I used to write computer codes all the time. It was part of the job, although I had no formal programming training. I took an entry-level class from a local college, and after that I pretty much learned on the job. To my surprise, I became one of the best programmers in my group, and became a go-to person when someone needed help on program codes. I loved coding. I know it is important for today’s children to learn coding… Read more

Today we share fun science experiment ideas for kids with pine cones. Have you tried using pine cones for weather forecast? Do you know why pine cones can predict the weather? Besides weather forecasts, there are more interesting activities you can do with kids with pine cones and learn science. Science Experiments with Pine Cones for Kids There are many amazing science activities about pine cones. These experiments can be done easily at home, some are simple that a preschooler… Read more

These free STEM websites are wonderful resources for teachers, homeschool parents, and parents who like to supplement STEM activities to kids’ regular school work.  What is STEM? STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. However, it is not just including these 4 subjects into teaching curriculum. It is more important to teach thinking and problem-solving skills throughout the process. Most STEM teaching is project-based that integrate more than one subjects, because that is how real-world work is. It is… Read more

Best coding learning websites and apps that are designed for kids! Computer coding is becoming a more and more essential skill for today’s kids. Even if they are not planning to become a computer programmer, it is important for them to know how computers work and be more comfortable when interacting with digital machines. I am glad to see many organizations recognize the need and developed fascinating tools teaching young children programming. Amazingly, many of these learning tools are free, some… Read more

How to float egg in water? This is the science experiment we are doing today. We love easy kitchen science expriments that required no preparation. Today’s experiment just need salt, water and egg. It is very fun and easy. Kids as young as preschool age can do it on their own with adult guidance and supervision. From the activity, kids learn liquid density and buoyancy. We get the idea from an app called Ubooly. We were bored at home, and… Read more

STEM toys are popular. How to pick the right toys for kids to encourage their interest in STEM – Science, Technology, Engineer, and Math? We shared some ideas on Coding Toys for Kids, today we focus on the E in STEM – Engineer. We picked engineering toys for different age groups, from preschool to high school. We also make sure to cover toys for different engineer fields, such as mechanical engineer, electric engineer, civil engineer. Top Engineering Toys for Kids… Read more

After we did the Egg Drop Challenge using Straws and Paper, we came up an idea for an Egg Drop Project design using paper only. The design principles is very similar, but it is a fun idea to add a more stricter limit on the design to make it a hard STEM challenge. What is EGG Drop Design Challenge Egg Drop challenge is a project-based STEM challenge that can be adapted to all ages, from elementary to high school. The… Read more

A couple days ago I saw a very neat science experiments with magnets, which reminded me those magnets we have at home. I did some search and find many cool science experiments about magnetism for kids. Here are some of the best magnet science experiment ideas I found. Magical Science Experiments of Magnetism for Kids This is the one I found a couple days ago, magnetic experiment with a Valentine’s twist – playful heart. For young children, this magnet sensory… Read more

Egg drop project is a fun STEM activity. The reason it is widely used in science class and science fair, it is because it is a project based learning, and there are many ways to incorporate engineering design process and physics in the project. We did an egg drop project with straws quite successfully. This time we try a different material: paper. From our last egg drop project design with straws, we learned the key of a successful design is… Read more

Computer coding is essentially a language that computer uses. When we think about helping kids learn computer coding, we automatically think we need a computer first. But in fact, there are many ways to learn computer coding without a computer, as many thinking and coding approach can be learned in different activities off-screen. Today we share some off-screen activities that teach kids computer programming. Learn Computer Coding without a Computer Unplugged Activities for Computer Coding Skills One of the important… Read more

Building toys create a wonderful platform for creative play. They expand their imagination, promote motor skills, … all through play! You will also find, that a lot of these toys revolve around STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) or STEAM (with Art added to STEM). For your expressive and exploratory young engineers, check these amazing toys out! To help you find the best building toys for the kids on your gift list, I created a building toys gift guide. All of… Read more

This is our last Hot Dog Coding Game in the series. The focus of this game is to help kids understand when and why you need backward thinking, or thinking the end result before starting your coding project planning, or the design thinking process. In the previous coding games, the objective of the game is singular, just one objective. However, in real world projects, there are usually more than one objectives. Sometimes these objectives are even intertwined together. This is… Read more

A while ago we visited a Da Vinci exhibit. There was a demo of building Da Vinci bridge with wood logs. We were fascinated by the genius mechanical engineering design and decided to try one ourselves. One thing we have at home is pencil, and that is what we used. Since pencils are common school supplies, I am sure teachers can do it with students as a STEM challenge at school too. Through out the design, plan, build, test, rebuild… Read more

Egg drop challenge science project is always fun for kids. You design a structure to hold the egg and to protect the egg from breaking when dropped from certain height. The project can be designed for different age groups with various difficulty levels. For this one, we limit the design materials on straws, tapes and hot glue only. The goal of the science project is for kids to learn physics science, design process, engineering while having fun. If you’d like… Read more