This post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through such links will result in a small commission for me, at no extra cost for you. Please read my disclosure statement for more information.

More and more companies are gearing toys to compliment STEM initiatives, and enthusiastic parents are following their lead. (STEM is the acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.) There is also a push for STEAM in education, which incorporates STEM and the Arts. --  Many toys overlap into the creative STEM arena.

STEM toys have the advantage that they can deliver insights about the physical world to your children. Kids who play with STEM toys may be more likely to be curious about how things work in the world around them and pursue studying STEM subjects. Having a strong foundation in STEM can give kids a great launch pad for future success in this ever-growing, tech-savvy world. ​

This post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through such links will result in a small commission for me, at no extra cost for you. Please read my disclosure statement for more information.

Photo: @LilianFNorris

Halloween time is a great time of the year to dig a little deeper and unearth more dimensions to the holiday by adding science education to the Hallow-theme. There are many science topics in themselves that are a perfect fit with Halloween and its eerie props, including anatomy, forensics, chemistry, and physics. While kids are already in the zone, use the following ideas to your advantage to slip in some science education in the Halloween spirit.

This post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through such links will result in a small commission for me, at no extra cost for you. Please read my disclosure statement for more information.

If you are looking for some great resources to get your kids inspired in STEM and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math), check out the information below and be sure to review our own list of resources as well. 

With the big push for STEM education, Iridescent, an education non-profit has been forging ahead with great free virtual curriculum. It trains "professional engineers, scientists, and parents to deliver cutting-edge STEM education to underserved children and their families." Its mission is to “create and deliver powerful science, engineering and technology education to help underprivileged children develop. It offers a wide array of learning platforms: Family Science, Curiosity Machine, Technovation Challenge, Scientists and Engineers’ Outreach, and Studio Programs. While the focus is on STEM, most activities lend themselves well to STEAM, since art and creativity are such a vital part of the inventive and planning processes.

This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure statement for more information.

                                                                                                                                                                                         Image: Camp Google website

This summer Google is offering a FREE camp for kids that is designed to get kids outside to explore and experiment with fun science activities. It starts on July 13, 2015, and runs 4 weeks, but if you have a conflict with dates, don't worry because you can do it whenever it is convenient to you. It is open to anyone who wants to participate anywhere around the world. Though it is designed for kids ages 7-10, kids of any age can participate with supervision. Any activity can be modified for younger or older kids. Your kids can learn about the oceans, space, nature, and music.