BJU Press Blog

activity

What Is STEM and How Do I Teach It?

by


If you’re like me, you have a hard time keeping up with all the new buzzwords in education. When you hear about STEM, it’s usually being talked about as if it’s a subject all its own—one more thing you need to worry about teaching your kids. The reality is that you’re probably already teaching it, especially if you are using BJU Press textbooks for science and math. We were doing STEM long before it was called STEM.

What STEM Is

STEM is an acronym for

  • Science
  • Technology
  • Engineering
  • Math

Technically, any lesson that falls into one of these subject areas is a “STEM lesson.” But the term is typically used when describing activities that seek to teach kids how to apply those subjects to real-world applications. If hearing about STEM brings to mind pictures of kids building robots, that’s because robotics and programming are examples of real-world applications. They are definitely STEM, but STEM isn’t limited to electronics. Exercises can also include chemistry experiments, math equations used to design buildings or vehicles, weather analysis, and more.

Why It’s Hot

The acronym actually dates back to 1998 but has recently gained a lot of popularity. Experts in the United States determined that we were behind other countries in these areas in terms of test scores and the number of college graduates holding degrees in those fields. The majority of high-paying new jobs fall into the STEM category, and there aren’t enough graduates to meet that demand.

Why It Matters

Homeschoolers usually aren’t big on educational fads, focusing instead on time-tested approaches that we know work. The acronym STEM might be trendy but the idea isn’t new. The fundamental processes used in math and science never change, but the way we apply them to the real world has to because the demands of the job market change. If we’re going to bring up our children to be good stewards of God’s creation and to love their neighbors, we have to equip them with the tools they need to accomplish those things in a modern world. That’s why BJU Press has been including these real-world applications in our science and math textbook lines from the beginning.

What to Do

One of the best things about homeschooling is that you can do what’s right for your family. I believe STEM is very important, so here are two things I plan to do with my own son:

  • I’m going to make sure that the curriculum I’m using has plenty of up-to-date STEM exercises that will help him learn.
  • I’m going to personally come at the activities with a learner’s attitude. A lot of the lessons, especially ones involving technology and programing might be foreign to parents who aren’t actively involved in fields that use them, but I’m excited about learning along with my son and certainly won’t skip over lessons that may seem unfamiliar or difficult. We’ll get through them together.

Did you find this post helpful? Would you like to share a STEM activity that has worked in your homeschool? Be sure to comment below! Also, to get you started, here are six free STEM activities from BJU Press science textbooks.

 

Save

Save

Activity: Learning with a Pumpkin

by

One thing many children look forward to about fall is getting to carve or decorate a pumpkin. As a parent, you can capitalize on that excitement by squeezing some learning in with all of the fun. Here are some ways to practice science and math skills with your child while pumpkin carving.

Before carving the pumpkin, start off by weighing it. A normal household scale will do. If the pumpkin is not too heavy, have your child pick it up and guess the weight. Then he can weigh it. This activity will help build his ability to associate perceived weight with an actual measurement. Our pumpkin weighed in at a whopping 14.5 pounds!

pumpkinblogpost-weight

Next, your child can measure the pumpkin’s circumference using a piece of string or yarn along with a yardstick or tape measure. Once he has determined the circumference, take the calculations to the next level (if age appropriate) and have your child use the following geometric formulas to find the diameter and radius.

C = πd (circumference = 3.14 × diameter)

d = 2r (diameter = 2 × radius)

pumpkinblogpost-circumference

After you or your child cut the pumpkin open (we recommend providing supervision), have your children count the total number of pumpkin seeds by separating them into rows of five or ten. This practice is great for helping younger children understand multiplication.

Learning with a Pumpkin-Counting

Once the inside of the pumpkin is cleaned out, have your child fill it with water using a measuring cup to determine how much liquid it can hold. Ask him to estimate beforehand how much he thinks it will hold and then compare that with his findings. Subtract to see how far off the estimate was. Our pumpkin held just over 5 liters of water.

pumpkinblogpost-volume

I hope you enjoy using this learning activity with your child. Be sure to subscribe to our homeschool email for more fun homeschooling ideas!

Remembrance in Action: A Memorial Day Project

by

American flag

Memorial Day blends sadness with gratitude as we remember those who died in the service of our country. Unlike Veterans’ Day, which honors the soldiers who served and returned, Memorial Day recognizes those who gave up their lives fighting for freedom. Keeping Veterans’ Day and Memorial Day straight is difficult for kids, but doing activities and writing about the day will help them understand its meaning.

