A few weeks back I was the keynote speaker at a gathering of cosmetic chemists; my topic was encouraging women not to be the hidden figures in the sciences. One of the things I learned while researching my speech was that to have women in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics–or STEM–fields, you need to find new ways to reach girls, and teach them through action that science isn’t just for boys.
So, if you’re interested in nurturing your own budding Marie Curie or Ada Lovelace, these games are great for both girls and boys. Some are strictly STEM, while some also incorporate the arts.
- Augie is both a coding robot and toy developed to introduce children to coding language. It also fuels their creativity by challenging their imagination. It’s hard to explain just how fascinating this toy/not a toy is and how it helps build and enhance critical thinking and problem-solving skills. It’s also a way to introduce kids to artificial intelligence and takes digital nativism to a new level.
- Primo Toys Logic Pack is a brand-new kit that expands the world of Cubetto – a friendly robot. It’s a truly dazzling collection of storybooks and flashcards filled with challenges and educational play. In case you’re wondering, Cubetto finds new adventures and friends with the help of your child (and me. I tested it out and had a blast!) FYI, Cubetto playset is needed to use the Logic Pack.
- Circuit Training: Encourage curiosity and help your child develop a love of science with Pai Circuit Conductor, which allows them to build circuits with 12 different electrical function blocks and special insulated wires. Similar to a video game that unlocks new challenges, this one is fueled by their own progress. There’s also an app with interactive games and stories—they’ll scan circuits to learn more and view the current electrical flow in real time.
- Oregon Scientific SmartGlobe Explorer AR helps kids learn about the world in a fun and interactive way. Download the app and hold your camera up to the SmartGlobe to explore animals, landmarks, dinosaurs and more that pop up on your screen as you spin the globe. You can click on the images to learn facts about what’s in them. There’s also a very cool augmented reality component that allows you to snap a picture of yourself touching a lion or holding the Eiffel Tower in your hands.
- Edushape.com focuses on toys that help develop life-long skills–including hand-eye coordination and social skills– through fun. For instance, Marbulous Marble Run allows kids to build a different track every time they play, and along the way develop motor skills, spatial relationships, logic and more.
- Project Mc2 offers more of a Barbie-inspired approach to the sciences, but still a great way to sneak some learning into their fun. New toys inspired by the Netflix series include the Project Mc2 Smart Pixel Purse and the Project Mc2 Perfume Maker, which provides girls with the tools to formulate their own perfumes using cosmetic chemistry.
- Some of my favorite new building and fun toys are by Wonderhood Toys, a company founded by two moms. The four-sets disrupt everything we’ve ever thought about dollhouses as they offer kids the ability to not only build a hotel or pet shop, but restructure them depending on their mood or imagination-fueled needs. They’re also made for small kids who can easily clip together the 12 double-sided, glossy plastic panels to create anything from a pet daycare center to a hotel lobby depending on the kit they’re playing with.
- Two options that help kids escape their screens entirely are Not Parent Approved, a fill in the blanks word game inspired by Cards Against Humanity. It’s a great way to let kids highlight their own weird or wacky sense of humor and laugh at themselves in a healthy way. There’s also Parrot Mambo Code, a STEM-focused codable flying drone that teaches kids math, science and coding skills without feeling like homework. In that way, they can still work through an app while heading outside and do tricks. This one is more for teens and shouldn’t be used without adult supervision.
- Osmo Coding Jam teaches kids 5 to 12 how to code through music by piecing together various chords, melodies, rhythms and beats. They can also take visual cues from the app, for instance, looking at the animated character to see if they’re drumming or strumming. It’s a hands-on learning experience that uses Osmo’s proprietary Reflective Artificial Intelligence to turn the area in front of an iPad into a play space and virtual music studio controlled by physical blocks.
- Party Décor: Instead of bright pink ribbons, you can decorate her next birthday party with a galaxy theme. Geese & Ganders just launched with four original themed party collections: Intergalatic, Jurassic, STEM-tastic and Hero.
- If a trip is in your family’s future, Boston non-profit Science from Scientists (SciSci) just launched a 12-month educational exhibition at Innoventions in Epcot at Walt Disney World – The SpectacuLAB. They teamed up with Murata Electronics to create an interactive experience that will allow guests to discover the magic behind modern science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
- STEM gifts aren’t just for little kids. Two adult women in my immediate family recently dropped out of a conversation at the holiday table to spend time building unusual designs with Speks, a high intensity magnetic desk toy and de-stresser. It’s a marvel of design and incredibly cool to see the way the 512 micro magnets connect, repel and interact to create 3D designs.
- Innovation plays a huge part in the sciences, and Circuit Cubes—electronic building blocks that snap together and also work with Lego—can also be used with ordinary household items like toilet paper rolls or pool noodles. They snap in any direction (horizontal, vertical, diagonal) and have a unique transparent design so that kids can literally see the connections they make when they light an LED, power a motor or activate a switch. Not only do they start to make connections about how circuits work, but it might also challenge them to find new uses and ways to repurpose things they may have discarded.
- If you’re considering donating a gift to the school of your choice, DIWire Plus is the first-ever desktop wire bender that transforms digitally drawn curves into actual bent wire (steel, copper, brass, aluminum and more) to make just about anything, from furniture to jewelry to games. It’s already been adopted by MIT, NASA and the Smithsonian Institute. And they’ve even brought it into the classroom to help revolutionize STEM eduction for kids.
- I’ll admit that I felt slightly daunted by the Robotics Workshop by Thames & Kosmos, which allows kids (and their grown-ups) to build and program 10 different robots using sensors, motors, a core controller and hundreds of snap-together building pieces. It’s a TIA 2018 Toy of the Year finalist and I can see why: This kit uses creativity I didn’t even know I possessed. I enlisted one of my neighbor’s kids to help me test it out and his verdict is that he needs a few more months to play with it to tell me if it gets “an A+ or A++++ with extra gold stars”.
- Meanwhile Beasts of Balance is a hybrid toy/game/app that feels sophisticated and fun simultaneously. It’s an app that also uses a building game that feels more like an interactive video game. It gives them the feel of screens, while playing a game made up of colorful blocks, swirling shapes and adorable beasties.
Rachel Weingarten is a beauty, shopping and lifestyle expert and beauty historian and the award-winning author of three non-fiction books, including Ancient Prayer: Channeling Your Faith 365 Days of the Year. Get social with her on Facebook, or Twitter. Rachel regularly writes for many top media outlets. read some of her recent stories at readsomethingby.me