coding-for-kids/id617098629?ign-mpt=uo%3D4
What We’re Reading
8 Indoor Activities to Release Kids’ Energy
A Guide to Safe Outdoor Activities During the Coronavirus Pandemic
If you have any questions, comments, feedback, ideas for activities, types of activities you want to see, or just to say hello, feel free to email us at wonderlabsteam@gmail.com or fill out the form on the contact page. We would love to hear from you!