What is STEM Education? STEM stands for:

• Science
• Technology
• Engineering
• Mathematics

These can be tough and sometimes intimidating subjects in school. STEM education brings them all together into interactive lessons for keiki that are useful in real life. As part of our after school and summer enrichment program at L2020, we offer STEM activities for students that are both educational and fun. Past activities include building robots, constructing a load-bearing card tower, and a balloon propelled race car. STEM education helps our keiki in so many ways. Here’s 6 benefits of STEM education for kids:

Inspires Creative Thinking 

STEM projects don’t have one “right” or “wrong” answer. Often, there are many different ways to solve the problem or complete the project. This encourages students to think outside the box. To ask questions like “what if…?” and come up with their own ideas. Creative thinkers with confidence grow up to be the next generation of innovators and leaders.

Encourages Experimentation

“All of life is an experiment. The more experiments you make, the better.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Creative thinking requires experimentation. With STEM projects, students get to try out different solutions until they find one that works. Helping our keiki to get comfortable trying new things early on prepares them to take chances and experiment later in life - leading to more possibility and opportunity. 

Builds Resilience 

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” - Paulo Coelho

STEM activities teach kids to learn from failure, rather than be crushed by it. Compared to the finality of taking a graded exam, STEM projects allow students to try again and again, learning from their mistakes each time. The pressure and expectation of doing it “perfectly” the first time is removed, freeing up students to learn without fear. 

Fosters Teamwork and Interpersonal Skills  

While STEM projects can be completed alone, they are perfect opportunities for students to work together. Collaborating on a project allows students to practice all kinds of interpersonal skills they need in the real world. They include: listening to the ideas of others, expressing their opinions and ideas, compromising, giving and accepting feedback and criticism, and learning to work through disagreements and conflicts. 

Imagine the world we’d live in if more keiki learned to work with others, rather than simply compete against each other? 

Real World Application Improves Knowledge Retention 

Our brains remember things that are useful to us. Just think about all the random tidbits of information you have committed to memory right now - your auntie’s phone number, the hours of your favorite restaurant, how to change a flat tire...

By applying knowledge to real life projects, students are more likely to retain the lessons learned. The mathematical calculations required to build a toy robot are much more likely to stick in a student’s mind than arbitrary numbers on a test page. 

Have Fun! 

Fun - our favorite benefit of STEM education for kids. The truth is, play is an important part of being a kid! STEM projects get students up out of their chairs and moving. They result in a toy that they can play with, or involve objects that can be used as toys. Learning doesn’t have to be boring and painful; it can be fun. Helping our keiki cultivate a positive attitude toward learning early on makes it more likely that they’ll stay in school and go onto higher education. 

Do you have an elementary school student who could benefit from STEM education? Learn more and enroll in our FREE After School Enrichment Program for Spring 2021 by clicking here