I love summertime, I really do. I love having my son, Braxton home from school during summer break. I enjoy spending time with him. we often go swimming and have been on plenty of weekend getaways to the beach, or kayaking on the lake. The only problem we have is that Braxton would prefer to spend his days playing video games! My child would play them all day long if I would allow it.
It is important to me that my son keeps his mind sharp throughout the summer months. I like to keep activities on hand that Braxton can do that will keep him learning while having fun. I especially love to find educational toys that teach Braxton interesting science skills, creative challenges and other learning activities – while still being fun and engaging.
The STEM at play! Series introduces kids in grades 3–12 to the wonders of STEM skills through a wide variety of experiment and activity kits. Ranging from slime to combustion science to a create-your-own-candy kit, each kit comes with a lab and career guide detailing each experiments’ instructions and a study of the particular field of science the kit explores.
Braxton’s favorite kits so far have been the SLIME and the BOOM kits.
The STEM at Play® SLIME! Slime Making Lab Kit is so much fun! Braxton has been creating slime of all sorts!
Explore the science behind polymer chemistry and become an expert in all things slimy. The fact-filled lab guide is chock-full of pictures and information needed for hours of experimentation in your own home laboratory.
STEM at play kits bring science concepts to life through hands-on activities designed to spark interest, inspire confidence, prompt creative critical-thinking skills while fostering collaboration between children and adults. STEM at play kits provide materials to support scholastic goals while keeping at-home learning fun.
This fabulous kit includes 14 different experiments and recipes for a child to create all kinds of gooey things from colored worms to homemade play-dough. I love the fact that my child is required to read the instructions for himself to find out how to do the experiments correctly. And is it messy? Heck, yeah it is very messy! But it keeps my son entertained, and so I don’t mind helping him clean up when he is finished.
The STEM at Play® BOOM! Combustion Science Lab Kit allows my child to become an expert in things-that-go-boom! The fact-filled lab guide is chock-full of pictures and information for hours of fun in his own combustion lab!
Braxton loves this kit! It includes 25 scientific experiments, such as fizzy bombs, Inflating a balloon without blowing, a cool lava lamp and birthday cake sparklers! Just watching his excitement as he proudly demonstrates his experiments for my husband and I is very rewarding. I love to watch my son as he figures out how the experiments work. And yes, this kit is messy too, but it is worth it!
Each kit includes completely detailed instructions with pictures to show exactly how the experiments work. And of course, there are times of trial and error, when Braxton measures something wrong, or leaves out a crucial step… That is bound to happen even with the most brilliant scientists! I am proud of the way he is learning the importance of following directions, and having patience with himself. The most important thing is that he is discovering how things work, and about cause and effect. He is definitely using his brain to figure this science stuff out, and having fun in the process.
It is so cute to see Braxton with his safety goggles and gloves on ready to work some magic! I know that I would have loved STEM at Play sets when I was a kid!
The STEM kits definitely help ease the transition from summer fun to school day schedules!
To learn more about The STEM at play! Series kits, go to: https://www.hand2mind.com