Welcome and thanks for visiting STEMium (or returning)!
Below, you’ll find a little more about who I am and what STEMium is all about. I’m a mom of four wonderful kiddos and when I’m not busy shuttling them from various activities, playdates or school, I’m probably just like many of you: trying to make sure that they are healthy, happy and learning.
A bit about me: science heavy with a twist of finance
I grew up in the Midwest. And I spent a LOT of time outdoors. Also, a lot of time watching my grandfather and father tinker. Science training wasn’t exactly something I got much of growing up. I did one science fair project and vowed never to do another.
Science fascinated me, even if the science fair did not. I constantly tried to figure out “how things work”. In college, I got a degree in bacteriology and worked as a scientist before returning for my PhD. Lab life was awesome and I enjoyed teaching, but after a decade at the bench, I switched gears and put my science training to work in finance.
The Problem: STEM training for kids leaves something to be desired
Now…somewhere during those years, we managed to have four kiddos.
Nope, not a typo.
Four.
No, there are no multiples.
Yup. It just kind of happened. <we usually get the same questions about our large family>
With my passion and expertise for science, I’ve always wondered if the kiddos would show an interest in a STEM area. But, any of you with kids of your own know they kind of end up doing their own thing. Anyway, we’ve tried to expose them to STEM through various ways. Maybe a trip to the nearby arboretum or trying to shoot off homemade rockets in the backyard. We also enrolled them in different classes/camps.
Some were good…
…some were not.
I found myself disappointed.
The programs seemed very “canned”, kids weren’t engaging much and the teachers seemed to lack enthusiasm. Such a bummer!! Sound familiar? Ever buy a $35/mo STEM subscription service only to get two plastic cups, straws, some string and instructions to build a bridge?
After seeing STEM franchises and efforts pop up in recent years I’ve reached a few conclusions.
- First, the good: it’s exciting to see so many people want to bring STEM to kids. This is needed!!
- The not-so-good: many offerings seem questionable in quality. Maybe it’s the former scientist in me, but the lesser-quality offerings are most frustrating because they could steer kids AWAY from STEM at a time when we need to be encouraging kids to get involved and stay involved.
Planting the STEMium seeds: Could there be a better way?
Although the family was juggling a lot with both my husband and I working, I wanted to find better ways to spark our kids’ STEM curiosity. When my oldest was interested in doing a science fair project, we managed to come up with a pretty fun one that grabbed their attention and made them think critically about what was happening (you can see more on our science fair guide – what’s the germiest spot in school?). It was so cool seeing my kiddo and her partner get excited about science!
Fast forward a year later, and daughter number two was also interested in participating…again a fun time and more learning. Yay science!
Taking action — STEMiums starts to come together
Fast forward again to a few Winters ago and I helped organize a STEM teaching event at our local grade school open to girls across different grades (STEM Night Out!) and what a blast!! It was so much fun working with the kiddos on different experiments and projects, and I fell in love with the idea of getting more active in STEM education. And the concept of STEMium began to come together…
So, why STEMium? Teach STEM to kids by “doing” and having fun
When I first told my husband that I wanted to try to come up with creative, better ways to teach STEM, his reaction surprised me….YES! That’s something you’d be perfect at! And you’ve got the perfect test group – our four kids! Thanks!! And that’s where STEMium comes in.
Think of STEMium as a “lab notebook” of sorts that tracks my projects with the kids as I try to MacGyver together STEM projects that are FUN, COOL, EDUCATIONAL and APPLIED to the real world. In my view, the last one might be the most important because LEARNING BY DOING is a critical strategy in getting kids both excited about STEM and helping them understand what’s going on. Talking about chemistry concepts are one thing…. making a messy vinegar and baking soda reaction occur real-time is totally different and memorable… especially if it’s the “fuel” for a rocket they just designed. 😊
The goal here is simple: merge the science and mom backgrounds and come up with creative ways to get kids engaged in STEM.
At the end of the day, it’s about providing high-quality experiences to your kids and sparking their curiosity. That’s my goal with my four kiddos. Will my fab four all be donning lab coats at some point? Ha! Probably not. And that’s totally fine. STEM concepts are everywhere and even if all four become rock stars, English teachers or stay-at-home parents, STEM exposure can still be worthwhile and open their eyes to a broader world.
That’s great, but there are 100s of STEM resources… why you? What’s so special about STEMium??
A great question! Many mom-driven STEM sites are fun and certainly great for raising awareness but they might not always deliver material addressing key concepts. In other words…missing out on the “why”. While educator-driven sites seem to address those limitations, the activities and projects can be hard for kids to apply to life.
Beyond these issues, the vast majority of these sites are missing a key ingredient–> real world STEM experience. I’ve climbed to the top of STEM mountain folks (woo hoo!) and understand exactly what future STEM-sters need to be successful. Teaching kids how to think creatively and critically instead of reciting facts will carry them a long way!
Got to ask… why do you call it STEMium?
Another great question and thanks for asking! STEMium is a mashup of the STEM acronym and the Latin word studium. Of course, the STEM part stands for Science-Technology-Engineering-Math. In Latin, studium means eagerness or zeal and that’s really what we have here…an excitement for STEM that we hope to share with you and to pass along to the next generation of future scientists, engineers, techies and mathematicians.
With that, welcome to the site and enjoy!
