Yes, you love their spirit, but if your child unscrews the bedroom door from the hinges again to see what will happen, you might scream. (To answer your question, yes, that did happen, and I have the video to prove it.)

There is hope!

Firstly, we can look at how an ‘addled’ little boy, who was not welcomed at school, became one of the greatest inventors and innovators ever.

The key to Edison’s success was Nancy Edison, his mother. When asked about his mother, he famously said, “My mother was the making of me. She understood me; she let me follow my bent [interests]”. Mrs. Edison is an excellent example of how to cultivate the mind of an Edison. Above all, we need to adopt the same mindset that she developed towards her son that allowed him to excel.

Edison Muckers described the four simple principles that Nancy Edison taught her son to live his life by:

• Never get discouraged if you fail. Learn from it. Keep trying.
• Learn with both your head and hands.
• Not everything of value in life comes from books – experience the world.
• Never stop learning. Read the entire panorama of literature.

I have adapted Nancy’s approach to create the Four STEM Training Principals. This is the core of everything we do and believe education show be.

1. KEEP TRYING!
2. Hands-On Learning
3. Experience the world!
4. NEVER STOP LEARNING!

KEEP TRYING!

I tell my boys constantly, “A MISTAKE IS ONLY A MISTAKE IF YOU DON’T LEARN FROM IT! THEN IT’S A LESSON!” I love the attitude that Nancy instilled in her son, to not let failure discourage you. His famous quote is,

Without an attitude like this, we would never have seen the incandescent light bulb in our homes. Persistence is a lost art.
It’s very easy, as parents, to try to ‘soften the blow’ with our kids. We don’t want them to struggle, we don’t want them to fail, and we don’t want them to be disappointed. We want everyone to have a trophy and feel special and valued. However, we have sacrificed the development of the character qualities that learning from our mistakes instills in us.
So allowing our kids time to experiment and FAIL, yes, I said that horrible four-letter word, is essential. So give them opportunities to do it. Turn them loose with the robotics kit or the science experiment. Step back from the kitchen table and watch. Failure IS an option, as long as we can get back up and try again!

We need to develop PERSEVERANCE in our kids. It’s okay to set a standard a little higher than they can achieve sometimes and then encourage them to keep going if they don’t achieve it. 

Hands-On Learning!

Nancy Edison was a pioneer and ahead of her time regarding her hands-on learning approach.

Tell me, and I forget, teach me, and I may remember, involve me, and I learn. Ben Franklin

Oh, the words of Mr. Franklin are so true. I recently met a college graduate, and she told me that as a Chemistry major, she had only personally conducted three experiments in her whole educational career. Therefore, all the learning that culminated in that diploma was theoretical. As a result, we have taken such an emphasis away from hands-on learning in favor of lectures. Sit still and listen to me tell you about this subject or that subject. Abstract should be left to the art world, not applied to learning and education.

When we holistically involve children, they will grasp the concepts. For example, Nancy Edison gave Thomas a science book, and then she turned him loose to experiment. Basically, Edison kids need to be hands-on; it’s how their brains process information. In other words, we need to give them the stuff and step back. Yes, it’s going to be messy, and that is okay. Yes, it’s going to go wrong, and that is okay. But that’s how they learn to problem-solve and, yes, FAIL.

Books are wonderful, don’t get wrong, I am a book lover. When Nancy gave Thomas, A School Compendium of Natural and Experimental Philosophy, she would have done him a great injustice if she hadn’t also let him conduct the experiments within the book. Edison spent hours locked in his bedroom experimenting.

Please don’t misread this; Nancy was not the Patron Saint of Home Education Mess. There were only so many times she could handle the acid and chemical burns on the rugs in his room. In short, she banished his home education lab to the basement and prayed that he would not blow the house up.

Edison had big plans to use his motion pictures in the education system. First, he wanted to start a revolution by replacing textbooks with short motion pictures on every subject. In addition, he believed that textbooks taught in abstract and that if students could see the whole process, from start to finish, they would be able to understand the world around them.

“The child who takes this course is going to know processes. And we’ll show all the pictures so the subject will impress itself on the child’s mind. When he goes out to walk, I can tell you, he’ll see a million things in the grass and streets, and earth and sky and air, that he never dreamed of before.” T. Edison November 30th, 1921

I do believe this needs to progress further to hands-on learning. However, the visual demonstration of processes from the start to the end product is definitely a way to open up a child’s mind like never before.

