Fun STEM & STEAM Crafts for Kids

Posted on | by KD Novelties

STEAM and STEM Projects for Kids

Arts and crafts can help kids show off and explore their creative side, but aside from dabbling in the arts, crafts can help kids explore other subjects like science and engineering.   The purpose of STEM for children is to develop a variety of skills that are essential for success: critical thinking and problem solving, creativity and innovation, communication, collaboration, and entrepreneurship, to name a few. STEM standing for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.  Adding Art to the mix makes STEAM.

A 2014 study published by the America Society for Engineering Education identified several characteristics of quality STEM programs:

  1. The context is motivating, engaging, and real-world.
    2. Students integrate and apply meaningful and important mathematics and science content.
    3. Teaching methods are inquiry-based and student-centered.
    4. Students engage in solving engineering challenges using an engineering design process.
    5. Teamwork and communications are a major focus. Throughout the program, students have the freedom to think critically, creatively, and innovatively, as well as opportunities to fail and try again in safe environments.

Therefore, we researched and found a few fun STEAM and STEM crafts that parents can join their kids in creating.

Invisible Ink

What you need:
-1 lemon
-cotton swab(s)
-sheet of white paper
-sunlight
-iron or lightbulb

What to do:

  1. Squeeze the lemon juice into a bowl and add a spoonful of water. Mix gently. Dip the swab into the liquid and write a message or draw a picture on the paper.
  2. Let the liquid dry completely so that the message or picture is invisible. To share your secret, set it in sunlight, hold close to a lightbulb, or iron (with adult help).
  3. The message will be revealed! Hang it as artwork or share it with a friend.

Diluting or adding water to the lemon juice makes it very hard to see when you apply it to the paper, but lemon juice is an organic substance that oxidizes and turns brown when it’s heated up. This means that no one will notice that the secret is there until the paper is heated and the message is revealed! Other substances that work in the same way include orange juice, honey diluted with water, milk, onion juice, and vinegar.

 

Invisible Ink STEM project for kids
Invisible Ink

 

Bath Bombs

What you need:

– ½ cup citric acid
– 1 cup baking soda
– ½ cup corn starch
– ½ cup Epsom salt
– Essential oil of your choice
– 1 tsp. water
– 1 tsp. olive oil
– Sphere-shaped mold (we used clear plastic ornaments)

What to do:

  1. Combine citric acid, baking soda, corn starch, and Epsom salt in a large bowl. Mix well and set aside. In a small bowl, mix together one or two drops of essential oil, water, and olive oil.
  2. Add the wet mixture to the dry very slowly. Mix it together quickly and thoroughly so it doesn’t begin to bubble. Once it’s all combined, let the mixture sit for a few minutes; it should look and feel like wet sand. If it’s still too dry, add a drop of olive oil, but don’t oversaturate.
  3. Separate the mixture into smaller bowls and add food coloring, mixing in the color by hand.
  4. Layer the different colors in both halves of a sphere-shaped mold and pack them down. When each side is filled with a slight mound, press them together and gently rotate until the sides lock.
  5. Let the bomb dry in the mold for a few minutes, then carefully remove the top half. Leave it for another hour or two, then carefully turn the bottom half out of the mold. Let it dry overnight.

Bonus!

Hide a surprise inside like a small plastic toy, glitter, or costume jewelry when layering the bath bomb mixture. As the bath bomb fizzes into the water, your prize will be revealed.

 

Solar System Mobile

What you need:

– About 2 oz. 100% wool roving in assorted colors
– Two 38-gauge star-point felting needles
– Felting pad or dense foam
– White fiberfill stuffing
– White paint
– 2 paint-stirring sticks
– Drill and 3/32-inch drill bit
– White baker’s twine or thin cotton yarn
– Sewing needle with a large eye
– Brass fish-eye hook
– Small brass chain

What to do:

  1. To make a planet, pull off a few inches of roving and roll it into a ball so it fits in your palm. Pin onto the felt pad with one needle and use the other to “felt,” or to press the needle up and down repeatedly. The tiny barbs on the end of the felting needle compress the fibers into a desired shape. Turn the roving often and continue felting until it forms a semi-firm and uniform ball. Felt on a thin piece of roving in a different color if desired (to make the blue swirls on Neptune, for instance). Repeat to make additional planets.
  2. To make the sun, pull a 4- to 5-inch-diameter tuft of stuffing and wrap with yellow roving to cover stuffing completely.
  3. Paint two paint-stirring sticks and let dry. Mark five holes, spaced about 3 inches apart, on one of the paint sticks. Drill. Place the drilled stick over the other one as a template, mark holes, and drill.
  4. With the sticks in an “X” shape, line up the center holes; use the needle to thread the sun through the center hole. Knot to desired length. Twist in the fish-eye hook from the top to secure the paint sticks together. Secure the planets to yarn with the needle and thread up through remaining eight holes. Knot in place at desired heights.
  5. Add a chain to hang; felt on small amounts of wool to planets as needed to balance the mobile.

 

Yardstick Launcher

What you need:

– Clean metal can (like a coffee can)
– Scrapbook paper
– Tape
– Yardstick
– Acrylic paint and paintbrush
– Hot glue
– 4 plastic disposable cups
– Rubber band
– Ping-pong balls or other small objects

What to do:
1. Cover the can with scrapbook paper and secure with tape. Paint the yardstick; let dry.

  1. Use hot glue to attach the plastic party cups to one end of the yardstick (an adult’s job). Secure the can to the middle of the yardstick with a rubber band.
  2. Place ping-pong balls or other small objects in the cups, then stomp or press down firmly on the free end of the yardstick to launch the projectiles across the room.

