STEM toys and STEM science challenges are significant in sparking children’s curiosity about science and helping them develop problem-solving skills. Some STEM activities and toys focus on coding, while others focus on engineering, chemistry, and renewable energy.
A wind power STEM challenge is a renewable energy project for students to learn about how humans lived without a supply of electricity. In this science project, students can make a simple wind turbine to learn about renewable energy.
There are different ways to make a wind turbine. In the video below, you will see one example of a science student who made a wind turbine out of pencils and paper. Let’s take a look:
The Benefits of STEM Challenges and STEM Toys
STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This relatively new category empowers children to improve their problem-solving skills and helps them proactively learn new skills. The sooner the child is introduced to STEM concepts, the better.
As we’ve mentioned earlier, there is a consensus between educators and child psychologists that STEM education and STEM toys are a great way to inspire kids to play while learning in a fun way. So, in the following lines, we will explain the benefits.
Enhanced Problem Solving Skills
STEM education promotes original thinking in children and enhances cognitive learning. Children learn how to think independently and with their intelligence to solve problems. Moreover, children don’t mind the struggle to solve the particular problems they come across. They accept the battle and, without asking for help, do their best to solve the puzzle in front of them.
STEM Education Improves Motor Skills and Hand-Eye Coordination
Improved motor skills and hand-eye coordination come from the fact that STEM education positively affects brainpower and the mind. Moreover, these benefits can be exponential if the child is exposed to STEM learning early when improvements are abundant.
Learning Meets Fun
STEM education has the power to turn learning into a fun activity. Children associate learning complex concepts from science, math, and technology with fun. This is a major reason why educators praise STEM learning so much. It’s even better that children carry this learning with them in the future.
Breaking the Stigma that STEM Is Hard
Math and science are traditionally stigmatized as challenging to learn disciplines. More often than, children hear this from their parents and other adults. On the other hand, STEM education and STEM toys can break the stigma that disciplines are hard to master. By breaking through this stigma and solving math and science problems, children are empowered and accept that these topics are not out of their reach.
STEM Education Empowers Creative Decision-Making
STEM education sparks original thinking in children. It makes them turn to their creative side when trying to solve the different challenges in STEM class. STEM is about making children think about the different outcomes, what each outcome brings to the table, the pros and cons of each outcome, etc. The ability to think critically, without being biased, is something that they will find very useful in the professional world once they grow bigger.
Teach Students about Renewable Energy
STEM projects like the wind turbine challenge is a fun way to teach our students about the future of renewables. For smaller kids, there are STEM toys available to buy. That means as a parent, you can buy some toys and, with the help of carefully crafted tutorials, lead your child in the world of STEM education.