Experience the World!

It isn’t always practical to ‘experience the world.’ However, I do believe that wherever possible, we need to make the opportunity of experience available. For example, I switched my middle son to a Lego math program to help him SEE the math as he was having some trouble understanding some of the concepts. Suddenly, it brought the world of mathematics alive to him. 

One key thing that Nancy Edison didn’t do was replicate the school environment at home. It’s so tempting as a home educator to make our home look like a school. As a result, we set up a classroom in our house, and we set a schedule similar to the school day. We work our school days around the school district’s calendar. I know a few Mamas that have even got a little bell to ring.

However, Mrs. Edison didn’t do this, and I would encourage you to resist that desire to replicate school. Home Education is a learning lifestyle. We shouldn’t restrict ourselves to learning within the school calendar or timetable. My family focuses on year-round learning, taking the last week of the month off. School schedules are set up with educating the masses in mind. Following the school template limits our freedom as home educators.

When I got my first shiny box curriculum, the thing that hit me first was the schedule. We were following the 5-day schedule, and there was no room for flexibility. After I ordered the curriculum, we added a co-op that I hadn’t planned and quickly learned that trying to do school work at home was too much after a day of co-op. Then if we had a field trip as well, now I’m trying to squeeze a 5-day schedule into 3. I know families that will do school at the weekend to keep up, and to be blunt, stop! This doesn’t work.

Research shows that playtime is so important during those first 7 or 8 years of life. Sending kids outside to play unlocks something in their brain that leads to greater creativity later in life. If we have their schedules so tightly controlled, where is the room for imaginary play? A kid will learn more from spending the afternoon watching an ant colony they unearthed as they were digging a hole in the yard than if you sit and read a book to them about ants.

Finland has one of the best education systems globally, and they don’t start formal education of any kind until seven years old. It’s a topic I’ll discuss at another time, but we have to look at why our system isn’t working, and theirs is.

Never Stop Learning!

I think the saddest thing in the world is that we believe once a person receives a piece of paper, then their learning journey is over. Maybe that’s the fundamental paradigm shift that is needed in education. If we view learning as a lifelong activity, we wouldn’t be in such a rush to cram all our learning into the first two decades of our lives. Yes, our brains are ‘optimized’ to learn during those years, but we should never stop learning.

This is a motto for our family and my personal favorite of the Principals.

Reading is the foundation block of learning. Reading aloud to our kids, no matter their age, is a way to instill more knowledge. There are some fantastic resources to utilize, and honestly, this is how our family adds history and geography to our home education. Living history books and biographies bring to life history. Indeed, a well-written book can achieve the same outcome that Edison hoped for by adding motion pictures. For example, reading the biography of Thomas Edison brought his life and the world he lived in alive to us. It’s one thing to explain what the Telegraph form of communication was for, but it’s another when you hear about how it affected the people’s lives at that time. In short, history can only be successfully taught through living history and not a textbook of timelines and facts.

Nancy Edison had one arrangement with Thomas, when he took a job on the train to Detroit, that he spend the six-hour layover in Detroit reading books in the library. Edison complied and quickly read his way through the library, although he asked if he could forgo the books on less exciting topics.

When he eventually ran out of books to read, he set up a lab on the train so he would spend the 6 hours conducting experiments. This went well until he split some acids and burnt a hole in the floor of the Conductor’s carriage. Did I mention Edisons are messy kids?
Nancy’s approach to education laid a foundation that created a love for learning in Thomas and lit the fire inside him that spurred him on to become an innovator and inventor.
I wonder where our kids would go if we stepped away from traditional education and took a more child-centered, hands-on approach?

Listen to the Podcast

Available on Anchor, Spotify, Amazon, and Apple Podcasts.

The post What to do with an Edison? appeared first on STEM Training Challenge.

Is there an Edison in your house?

First, let me start by saying, I am not a scientist or doctor, nor do I have a wall of diplomas and certificates. But, what I know, I’ve learned from over a decade of having an Edison living with me. Plus, I have had the privilege of spending one day a week, over the last few years, with many families that also have at least one Edison in their house. So, this is what I’ve learned and still learning about Edisons.

