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Fossil fuel for a child’s imagination

Children are endlessly fascinated by dinosaurs – from their alien appearance to their exotic names, there’s something about these ancient creatures that never fails to grab a child’s imagination. So let’s enjoy this step by step guide to make dinosaur fossil now!

Like yourself, we’re always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to engage children during the Summer break.  Whether it’s taking part in a craft activity or reading a book together, spending time together is great and, if you can sneak in a little educational content then so much the better!  Making a dinosaur fossil with your child is great fun and, also, gives you a chance to tell him or her a little bit about fossils and how they occur.  In nature, fossils take thousands of years to form.  Thankfully, even the summer break doesn’t go on that long (although it may sometimes feel like it) so, I’ve put together a slightly quicker way of making your own dino fossil.

How to make your dino fossil

The following is a step by step guide to make dinosaur fossil with your child.  You’ll need:

• A toy dinosaur (choose a toy with lots of texture and detail for the most effective dino fossil)
• Acrylic paints
• A paintbrush
• A sponge
• A glass beaker
• A couple of plastic bowls
• Water
• A block of clay (regular modelling clay is fine)
• Powdered plaster of Paris

First, we make the base of our fossil with our modelling clay.  Break off a piece of clay about the size of the palm of your hand and mould it into a round shape with a slight dip in the middle, like a shallow bowl.

Next, take the dinosaur toy (held sideways so that it’s in profile) and press the toy into the clay and hold it for a moment or two.  Gently pull the toy away from the clay and you’ll see that it’s left an impression of it’s profile in the clay.

Break off two more pieces of clay and mould them with your hands into long thick strips and then place these around the impression to form a wall around it.

Now, take your water and powdered plaster of Paris and mix these together in the glass to form a thin paste (around the consistency of yogurt).  Once ready, pour the mixture into your clay bowl, leaving a little space (around 1cm) at the top.  You’ll notice that the mixture gets thicker as you pour so you need to be quick.  The mixture should set quite quickly (about five minutes) so, while it’s setting, you can make sure that you have your paints and paintbrush ready.

After around five minutes, gently prod the plaster of Paris mould to make sure that it’s dry.  Then, gently remove the clay wall that you made around the dinosaur impression.  Now, turn the mould upside down and gently remove the clay base. Now you have your plaster of Paris dino fossil.

Finally, use your sponge to mix together grey and brown acrylic paints to make a ‘rock colour’ then use your brush to cover the entire dino fossil to give it a realistic appearance.

Now that you’ve perfected your dino fossil you can experiment with other animal and insect toys such as spiders, snakes and much more.

Looking Smart – The New World Of E-Textile fashion

For the uninitiated, E-textile fashion is the latest word in wearable digital technology. Combining traditional fabrics with digital components, Smart Garments are being created with tiny computer technology embedded into the composition of the material.

Changing gear

If you’re picturing the kind of outfits that the crew of the Star Ship Enterprise wear, don’t worry; Smart Clothing is being designed to look just as stylish and practical as regular garments, just with much more functionality.

Smart textiles are being developed which contain digital and electronic components such as batteries, lights and tiny computers in order to let the wearer communicate, transfer energy, monitor health and even transform in a number of ways at the touch of a button or, even, with just a certain kind of movement.   Using textiles which easily conduct electricity, such as cotton, nylon and polyester, textile based sensor electronics can be weaved into the fabric creating a kind of couture motherboard.

Why e-textiles?

As well as the convenience of not having to carry electronic devices in a pocket or bag, e-textiles have a number of benefits such as flexibility, permeability, low cost production and discretion. In addition, e-textiles will offer thermal and electrical resistance to the wearer.

The use of e-textiles will be limited initially to two separate kinds; textiles which have electronics embedded into the finished garment and, textiles whose very composition includes passive electronics such as solar cells, conductors and resistors. The first kind of textile will be used for classical electronics such as LEDs for recreational uses like clubbing and events and will have conventional batteries embedded into the fabric, whereas, the latter will be manufactured with the components as part of the fabric and will be used for athletic and military purposes. Such purposes may include the monitoring and regulation of body temperature and the resistance of extreme weather conditions. In time, it is thought that Smart Fabrics may even be able to protect against environment and bio hazards.

