STEAM 

We are also inspired by the STEAM education system which encourages a more project based learning system. Many of our classes combine several different fields of growth to encourage critical thinking, problem solving and other practical skills. To learn more about STEAM, see below:

STEAM education is a method of teaching and working with kids that focuses on science, technology, engineering, art, and math. The idea behind introducing topics such as engineering to kids at an early age is that it is beneficial for their futures to develop certain skills they will inevitably need.

Creativity: The A in STEAM stands for Art which encourages students to think about more traditional schooling like math as intertwined with art. This helps kids to see that every subject in school is not necessarily separate.

Hands on: One of the great benefits of STEAM is that kids are really encouraged to work with their hands. Rather than their work being done with pencil and paper kids are building and taking apart, creating, working out and developing with their hands.

Develops Growth Mindset: Engineering is hard! Projects that take engineering and science require kids to use their unique ways of thinking and work on their projects until they can solve the problem.

Unique Ways of Thinking: STEAM encourages thinking skill such as critical thinking and problem solving that are different ways of thinking than when we ask kids to look for the right answer to a problem or spell a word the right way. Critical thinking uses different parts of our kiddos brain to engage them in different styles of learning.

Directed at the Future: There are going to be jobs that we need to prepare our students and kids for that may not even exist yet. We no longer train our workforce to work in factories but rather we are helping our kids to develop forward thinking skills for the future.

Level Playing Field: Previously girls were kind of left out of the engineering world. Starting young kids with some basic STEAM education allows for everyone to have a chance to develop their basic understanding.

Teamwork: encourage the kids to work together to solve a problem. Since they may not necessarily want to solve it the same way they.

Explaining their Thinking: when kids are negotiating how to solve the problem, asking questions like “why do you think that would work” or can you tell me more about that” are great ways to set them up for success in school and life when they will be asked to rationalize their actions.

Innovation: STEAM encourages kids to work outside the box when solving problems and create their own solutions. What is really fun about STEAM is that there is no right answer so whatever kids come up with is always an acceptable solution to the problem!

Spatial Awareness: designing bridges and buildings, two great activities that require kids to develop their spatial awareness