So, who is an Edison?

Well, you might have an Edison in your house if your kid is high-energy, non-stop, constantly in motion, and there is no in-between.

They are either asleep or full force awake. When my oldest was a baby, I realized this when he didn’t like naps and fought bedtime. He was so afraid to miss something. When we finally did get him to sleep, he would sleep through the night, no problem. He was my easiest baby in that way. When he was about 4 or 5, he told us, one night, he couldn’t sleep because “I can’t get his brain to shut off.” He’s also a night owl and would sleep until lunch if we let him. He just bypassed the little kid stage and went straight to a teenager there.

Sitting still is a form of torture to him; something must be in motion. He’s a kinesthetic learner.  The Wikipedia definition is “a learning style in which learning takes place by the students carrying out physical activities, rather than listening to a lecture or watching demonstrations.”

I noticed this trend when we weren’t welcome at Toddler Story Time at the library. It said it was for toddlers that were walking. I assumed that they understood what that meant.  At nine months old, his newfound skill meant all he wanted to do was walk around and explore. Sadly, they wanted sweet little quiet, non-moving toddlers to sit and listen to the story.

When I finally started investigating the concept of Kinesthetic learning, I found that making him sit on an exercise ball while listening to a story or even practicing his handwriting solved many problems. Interestingly, his handwriting actually improved as he bounced up and down.

You see, Edisons aren’t necessarily bad kids who don’t listen; it’s simply a case that it’s almost impossible for them to function sitting still. I know; I’m the same. I’d be standing in line with my mother and swaying side to side. “Lesley, stop swaying!” I would stop swaying but then start rocking because I had to be in motion. Finally, at 12 years old, someone told me to get a smooth rock, or Worry Stone as it’s called in Ireland, and rub it. It is an understatement to say I can’t sometimes function without it now. I have difficulty focusing when I am reading if I don’t have it.

You might have an Edison in your house if your kid comes up with well-thought-out, crazy ideas.

If you look at Edison’s life, he had big dreams. When he died, Edison left more than 3000 notebooks full of ideas, data, and comments on experiments. That’s not to mention 1093 patents.

Edisons are entrepreneurs. They are always dreaming of new schemes. Given a Lego set, they build it and then take it apart to make it do something more or something better. They think outside of the box. In fact, they probably turned the box into some sort of fort. My middle son gets excited when I get an Amazon delivery; he has already asked if he can use it before the package is opened.

You might have an Edison in your house if your kid is taking apart stuff to figure out how it works.

My youngest was doing this at a year old. I joke; this one little finger will get him into trouble. He will sit there and touch something, feel it, poke it, and examine it! The whole time he is in another world, all of his own! I can’t tell you how many times my other two kids have taken apart their toys and mutated them. My solution was to get it in Lego form because then, at least, it’s meant to be taken apart. I should have shares in superglue and duct tape by now and run my own toy repair company.

They also want to know about everything. Why does this do that? What makes it do this? Now yes, every kid is curious, but Edisons are amplified. They HAVE TO KNOW. Even if they will risk punishment to find the ‘why’ or ‘how’ or ‘what’. They will weigh the cost and do it anyway.

Thomas Edison, himself, was inclined this way. He famously set fire to the family barn to investigate the color of a really hot flame. Unfortunately, the same fire spread to the neighbors’ properties. His punishment was a public flogging in the town center.

It’s why these kids are sometimes seen as reckless. The need to know is so great it overrides common sense and a sense of danger.

You may have an Edison in the house if you have a strong-willed kid.

Strong-willed is not to be confused with undisciplined. I’ve seen some of the most well-behaved, disciplined kids undergo a complete personality change. They are simply triggered when something does not play out the way they see it in their head. This ties back into the other characteristics, like the need to be curious or their obsessive side.

You might have an Edison in the house if your child is obsessive about things.

My boys can tell you every make and model of construction equipment ever. Give them an equipment resale catalog, and they are happy for hours. But, please don’t mistake calling a front-end loader a digger around them; you will get a lesson about the difference. This is just one example, but with Edisons, they get their teeth into something with vice-like reflexes.

Thomas Edison’s obsessiveness lead to many of his significant breakthroughs. It was not unheard of for him to lock the laboratory door and tell his team that no one would be leaving until a solution was found. However, later in life, he realized not everyone had the same level of passion or commitment. This is a challenging issue for Edisons to live with.