Body Con

Although it may seem a little far-fetched to many, these wearable fabrics may have a very important role to play in our future health-care as they will be able to not only monitor health but also administer basic treatments.

In addition to our health, these garments may even make us more beautiful – by adding anti-ageing moisturizers and perfumes to the fabrics.

Once the technology is up and running, the possibilities are endless – e-textiles could be used in home furnishings meaning that heating, lighting and entertainment devices could be integrated into soft furnishings – giving a whole new meaning to the term couch potato !

The techy bit

E-textile fashion will be produced using fabrics suitable for conducting and semi-conducting electricity. Metallic and textile fibre will be combined to create a fabric which is flexible and, more importantly, washable.

With the speed at which technology advances, many will be unsurprised by this new and very real possibility which will make interesting catwalk viewing!

Imaginative by nature – Creating Your Nature Collage – A Pre-School Activity

Encouraging a love of nature is gifting your child with unlimited resources of free and fulfilling entertainment. Thus we will be learning here to create a Nature Collage – A Pre-School Activity.

The best part of being a nature lover is that it’s all around us – you don’t need to live in the country or near the sea to be able to enjoy Mother Nature’s gifts; all you need is a park, nature reserve or wooded area.

A great way of encouraging your child to embrace nature is to help them to make their own nature collage – a pre-school activity neck-piece.  As well as making a fun item for your child to keep, this activity involves spending time together outdoors and helps to hone their observational and identification skills.

How does it work? 

First, arm yourself with a large bag and pay a visit to your nearest park, beach or wood.  Walk slowly around the perimeter, stopping every few steps to recite, ‘What can we see?’  This exercise will help get your child used to actively observing what’s around him or her.  Take turns in saying what you can see and collect small items such as fallen leaves, acorns, pebbles, shells and feathers (make sure that you’re allowed to do so – most public areas will usually have signs pointing out the rules).  

For each item collected, discuss with your child what it is and where it comes from as well as how it looks, feels and smells. Different shapes? Color? Smell?

Making your neck piece:

Find a long piece of fabric the length and breadth of a printed scarf.  You don’t need to buy this, try looking through old, discard clothes which you can cut up.  Gauzy or lacy fabrics work particularly well for this activity. 

Using strong white glue, stick each of your collected items onto the fabric – your child can arrange these as he or she pleases, randomly or forming a pattern.  Once dry, the fabric can be used as a scarf or can be displayed in the child’s bedroom.

If you prefer not to use fabric, you can make a traditional nature collage using thick card and white glue.  You can use plain white card or get arty by experimenting with different colors.

As before, take your child on a nature walk and collect items of interest.  Back home, you can glue the items onto your card.  Encourage your child to write or draw on the card too.  Try getting your child to look through magazines to find pictures of the items you’ve collected which can then be added to the collage.

The great thing about any kind of collage is that there are no rules – meaning that your child’s imagination is in the driving seat!

As we head toward the long and glorious summer break, it’s time for you and your child to congratulate yourselves on a year of hard work. Simple ways to simple steps to reduce stress for kids of the holidays and make it a healthy nurturing environment.

Here are 5 simple steps to reduce stress effectively:

1) An end to over-scheduling

Whether you’re heading off somewhere sunny or taking the opportunity to relax at home, the summer break is eagerly anticipated by parents and children alike but, the end of the school year can bring with it an amount of stress too.  Many of us find ourselves trapped in the cycle of over-scheduling meaning that our weeks are one long whirlwind of lessons and after-study activities leaving us stressed and exhausted.  We’re all trying to be the best parents we can be but it’s important to look after ourselves too. 

To help keep stress to a minimum, we’ve put together our year end survival tips for hard working families.

2) Cutting back on activities

We all want to make sure our kids are taking part in a varied and interesting range of activities but, overdoing these can be stressful for both the child and the parents who are responsible for travel and scheduling arrangements.  Concentrate on the activities that your child is most passionate about and go for quality over quantity. Follow our STEM Next-Gen Book to learn simple steps to reduce stress for kids.