How does it work?

A lever is a simple machine made from a rigid beam (in this case, the yardstick) and a fulcrum (the can). When a downward force is applied to one side, it triggers an opposite reaction, sending the unattached load (the ping-pong balls) flying. You can change the amount of effort it takes to move those balls by adjusting the mechanism, too: the closer the can is to the cups, the less work it takes to move the projectiles.

How to Set a Smart Toddler Schedule

Posted on | by KD Novelties

How to set a toddler schedule

Toddlers are known for being testy. While they learn the ways of the world around them, they are constantly learning and exploring, experiencing new things, and processing everything that they are taking in. In addition to learning how to communicate effectively, as well as understand others, a lot of this can be overwhelming for both the child and the parent, which can make getting anything done a challenge.

When it comes to setting up a daily schedule, it helps to stick to a routine, but allow yourself some wiggle room.

Make a List

Knowing what you need to get done is key, but how you will go about doing that may change. Keeping a list can help you stay organized and on-task even when things run a little later than intended or other things come up. When it comes to basic everyday essentials like breakfast, bath time, bed time etc., it helps to have a routine and stick to it. Routines help toddlers adjust to certain tasks, but sticking to them too much without much deviation can be tricky for you and sometimes bothersome for kids, especially if they aren’t sure what to expect or were expecting something else. In either case, routine activities should adhere to the same general rules every day, and all other activities and tasks can be scheduled around them. That way, if something doesn’t go according to plan, you still have the bare essentials down so you can stay on top of things and your toddler can rest easy.

Prioritizing Preparation

With toddlers, it helps to be ready for anything. With kids, it can be hard not to find a single stretch of time, whether it be in the morning before breakfast or right after dinner, where it makes sense to try and get everything done at once. It may make sense at first, but this can conflict with a toddler’s need for structure. Skipping a certain activity, especially if it is one that is part of your regular routine, it helps to have some alternatives in your back pocket to prevent any crankiness. Keep a diaper bag or other purse with some backup snacks, toys, and other tools that can help you in a pinch when you really need to get something done.

Be Flexible

It’s hard to balance structure and routine with being busy and unpredictability, and it can be even more challenging when a toddler is thrown into the mix. If something needs to be changed, rescheduled, or forgotten all together, you want to know that your child will be able to handle it. Routine is good for kids, but they shouldn’t grow too reliant on it either. Teaching them to be adaptable is important, so in between routine play times, snack times, and errands, make sure you add some variety to your daily routine whether it involves scheduling a playdate, going to a different park, or even alternating certain activities on different days.

Minimizing Melt-Downs

Sometimes, things come up and they can’t be ignored. Whether it’s a family emergency or a surprise visit from relatives, the change in routine can be difficult for your child to process if they are still very young. Providing some kind of set schedule and routine can help give kids a sense of normalcy, but it can also be harmful too. This is why no matter what happens, whether it is a an emergency or a small change of plans, it helps to sit down and talk with your child. They may not understand why things need to change and may feel uncomfortable as a result, but providing them with an explanation and some reassurance that things will be fine or certain things can be done later will help instill them with a sense of calm.

Remember, scheduling with a toddler can be difficult. Keep some basic building blocks in mind when it comes to routine, but keep things open, flexible and subject to change if need be. The everyday routine of some activities can give kids the balance and stability they need, but the exposure to the unexpected will help them in the present as well as later in life.

Ways to Boost Your Child’s Confidence

Posted on | by KD Novelties

Boosting Your Toddler's Confidence

It’s important that children feel comfortable in their own skin and confident in their abilities. When parents help kids build their sense of self-esteem, it is important to be careful, especially since an overconfident kid can handle things like failure and rejection poorly. There needs to be a balance, and kids need to understand that it is okay to make mistakes, as long as you learn from them. There are a few things that parents can do to help their young one feel and be more confident in a healthy way.

Considering Compliments

Showering your child in accolades can be dangerous, especially if you overexaggerate or give out compliments on a constant basis. Complimenting your child can be validating, but when done too much or without any real feeling behind it, kids can grow up to think they can do no wrong. This can be especially troublesome when it comes to things like grades, academic accomplishments, sports, and even social interactions with their peers. Instead of saying things like “That’s the best drawing I’ve ever seen!” or something along those lines, you can point out specific strengths such as their coloring skills. It is also important to remember that not everything deserves praise, especially things that kids are supposed to do. If your child does their chores and homework on time or finishes their vegetables at dinner, a simple “Thank you” will suffice, otherwise they may start filtering out your compliments or develop an overinflated ego for doing things everyone should be expected to do.

Don’t Rescue Them

When kids make mistakes or face obstacles, there are some instances where a parent should help and when they should take the back seat. Your child should learn to handle certain situations on their own and to develop problem-solving skills. If they are used to mommy or daddy always coming to the rescue, they may not develop the necessary skills they need to deal with problems and may end up relying on you for everything, even as they get older. It is important to instill a sense of accountability and ability, both characteristics which can lead to a stronger sense of self while boosting confidence at the same time.

Let Them Make the Decisions

Leaving certain decisions up to your child also helps reduce their dependency on what mommy and daddy say, allowing them to develop opinions, thoughts, and a unique way of approaching certain situations. There is a lot more to be learned when kids are allowed to make decisions for themselves, granted they are age-appropriate, and can help them develop a firm sense of identity as they continue to get older. Simple decisions that kids can make can include what they wear that day and what they have for a snack. Kids don’t have to come up with a solution from scratch, either. Present them with several options to choose from so you still have some control over what they choose (i.e. not leaving the door open for them to decide they want dessert for dinner).