You might have an Edison in your house if you have a kid with a raw talent that almost makes you sick.

Some things just come easily to them. For example, they develop fine motor skills fast, sit down at a piano, and it flows, teach themselves to read, and see how things work instantly.

Don’t get me wrong, you can have a kid with exceptional talent in one area, but in another, they struggle. No human is perfect at everything. But, when Edisons find their ‘thing,’ they thrive.

So why do I call them Edisons?

My boys struggle with reading, which seems to be more common than you realize. It makes me wonder if it’s not that some kids develop at different levels. The ‘have to read by Kindergarten’ standards are not beneficial to kids. The research is starting to prove this. I would love to see what would happen if schools introduced Maker Labs for struggling readers instead of remedial reading classes. It would be interesting to see how much over a year or two, that would affect not only a child’s ability to read but also their self-esteem.

In my research on their reading challenges, I read a book entitled Dreamers, Discoverers, and Dynamos by Lucy Jo Palladino. She had initially called it the Edison Trait. That was when I first learned about Edison’s learning difficulties. Dr. Palladino presents such a favorable view of these kids.

On my home-education journey, especially as I have adopted a STEM approach, the life of Thomas Edison came across my path again. I find the man fascinating. He was probably one of the most influential innovators and inventors to live. As I read his biography to my boys, we learned a lot from his life, and my boys found him ‘heroic’ to look up to.

The Original STEM Student

He was labeled ‘addled’ by his headmaster, or ADHD in modern terms. His mother never accepted this label. I know some of you, home-educating parents, reading this can probably relate, and you home educate for the same reason Nancy Edison did. As I read about his early years, I realized he was the original STEM kid. Nancy created an environment similar to the one that I am trying to make for my boys. Well, we can see that what she did, worked.

Thomas Edison’s mother had the wisdom to pull Thomas out of school and let him study through child-directed learning. Had she not, we may have waited many more decades, if not centuries, for the invention and innovation of things that evolved to make our modern lives possible.

Today’s Edisons

I often wonder how many Edisons sit in classrooms, labeled incorrectly—forced to conform to an education system not designed for how they learn. Do they ever reach their full potential? Or by 18 years old, when they graduate, are they so used to being ‘labeled’ that they have accepted they will never excel?

I live with Edisons, each different in their level of qualities, but then each child is unique. I am learning that the world is a lot less stressful and frustrating when I turn the focus of their education to their needs and interests.

Mr. Edison said of his mother, “My mother was the making of me. She understood me; she let me follow my bent [interests].” I hope that when my days as a home educator are over, my boys will say the same of me, and they will step into their careers with all the tools they need.

The best decision I made was to open the world of learning to my kids in a way that they needed, not how an education system dictates.

The post Do you have an Edison in the house? appeared first on STEM Training Challenge.

How to find YOUR purpose for education!

One of the biggest questions we have failed to ask regarding education is what is the purpose? Generation of the status quo have led to traditions we no longer understand why we do what we do. Sadly, out of all the industry sectors out there, education has remained unchanged for decades and centuries.

Anyone that knows me knows that I am not a fan of the classical education model. I find it hard to comprehend why we are modeling an education system that has its roots in Henry VIII society. I have visited Leeds Castle, which is one of his palaces. His first wife’s bedroom has been restored to how it was in the 1500s. Trust me, the life that it portrays is different from what we currently experience. Running water was not an available luxury; we would not choose to live in a house without a flushable toilet. So why are you willing to continue educating in that manner?

All the studies show that for this generation of kids, 65% – 85% of them will have careers that have not yet been invented. So how we educate this generation is the key to their success. However, the problem with education lies here, even in Henry VIII’s court. What is the purpose of education? What is the goal of education? 

 

The Industrial Revolution

During the Industrial Revolution, as everything became standardized and efficient, someone had the bright idea to do the same to education. When industry adopted Taylorism, it was a game-changer. For example, Henry Ford was a genius and innovator for standardizing the manufacture of the car, and it truly changed the world. But we cannot apply the same principles to children. There is nothing standard about children, the future, and how they learn.

While a standardized process may have worked for manufacturing, it did not produce the same results for education. Instead, we have been left with a system that at best helps a few kids of each generation thrive. At worst, countless children never reached their potential or embraced all they were meant to be.