3) Down time

A couple of times a week schedule in some family time – even just an hour or two – to be spent doing nothing but relaxing and enjoying each other’s company without a purpose or particular activity to worry about. 

4) Planning ahead

For homeschoolers, a lack of planning can lead to a lack of structure and flow.  The STEM pack of 10 weeks of lesson plans helps to plan lessons in just ten minutes meaning you can plan for the first 10 weeks of the new school year in half a day, leaving the rest of your summer with simple steps to reduce stress for kids.

5) Getting the balance right

Although your child will, of course, be looking forward to an amount of freedom during the holidays, it’s important to add in the occasional productive and educational activity which might just spark a new passion as well as giving your child a head start for the new school year.  Fun and productive, the STEM range of books has something for everyone including DIY, toy making, engineering and arts and crafts.

Follow our book STEM Next-Gen Program and teach kids the ultimate way to Learn, Build and Play.

Order STEM Next-Gen Program today!

Following these few tips can help you to shake off the stress of the school year, plan for the next and then get on with enjoying your summer – after all, you’ve earned it!

It goes without saying that, the way to engage a child’s interest is to play on their passions – and, toys are always a source of fascination for our kids. Building and making is probably one of the most powerful hands-on-minds-on experiences a teacher or parent can provide a child with. As a child takes apart a broken toy or gadget they have the opportunity to develop21st century skills.  It also introduces the child to the engineering design process and reverse engineering. 

It may also provide the fuel to spark their interest to pursue a career in the STEM fields. 

Toy story

For most parents and educators, the toy box can be an endless source of frustration – full of items which are damaged or discarded as your child outgrows or loses interest in them.  Most of us find ourselves regularly either throwing away toys or hauling sacks of them to the nearest charity shop – and missing out on a great educational opportunity.

Discarded and broken toys offer an opportunity to develop your child’s inner engineer as explained by Diana Wehrell-Grabowski during her recent ‘Deconstruct and Recreate Workshop’.  During the workshop, families were encouraged to bring along broken or unused toys which the child was then encouraged to take apart in order to strip them down to their various individual components.  At the end of the session, the families were then shown how to identify useful parts in order to create a brand new toy or gadget.

Reverse engineering

Although a relatively simple experiment, this is the beginning of a child’s understanding of the concept of reverse engineering – the act of taking something apart to find out how it works and, what else can be done with it.  You’d be amazed at how many engineering disciplines are explored in the simple act of taking something apart and putting it back together again – and the best part is, this is something you can easily do with your child at home on a rainy afternoon.

Not only does this experiment start to teach your child rudimentary reverse engineering skills but, it also gives your child the satisfaction of having created something themselves from the bare bones of something else and, who knows, it may also save you a little cash!

Once your child has got the knack of upcycling, the STEM book, ‘Toys And Games’ contains a whole host of fun ways for them to make their own toys and games from discard toys and other household objects – for the budding architect in your life, the book even shows kids how to make a whole city from paper!

Maker Culture, STEM Education, and inquiry-based instructions to deconstruct gadgets, as well as children’s literature resources for tinkering, making and STEM is a sustainable and great way to engage kids.

Your child never stops learning and, engaging them in the creation of their own toys and games is fun, educational and, can even help prepare them for the working world!

They say that the “world is an oyster if you approach it with open mindedness..”, it’s so true.

As I dug my hands deep into the soil to plant a basil, my hands hit a bed of pebbles. Not a handful of soil could be excavated despite the rake desperately trying to scratch through the rocks. I wondered what would happen if we had no soil left to plant tress.

Just then a new idea struck me. What if I used only water- no SOIL? Sounds impossible right? With that began a new chapter: HYDROPONICS.

HYDROPONIC means “water working” or the greek words Hydro meaning Water and Ponos meaning Labor. My new found interest took the better of me and I started to get deep into the waters. Soon I realised, this could be the NEW-GEN method of farming. Garden in bottles: Hydroponics – The Final Frontier In Farming!

WHY HYDROPONICS?

As a keen STEM educator and environmentalist, I have a huge interest in the art of growing plants hydroponically. So what is HYDROPONICS exactly?

