For decades, toys have been made of plastics that have made them hazards to the environment. And as the industry has grown, the environmental impact has only gotten worse. But things are changing for the better, and the toys on this list all represent eco-friendly approaches to both manufacturing and playtime itself.
Read MoreThe STEM Education Waterfront, Covered in Our 10 Most Popular Blog Posts
Our top 10 blog posts from the last 18 months reveal a rich variety of reading interests and behaviors among our much-appreciated subscribers. From toys to engineering outreach programs to cybersecurity to TED talks, STEM education writ large offers up topics and approaches to catch many different kinds of eyes.
Read MoreOnline Gaming Should Be Fun and Safe, for Boys AND Girls
COVID accelerated the growth of online gaming, as lockdown kept people at home and limited to socially-distanced diversions. But harassment and hate, fueled by sexism and small-mindedness, lurk in the dark corners of the enterprise. Girls and women can pay an extra, cruel price for just wanting to play, and it’s clearly something we should be committing to make right.
Read More7 Cool Things about Perseverance Landing on Mars
Perseverance touched down for a picture-perfect landing on Mars, after a seven-month journey. On a search for signs of ancient Martian life, the rover is the most advanced robotic device ever launched into space. At every turn, the mission features amazing, inspirational examples of science and engineering at their best. Here are seven parts of the picture from the landing that especially caught our attention.
Read MoreA Holiday Toy List to End All Toy Lists (or at least ours …)
Our last holiday toy list showcases a diverse group of other list-makers who have gathered engineering-related toy and gift ideas in distinctive ways. You are sure to find something for kids of all kinds, ranging from the budding engineer to even just the mildly curious. And the last item on the list might just change a kid’s life(!).
Read MoreHow to Make Career Awareness Work for Elementary Ages
Career awareness for elementary school might sound awful. But if we ask kids the right questions, we can help them take their first steps towards work that’s meaningful to them and beneficial for the world.
Read MoreAt-home Learning in Crisis Times (with the Cat in the Hat)
At-home engineering lessons can start with children’s books. Even the Cat in the Hat has something to teach on the topic. For parents suddenly turned into their kids’ teachers, using story to teach engineering can mean learning for all.
Read MoreWhy Diversity Really, Really Matters in AI
“Data violence” describes the damage that bias embedded in AI systems can do when products and tools based on these systems are released into the marketplace. Find out why diversity in the AI classroom and workplace is just the starting point for fixing this problem.
Read MoreEngineering Toy Fun for Young Learners
Kids are born engineers. They just might not know it. Combine these toys for preschool and early elementary ages with our coloring and activity book to make “engineering” a word that is familiar and fun to them.
Read MoreSummertime, and the (Teacher Learning) Is Easy
Educators know that summer is prime time for growing content knowledge and honing teaching techniques. Including video, audio, and plain old text, here’s a collection of great STEM resources to help teachers build their classroom chops for the school year to come.
Read MoreLeft Out by Design, or How the STEM Gender Gap Leads to Lousy Products
Too few women participating on design teams leads to too many products that work for only half the population. From seat belts to medicine to protective clothing, goods meant for general use have long been designed with just men in mind. Closing the STEM gender gap can help remedy this kind of design failure.
Read MoreHow to Season Lessons in Engineering with Infusions of Story
Engineering design has become a cornerstone of STEM education, but it’s a foreign concept to teachers and students. Seasoning it with lessons already familiar from English class can jump-start learning activities and lead to unpredictable, exciting classroom experiences.
Read More6 Ways to Engineer Holiday Fun at Home
These at-home holiday engineering activities are fun for adults and kids alike. And from Rudolph races to sleighs for Santa to every kind of tabletop tree, they’re easy and quick to do.
Read MoreIn Cybersecurity, Change Describes Education and Threats Alike
Cybersecurity education is the long-term solution to workforce needs, and exciting things are happening in the field. Find out how gamification, competitions, and integration with other K-12 subjects can open the field up to new populations of students who might not think they belong.
Read MoreSummer Mixed the Future of STEM with Blasts from the Past
Snoopy and friends made a long-awaited return to their old NASA home this summer, among other interesting developments in STEM education, some retro and others very now, indeed.
Read MoreGet to Know Cybersecurity Education
First of its kind in print, our Cybersecurity Career Guide shows middle and high school students what jobs in the field are really like and how to find their way into them. One of the fastest-growing, most important fields in the country, cybersecurity offers opportunities for students of all backgrounds and interests.
Read MoreA Head Start in Engineering Can Begin at Home
Engineering outreach rarely reaches kids at home, where it might be needed the most. But at-home engineering projects can bring the field to life for kids and parents alike. Read more to discover why and how to make engineering a part of household learning and fun.
Read MoreThe World As It Might Be: Where Toys and Engineering Meet
Play leads us to think of things as they might be rather than as they are. Sounds a lot like what engineers do. That must be why toys and engineering end up being such a good match.
Read MoreOpening Up the Black Box of "Career Readiness"
“Career readiness” means many different things to many different people. From career and technical education to 21st-century skills, a framework that fits for all students is hard to find. Could engineering in K-12 be a linchpin to the solution?
Read MoreCybersecurity Education Is Quickly Coming of Age
Cybersecurity education is fast becoming both necessary and popular. Right now, it’s more common in afterschool programs than formal K-12 education. But that will and should be changing.
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