And yet here we are in 2022, still putting lipstick on this education pig and calling it glamorous. I know some of the most amazing teachers in our area. Their passion and heart for their students are unquestionable. However, they work within an outdated system with the wrong focus. The purpose of education has been negated for results.

A Biblical Perspective

When I read Proverbs 22:6 in the Amplified version of the Bible, it opened the scripture to me in a new way. Inside the parenthesis, it says, “teaching them to seek God’s wisdom and will for their abilities and talents.” Reading this triggered a life-changing light bulb moment for me. 

Jeremiah 1:5 says, “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born, I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” In Psalm 139:16, it says, “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed”. 

The Bible is so clear that God has a plan for each and every one of our lives before we were even born. He knew the abilities and talents we would have because He gave them to us. He knew why He gave them to us and what His will and purpose were for them. So when we talk about ‘training up a child in the way they should go,’ we are not talking about lower-level skills like memorizing State Capitals or multiplication tables. In contrast, it is talking about ‘teaching them to seek God’s wisdom and will for their abilities and talents.’

The problem with this is that each child has unique abilities and talents. Each child has a unique purpose that is God’s will for them. The only standard is finding salvation and loving God with all their hearts. From that one point, the possibilities are as limitless as the stars in the sky. Like each snowflake, though it falls from the sky in the same manner, each is so intricately unique no two are identical.

So I don’t believe for one second that education was meant to be this standard one size fits all model. Some children will thrive in a classical environment, which is their ability and talent. However, for other children, this is stifling and irrelevant. 

Our Responsibility

We have a responsibility to each and every child the moment they are born to “teach them to seek God’s wisdom and will for their abilities and talents.” So for one child, they might find the traditional school environment perfect. However, we have to be willing to set aside tradition and standardized norms. Instead, acknowledge that the ‘seeking’ may look different and involve different things.

A few skills are essential for life, but past that, forcing children to ‘seek’ another’s abilities and talents is wrong. Education is such a personal thing that out of everything else in our lives, it should not be standardized. We need to teach them HOW to learn, not WHAT to learn. Once we teach them to seek God’s wisdom and will, then He will show them what their abilities and talents are. Our job as parents is to facilitate. As scary as it sounds, God will provide what they need. Remember, before you even found out they existed, God already had a plan for every one of their days. Our job is not to fill their days with endless knowledge and tasks but to make them seekers of God’s will and purpose. 

It’s time to stop making poets out of biologists, chemists out of musicians, blue-collar workers out of programmers, writers out of mathematicians. Instead, we need to let children find out what their talents and abilities are and then let them excel. We would not plant a cypress tree in the middle of the desert and expect it to thrive.

How to find YOUR purpose for education!

So how can you regain your focus and make sure you know your purpose for educating your child? We have created a special PDF Challenge Sheet for you to help you find your purpose. Simply fill in the form below and you will receive the PDF.

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The post Why are you educating your child? appeared first on STEM Training Challenge.

We enjoyed meeting so many of you in 2021 and can’t wait to see how our amazing Trainees will grow in 2022.

With the new year, we are excited to make some big announcements and changes. We have listened to feedback and continue to strive for the ultimate experience for all our students.

New Subscription Service

We are so excited to announce the Challenge of the Month Subscription Service. You can now purchase the subscription and you will receive the Challenge of the Month with all the Challenge Supply Kit, Portfolio, Button, and Certificate right to your door. We have done all the hard work for you and now you don’t have to worry about ordering it.

You can subscribe monthly or annually. Our Annual Subscription comes with some bonuses as well as free shipping. Because we are just launching this we have a limited offer just until the 20th January 2022. We are doing a special 6-month subscription where you will receive the Challenge of the Month for February, March, April, May, June, and July. We want you to finish out the 2021/22 Academic year with strong STEM skills. This offer is a one-time deal and it will go away on January 20th, 2022. You will always be able to sign up for the monthly or annual subscription.

To add to our already exciting Challenges we will be doing a live virtual Coaching session each month for Trainees that need a little extra help with the Challenge. As well as a Virtual Showcase each month for Trainees to show off their finished project.

To sign up go to the Challenge Subscription page on our website. You will find the 6-month special at the bottom of the page.