Put simply, hydroponics is the growing of plants without soil and with a minimal amount of water. This works by injecting mineral nutrient solutions directly into a tank of water and then inserting the plant into the growing tray, providing everything the plant needs to thrive in virtually any environment. 

I use hydroponics to grow my own herbs and vegetables indoors including basil, mint, spinach and lettuce.  There’s something incredibly satisfying about being able to eat something that you’ve grown yourself from nothing more than a tiny seed and some treated water.  The satisfaction of this small but important piece of self-sufficiency is matched by the therapeutic benefits of gardening which, for me, calms the soul in an increasingly fast paced world. So you can certainly say it the Garden in bottles.

CURRENT HYDROPONIC FARMS:

Manhattan based start-up, Bowery, recently made headlines with its revolutionary new way of space, water and resource saving food production which it has termed ‘post-organic’ produce. This farm of the future uses no soil and 95% less water.

With our world becoming increasingly overcrowded, it sometimes seems that every available inch of space is being filled with apartment blocks and other housing, leaving precious little room for the natural world.  Forever innovative, New York City has tackled this problem by introducing vertical farms into its iconic landscape.

Vertical farming is becoming increasingly more popular throughout the world for the growing of hydroponic plants including herbs, vegetables and medicines.  Vertical farming involves the growing of plants in a special, vertically stacked, environment. 

As well as saving on precious space, other advantages of vertical farming include:

• The ability to grow crops all year round
• A significant reduction of fossil fuels
• Most importantly, the ability to grow crops without being at the mercy of the weather.

HYDROPONICS: SIMPLE STEPS FOR A HYDOPONIC SYSTEM AT HOME.

MATERIALS:

STEPS AT A GLANCE:

STEP1:

STEP2:

STEP3:

STEP4:

STEP5:

STEP6:

WHAT IS NEXT? Space gardens? Mars plantation?

Vertical farming of hydroponic plants is the future in more ways than one – as scientists become ever more convinced of the possibility of humans being able to exist on other planets, food scientists are already tackling the problem of what they will be eating.  NASA claims that it will be in a position to send people to Mars in as little as 10 years time and, food scientists say that, the hydroponic growing of fruit and vegetables will play a pivotal role in sustaining those people in an atmosphere so very different from our own.

Whether it’s in outer space or back here on Earth, its space, resources and money saving properties mean that vertical and hydroponic farming is an idea that’s growing on more and more people every day.

So what do you think? Want to start a Hydroponic garden today?Let’s give it a try – Garden in bottles.

It’s term break and with that comes the pressure of finding fun and creative activities for our children/students. This can get very stressful for parents and teachers alike so I decided to put together a STEM Doodle Book: Drawing, Coloring and Art Book for all of us! I mean there are many other activities that your children can do over the holidays, however, a doodle book has so many great benefits plus its super friendly on the pocket! So it’s a win-win scenario if you ask me!

So WHY is doodling important?

Most people tend to associate doodling with a lack of attention and concentration and it doesn’t always have the best connotations however research has started showing that doodling may be just what you need once in a while. Psychologist Jackie Andrade did a study in 2009 where he asked 40 people to listen to a boring voice mail message over and over again. Half of the group were asked to doodle and color in shapes whilst the other half did not. The group was then asked to recall what the message said, surprisingly those who doodled recalled 29% more information than those who did not doodle.

Doodling has also been associated with stress relief and actually improving one’s focus. Continuously paying attention to something causes pressure on the brain so having an outlet where you can “rest” allows you to refuel for the next focus session. So I decided to create a STEM Doodle Book that mergers doodling with STEM education so that our children can experience two beneficial skills at the same time! What do you think?

What to get yourself a copy NOW and let the doodling begin?

Why is STEM Education such a big deal?

STEM careers are where the job market is heading. In fact, it was predicted that by 2018, 8.65 million STEM jobs will exist but there is a great shortage of STEM empowered workers. Fewer children are interested in studying STEM subjects and we need to play a role in reviving the excitement around STEM education because there will be jobs but not enough people to fill the jobs. That’s why I saw it necessary to fuel some inspiration and get started with a The STEM Doodle Book: Drawing, Coloring and Art Book this season!