Step 1. Adopt a Soldier

About a week before Memorial Day, choose a soldier to remember. Perhaps there is someone in your family who gave his or her life while serving in the armed forces, or perhaps you know of a family friend or a neighbor who lost a loved one in war. If possible, choose someone whose grave is in your area, so that you and your children can visit briefly as part of your Memorial Day project.

Step 2. Do Some Research

Once you have chosen a soldier to remember, it’s time to do some research about him or her. The individual’s birth date, date of death, hometown, place of service, and other details are all helpful pieces of information that you can find out online or from the soldier’s family members. Learning a little bit about the soldier will make him more real to your children and deepen the meaning of his sacrifice. While they research, kids can take notes using this graphic organizer.

Step 3. Write About It

Younger children can write a few sentences about what they have learned, in the form of a short narrative or a timeline. Visual learners may enjoy drawing some illustrations to go with the written part. Older kids can turn their research into an essay about Memorial Day or the price of freedom; or they could design a timeline with information and illustrations to celebrate the soldier’s life. Posting photos of the project on Facebook, gifting the illustrations to the soldier’s living relatives, or reading the essay aloud to a group of fellow homeschoolers are just a few ways that your children can share their projects.

Step 4. Make a Stars and Stripes Wreath

To adorn your soldier’s grave on Memorial Day, you and your kids can make a red, white, and blue wreath reminiscent of the American flag. You’ll need the following supplies:

  • Red, white, and blue bandanas from a dollar store or thrift shop
  • A wreath form from a craft store
  • Twist ties
  • White felt
  • A hot-glue gun

Wrap blue bandanas around the left side of the wreath, securing them with twist ties and leaving the ends free. Once you have done about half of the wreath, wrap the remaining portion in alternating red and white bandanas. Cut a couple dozen five-pointed stars from the white felt and hot-glue them onto the blue bandanas.

Step 5. Decorate a Soldier’s Grave

On Memorial Day, take the kids to visit their soldier’s grave. Check with the cemetery to make sure it’s okay for you to leave the wreath at the grave to honor the soldier’s memory.

What other activities have you done to teach your kids the importance of Memorial Day? Share them with me in a comment.

• • • • •

Rebecca is a work-at-home freelance writer, novelist, wife, and the mom of two bright-eyed little ones. She credits her success in writing and her love of books to her own mom, who homeschooled three kids from pre-K through high school.

Activity: The Seasons Are Changing

by

white posterboard with images of the four seasons

Things are cooling off, and the leaves are starting to change color. Nature’s great visual and physical demonstrations make fall a fun time to start teaching young children about the changing of seasons. It’s also a great time to exercise their higher level thinking skills. Here is a fun, fast, and easy activity to get them thinking.

  1. Explain the basic differences of the seasons, and then draw lines dividing a poster board or large sheet of paper into four sections.
  2. Label each section as a different season—spring, summer, fall, and winter.
  3. Invite your child to draw or cut out at least one picture of a favorite thing to do in each season. Examples might be carving a pumpkin in the fall, swimming in the summer, or picking flowers in the spring. If you live in an area without obvious changes, children may identify activities they would like to try.
  4. Help your child place each picture in the section for the corresponding season.

By working on this hands-on activity with you, your child will enjoy learning while reviewing the material in a way that builds true understanding. In step 3 your child is recalling and understanding the key features of each season and then applies that knowledge in step 4 by placing each favorite activity in the proper category.

If you would like more ideas, other activities like this one can be found throughout BJU Press elementary science teacher’s editions.

Val the Mailbox Gal and Other Crafts for Valentine’s Day

by

How do you let people know they are important? One way is to give them gifts. Gifts come in all shapes and sizes. Most children may associate gifts with tangible objects, such as dolls, army men, or sweaters, but words—written and spoken—can also be gifts.

“Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.” Proverbs 16:24

Valentine’s Day centers around the gift-giving of words related to love and friendship. It’s a great day to teach children how pleasant (or harmful) their words can be. Giving valentines is a practical way to apply this lesson. Valentine cards can be handmade or store bought. It is the thought behind them that matters most! Here are a few different kinds of valentine crafts to get you started.

WP-Val-Valentine-Mailbox-2-2015When it’s time to share the valentines, use Val the Mailbox Gal. She’s great at collecting valentines around your house, at school, or even for Sunday school. But come February 14, she may need assistance sorting and delivering all of the messages. Seeing people’s joyful faces as you deliver the valentines is the best part.

If you have found another helpful resource for creating valentines, share the link in a comment below!