But don’t worry you can still purchase individual Challenges to custom-tailor the challenges to your student.

And we are just getting started with the Subscription Service as we will be announcing new Subscriptions for the 2022/23 Academic year for the Coding Club and Entrepreneurial Bootcamp. These programs will be launched in August 2022. So stay tuned for updates and previews.

New Website

We made the decision to move STEM Training to a new web address. www.stemtrainingchallenge.com

When I started STEM Training and was looking for domain names we chose ‘stemtrainingcamp’ because I envisioned it as a virtual camp. However, my British childhood did not include summer camps and day camps that so many of you enjoyed. We were asked over and over if we were a summer camp or day camp. So please forgive us for the confusion. That is why we made the decision to remove that confusion and move to the new domain.

All the Challenges you know and love are there and over the next few weeks, we will migrate all our students to the new site. If you are currently enrolled in a Challenge you will simply receive an email asking you to change your password. Unfortunately, we have not found a way to make sure that the trainee’s progress is retained.

We understand this can be an inconvenience but in the long run, this move will help create a better experience for our users. Plus we are working to upgrade all our current Challenges.

New Podcast

Our next exciting launch is our new podcast STEM Training. We know so many of you are leading very busy lives and finding time to read emails and blogs is hard. So we launched the Podcast to make it easier for you get tips and insights into STEM education on the go.

You can find the new Podcast on Spotify and at Anchor. Or click here to listen.

Next Steps

If you are currently enrolled in one or more of the Challenges you will be receiving emails from us over the coming days. Firstly, we will be migrating all our users over to the next website. Once that is complete we will start to enroll Trainees in their Challenges.

I always say ‘You are only limited by your imagination!’. Trust me when I say we live by that ourselves. We have worked hard to develop the new subscription service and we aim to make STEM Training and the Challenges better and better.

We are going to be adding in quizzes and adding more content to the current Challenges, don’t worry we will let know when your Challenges get their upgrades.

Thank You!

We really want to say thank you for not allowing us the privilege of being part of your home education program. Our vision is to truly see home-educated students equipped with the skills they need. We spend a lot of time talking to industry experts and professionals, reading the latest research, and finding out what students need. Every Challenge is planned deliberately.

Another part of our mission is to make sure that students of faith can find their place in the STEM fields without feeling they have to compromise their faith or hide it.

Questions

If you have any questions please let us know. You can reach us at customerservice@stemtrainingchallenge.com.

The post New Year – New STEM Training appeared first on STEM Training Challenge.

Our vision and mission are to equip home-educated students with STEM tools to launch them into their future careers. STEM Training was born out of a vision to take what we were learning as a home-educating family and make it available to others.

What is the STEM Training Challenge?

Firstly, STEM is the acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. It’s not a curriculum or program but an educational philosophy. Teaching these subjects in some combined form leads to a more well-rounded education. It equips students with a practical education for their future careers. After all, in most jobs, you really don’t just deal with one subject or aspect.

The STEM Training Challenge was started as an educational program for homeschool or home-educated students. Access to STEM resources is hard to find and sometimes disappointing or just a toy. We designed the Challenges to be hands-on learning, that teaches higher-level learning skills like problem-solving, critical thinking, logic, and many more.

Each Challenge has a theme based on either the Engineering Design Process, the Scientific Method, our own STEM Training Process, or even the Business Plan Model. We chose this focus because we believe these are the skills that today’s students will need in their future careers. Our mission is to equip students with the right tools to succeed.

Our Challenges are based on a series of online lessons that work the Trainee (our name for students) through the process. They start with a problem and then work through research, planning a solution, making and tinkering with their solution, experimentation, reflections, sharing, and improving.

To help Trainees record their work we have Trainee Portfolios that are designed in a way that all students of all ages and abilities can make it what they need to show their work. We also provide Challenge Kits with hands-on activities to introduce the concepts and help inspire Trainees with their solution ideas. With the exception of some liquids, which can be hard to ship, we provide most of the supplies you will need. You will also need to stock up on tape and other general supplies you should have around the house.

Upon completing each Challenge Trainee receives a button and certificate to show their accomplishment. We have the option of a STEM Training Labcoat available to display your buttons.

We have recently upgraded our Challenges and now the Challenge of the Month will not only have an end-of-month Showcase where Trainees can show off their hard work and solutions but also live group Coaching to help those that need some inspiration.

