STEAM Education? Homeschool Fun!

This article is in collaboration with STEAM4Kidz.

If there’s an educational “word of the decade,” it would be STEAM. For those that don’t know, this catchy acronym stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math. In the modern, technologically advanced world, those are considered more valuable subjects than things like literature have in the past. (STEAM’s cousin, STEM, is similar but without the “art” aspect.)

For the past several weeks, Review Crew members have been working with STEAM4KIDZ kits with their children. As one might guess from their name, STEAM4KIDZ provides parents with the tools for STEAM education for their children. Founded by Dr. Onolee Zwicke, the company strives to provide high-quality kits for children ages 6-12 that are fun, educational, and relevant. Each of their kits has several projects to help students explore all five aspects of STEAM education. Reviewers chose from the Starry Night Kit, the Galactic Adventures kit, the Ocean ventures kit, and the Mini-Theater kit.

Each kit has everything needed for students to create between 5 and 7 different projects, largely independently. In addition, there are online video lessons to guide them through the learning process and show them step-by-step exactly what to do to be successful in their STEAM education journey.

STEAM Education Kits

Starry Night Kit

Young astronomers will build seven different projects in this kit as they explore the Milky Way. Video lessons include information direct from NASA about space travel, and children have everything they need to build a Rover Robot, a game about the moon’s phases, a constellation medallion, and more. They are designed for ages 6-12 to be able to do independently (except for the Rover project).

Ocean Ventures Kit

For the child who prefers to keep his head and feet here on Earth, the Ocean Ventures kit has it covered! As the future marine biologist explores the ocean depths and tide pools, they’ll learn about marine life and the ocean floor’s structure. Projects in this kit include learning about coral and making one out of clay (with careful video instruction for guaranteed success), creating their own “ooey-gooey jellyfish,” and making a shark tooth necklace. For children ages 6-12 independently.

More STEAM Kits

Galactic Adventures Kit

The second kit today is another one for budding astronomers. This kit is slightly more advanced, with children 6-9 working with adult help and 9-12 likely able to work independently. Projects in this kit include making a clay model of the solar system, creating a 3D rocket ship diorama, and making a galaxy in a jar (plus more).

Mini-Theater Kit

For the parent who thought STEAM education couldn’t possibly include anything like drama, STEAM4KIDZ is here to teach otherwise! Engineers, scientists, and mathematicians have a place even in the theater. Children ages 6-12 can do this kit independently as they build a model theater, create a lightbox, and create stage designs for plays.

STEAM4KIDZ provides everything needed for their projects in the kit, all delivered in a fancy box right to customers’ doorsteps. The beautifully printed and packaged box will have children clamoring to see what’s inside from the moment they see it and ready to dive into the projects as soon as they’ve explored the contents. In addition to the things that are more “specialty” (like clay), they also include the more commonplace items like markers and paper. Because STEAM4KIDZ includes everything, parents can literally “open and go,” which can be ideal for many families.

Thanks to Wendy of Ladybug Daydreams for writing this introductory article.