The truth is there are SO MANY benefits to introducing your child to STEM education. STEM encourages innovation and creativity. It helps one stay abreast with the changes in technology that affect everyone and promotes equality in education, with more and more women taking on high-paying STEM-related careers. It acts as a great confidence booster because you also practice your problem-solving skills. When it comes to taking SATs, kids with STEM education tend to have higher scores and tend to take fewer remediation courses when they start college.

People in STEM careers tend to earn a lot more money than other fields, in fact, STEM jobs are growing 17% faster than other fields. Do you now see why it’s such a big deal? A child with a STEM education is a child who has options when they get older. The most important thing is to give your child and students options so that they can choose who they want to me. I mean, even people in the fashion industry and writers benefit greatly from a STEM background! So in order to get the ball rolling, be sure to get your very own copy of The STEM Doodle Book: Drawing, Coloring and Art Book.

A glimpse of the book…

Other beneficial BENEFITS of doodling…

Doodling is the gift that keeps giving. It also helps with children’s brain development and allows kids to express their creativity. It will also help the children to bond with their emotions and thus become better, more resourceful problem solvers. The more children play with their imaginations the more they are willing to try out new experiences.

Who will this Awesome book BENEFIT?

ANYONE and EVERYONE! Even adults experience the great benefits of doodling. Ask Diane, the President, Managing Director & Lead Facilitator at Discovery Doodles where she does doodling workshops for children and adults. She further unpacks The importance of doodling. The STEM Doodle Book: Drawing, Coloring and Art Book works perfectly for kids aged 4-12 years. This book is PERFECT for teachers and parents, it allows you to give your children/students ready-made STEM-related doodles that they can spend hours coloring in! This a great way to spend term-break!

Reviewers love the book!

Check out what they are saying here: REVIEWS

Let’s give out children the gift of OPTIONS!

Get your COPY of the book Now and let the doodling begin! With the world learning towards needing a larger STEM Educated workforce, take the time to set up your child’s future! Ultimately you play the biggest role in their life and they look to you for guidance, so get them curious about STEM related topics and watch their future shine bright!

Let’s not waste any more time, click HERE for your children and students to receive their own copy of the exciting STEM DOODLE BOOK now! Expose your child to learning, fun activities and a whole new world of innovation! Don’t let your children and students miss out on this GREAT learning opportunity! Start preparing them for the future now!

I am absolutely thrilled that you picked STEM education and activities as a part of your teaching initiative. 

I am attaching the ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS FREE PRINTABLE for you to use it in class or home. You can simply print it, pin it and get started.

I would encourage you to make the EDP as part of any lesson plan or class activity. Using these 5 steps, kids can solve any STEM challenge by becoming creative thinkers and problem solvers.

A small introduction on ” How do people invent things?”…

INTRODUCTION TO EDP:

People from every corner of the world, of different ages, with different levels of education invent by finding out problems, using creative ideas, and developing new solutions. Inventors’ and Engineers’ initial ideas rarely solve any problem. Instead, they try various ideas, learn from mistakes, and try again. There are a series of steps they use to arrive at a solution and it is called the Engineering Design Process. 

As you work through your invention process, use the guide below to understand the invention process and tie it to specific steps of the Engineering design process.

Five steps that can help you to invent something new :

1) ASK: What are different ways to tackle some of today’s problem? Brainstorm ideas. • How creative can we be? Off-the-wall suggestions often spark GREAT ideas!

2) IMAGINE: Which brainstormed ideas are really possible given our time, tools, and materials? Choose the idea that seems to work the best.

3) PLAN: Design and sketch out your idea. • What materials will you need to build your invention? • Come up with the step-by-step process in order to build it. 

4) CREATE: Build it using the plan and the materials. Test it out and see what works and what doesn’t.

5) IMPROVE: What do you think is the best feature of your invention? Why? • If you had more time, how could you improve your invention? 

Both inventors and engineers look for ways to improve things in areas like health, food, safety, transportation, aerospace, electronics, communication, and the environment. How about you try your own?

Download the ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS FREE PRINTABLE from below and use it today!

Download from here