Our Challenges are a hybrid version of Unit Studies but where there is a problem-solving element to not just allow students to gain knowledge but also to apply those skills in real-time.

Why STEM?

We have chosen to focus on STEM because we live in a STEM world. We don’t even realize we are using STEM skills every single day, even if we don’t have a STEM career. Mathematics is a huge part of everything we do from working out time needed to make a trip, to money, to planning food, and so many other activities in our lives.

We can all admit Technology is also a huge part of our lives and an ever-increasing part as automation and computerization of everyday tasks increase. My son and I recently spent an amused 15 minutes in Lowes playing with a smart refrigerator. Even if they are not computer programmers or robotic developers a basic concept of how things work is essential.

Engineering is the foundation of life. From the buildings we live in, the cars we drive, the roads we drive on, to the products we use, it all began with an engineer. Again, understanding the basic principles of engineering is so helpful to basic everyday life. Also, the Engineering Design Process can be applied to so many aspects of our lives that when it becomes second nature we develop healthy habits.

Finally, science. Websters has a definition for the word science that I love.

The state of knowing: knowledge as distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/science

Science is so much more than Biology, Physics, and Chemistry. We teach these subjects in abstract far too much instead of the holistic way science is incorporated into every aspect of our lives.

Our company is based on Judeo-Christian beliefs therefore we approach science from a Creation and Creator perspective. Alternative theories have lots of platforms in the STEM field. We wanted to make sure students of faith had a platform as well.

S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics)

You will sometimes hear me talk about STEAM. It’s basically STEM but with the addition of A for Art. STEM subjects are processed in the left ‘logical’ side of the brain only. So by adding art in, which is a right ‘creative’ side activity you have whole-brain engagement. Therefore a more well-rounded learning experience. As a result, students retain more information and understand the concept better. I don’t actively promote STEAM anymore as the Art definition is very vague and often misinterpreted. This leads to the addition of things that don’t embody the STEM philosophy.

However, I joke we have a silent A and that you will find the creative side of the brain will have lots of opportunities to be active.

Who am I?

Finally, I would like to introduce myself, Coach Lesley.

I’m the home-educating mother of 3 boys, who are currently 14, 11, and 6 years old. When I meet my husband he believed home education was the way for our family. I was convinced after spending time with other home educators and their amazing kids. So I guess you could say we have home educated from day one, which honestly we all do anyhow.

What has been a surprise to me is that I have ended up a STEM Mom. It was not a deliberate move at first. I tried using the traditional boxed curriculum. However, pretty quickly it became clear we were not one of those families. We finally realized that our very active boys were not going to fall into the traditional model of education.

So I started to research alternative options. That’s when I found the word STEM and STEAM coming up a lot and I started to explore the concept more. Little did I know, I had already stepped onto this pathway, mainly because my son had led me there. When he was sitting at 2 years old in his diaper with a cordless drill (don’t freak out he was supervised) unscrewing the screws on the door hinges to my bedroom door, I should have had a clue then.

So we put the shiny box curriculum away and started doing hands-on learning and projects. We still kept working with the reading and math but with a more hands-on approach. The STEM Training Challenge was born to provide monthly themed challenges to engage them in learning and exploring. We then decided to share what we did with other families.

What I have learned has been from hands-on experience with my own boys as well as Coaching competitive robotics and running workshops within our homeschool community. The principles in the STEM Training Challenge work because I have seen them work. Watching kids I have coached since they were 5 years old receive Championship awards and compete on a world stage is validation and has inspired me to grow this program.

I once saw a meme that said ‘be who you needed as a child’. It inspired me. It helped me to let go of the traditional box mindset that is so restrictive and kills creativity. I have researched learning and see the new innovation that is on the horizon if we can embrace the future and let go of the traditional educational model. After all, out of all the industries education is the only one that has not evolved and a classroom in 2022 looks a lot like a classroom in 1922, with the exception of a few technical gadgets.

A hundred years ago America was at the height of the greatest innovation age with greats like Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Milton Hershey, Nikola Telsa. Somewhere we lost that innovation. My mission and passion are to see that spark of innovation reignited in this generation of children. We owe it to them to help them become all that God has created them to be.

