Parents play a significant role in their child’s achievements inside and out of the classroom that reaches far beyond helping with homework.
Parental involvement has been proven to improve reading and math comprehension, and children naturally respond to positive encouragement and support and direction from their families. It’s even more exciting when parents nurture their interests through programs like STEM.
“As a parent, it’s really exciting to discover all the opportunities my children have outside the regular course curriculum. They’re being taught not just the core concepts of reading, writing, math and science, but what does it mean longer term and how they can use it in the future,” said Carrie Rankin.
She’s the mother of two daughters, third-grader Claire and sixth-grader Erin, who attend Waterloo schools. Erin has attended Camp Invention, the week-long STEM camp, and has participated in Expanded Learning classes on virtual reality. Claire has participated in projects such as building an apparatus that would hold apples and walk.
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“They learn the value of teamwork and interpersonal skills, and how to figure out solutions to a problem with a little guidance from their teacher. It cultivates their own ideas and teaches them critical thinking skills because someone isn’t always telling them what’s next,” Rankin explained.
Hoover Middle School sixth-grader Thatcher Hollis is in his third year on the LEGO league team, and he’s also been a state finalist in the Invent Iowa competition and participated in a summer robotics camp. Both Thatcher and his brother, Chase, a fourth-grader at Orange School, have participated in Camp Invention. Chase is also active in LEGO league.
“STEM is an excellent base and foundation of knowledge, no matter what they end up doing in their lives. STEM is for everyone. I believe how we think is everything, and a program like STEM can shape critical thinking skills. For a parent, that’s what excites me,” said Sally Hollis. She is a mechanical engineer by degree, and has been a LEGO league coach for three years.
“If parents are looking for ways to inspire and motivate their children, STEM is a great way to introduce them to new and exciting things,” she explained.
There are several ways parents and others can nurture curiosity in children of all ages by creating a positive and safe environment at home for exploration and discovery. Here are some ideas from the National Science Teachers Association:
- Acknowledge and encourage your children’s interests and natural abilities in science, and help them further develop their interests and abilities over time.
- Encourage your children to observe, ask questions, experiment, tinker, and seek their own understandings of natural and human-made phenomena.
- Foster children’s creative and critical thinking, problem solving, and resourcefulness through authentic tasks such as cooking, doing household chores, gardening, repairing a bike or other household object, planning a trip, and other everyday activities. Actively engage with your children during mealtime discussions or group games requiring mental or physical skills, or by talking about books they are reading or television programs about science they have watched.
- Provide frequent opportunities for science learning at home and in the community through outdoor play; participation in summer programs; or trips to parks, museums, zoos, nature centers, and other interesting science-rich sites in the community.
- Provide your children easy access to science learning resources such as books, educational toys and games, videos/DVDs, and online or computer-based resources.
- Join your children in learning new things about science and technology. Take advantage of not knowing all the answers to your children’s questions, and embrace opportunities to learn science together.