SPECIAL OFFER

We are so excited to announce the launch of our new Challenge of the Month Subscription service. To celebrate we have a special offer that will only be available until January 20th, 2022. To help you finish this academic year strong we have a special 6-month subscription. You will receive the STEM Training Challenge of the Month for February, March, April, May, June, and July. You will also receive a lab coat and free shipping. This offer is ONLY AVAILABLE until January 20th, 2022. You can still sign up for monthly and annual subscriptions. You can sign up here.

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We went to Kennedy Space Center on a field trip with our home education support group two years ago and had the pleasure of returning this past August for the FIRST LEGO League Into Orbit Florida Season Kickoff. On our first trip, we had scheduled it to coincide with a rocket launch but it got delayed. Even without it, we weren’t disappointed. The Kickoff was also supposed to have a launch that night but sadly it got scrubbed too. This is an account of our first trip.

As much as we can sit at home and read books about the Space Program, there is a lot to be said about seeing it all up close.

The Atlantis Exhibit

We headed to the Atlantis exhibit first and we never managed to leave, there was so much to do. It’s fascinating to see the process of designing the Shuttle. It was a very magical moment when they finish the video and draw up the screen to reveal Atlantis in all her glory.

Probably the highlight was the simulator, where you get to feel what it would be like to experience a launch. I’ll admit, as someone that doesn’t do rides, there were a few moments where my stomach was questioning my decision to experience it. However, watching my 7-year old’s excitement made it worth it.

My hope with the field trip was to inspire the kids in our homeschool group. To spark an interest in engineering and space. I didn’t realize how much of a profound effect the trip would have on me. But then, God has always used home education for my personal education too.

Christa McAuliffe

While everyone had gone on the simulator for the first time, I had strolled around with my 1-year-old because he was too little to ride. I went into the exhibit that commemorated the Shuttle disasters, Challenger and Columbia. As a 7-year-old at the time of Challenger’s explosion, I remember seeing it on the news. I always found it so sad that Christa McAuliffe, the teacher on board, had died as her students watched live.

As I walked around the exhibit I came to her memorial. As I stood there reading, the quote they had by her made me cry.

I Touch the Future. I Teach.

S. Christa McAuliffe

It was one of those moments when suddenly you realize what you are doing. So often we can see our role as a mother as insignificant. Let’s face it, we don’t have a glamorous job. Our kitchen will never have a Michelin Star Rating. We will never be named Time Magazine’s Person of the year, or be listed on the Forbes Top Earners list, or be on the cover of Vogue. That doesn’t mean we won’t have a profound effect on the future.

Christa seized an opportunity to fulfill a childhood dream but also she knew that it was an opportunity to inspire children to become interested in science and the space program.

As I stood there my reality hit me. I had never wanted to be a teacher. I always thought I would do something in law or business. Isn’t it funny how God’s path for our lives is different than the one we think?

Our greatest accomplishment

I wondered what Christa would think of our homeschool group and the mission that is on my heart to help make STEAM education more accessible. I teach, so I am touching the future. At this point, I will never do great things but I can equip a generation that will. Just like Nancy Edison, I can watch my children flourish and in some small way be part of the future.

Your greatest accomplishment as a mom may not be something you do but, SOMEONE YOU RAISE.

Heidi St. John – Becoming Mom Strong

As we took the tour of the Heroes and Legends exhibit at Kennedy Space Center, it became clear that all these amazing astronauts, engineers, and scientists had had a spark lit in them by someone. Someone had inspired them. Someone had touched their future. Many said their parents, some said teachers, and a few said movie stars. They all had a champion, that cheered them on.

Whether you are a homeschool mom to one child, or a homeschool co-op teacher, or a teacher in a school, or if you touch the lives of children in any way you are touching the future. Don’t underestimate how powerful that is or how much of a responsibility it is either.

The Mars Generation

When we were at the First Lego League Jr Expo at Legoland the MC was a rocket scientist from NASA. He told us that they are working on the Mars Project right now and that in the 2030s the first human will set foot on Mars. He said that the person is between the age of 7 and 17 years old right now. Even if your child isn’t that person, the engineers, the control room, and all the other moving parts that will put that project together will be manned by that generation too.

If we have contact with that generation, then we are touching the future, we are touching Mars and all the other amazing things this extra special generation of children will do.

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