While some families have returned to their pre-COVID-19 lives this summer, others have decided to remain in quarantine until a vaccine is available for children. Either way, parents are looking for things to do this summer. Maybe they are trying to make it feel less like quarantine—or maybe they are looking for rainy day or screen-free activities that will entertain their kids. Luckily for parents, this Instagram account is offering fun STEM activities for kids to beat summer boredom.
Stephanie Ryan is the scientist and mother behind the account. She brings her professional experience and motherhood tips to Instagram to help parents worldwide keep their children entertained while learning about science and mathematics— subjects not everyone enjoys. If you are worried that you may not be able to do these activities because you are not a scientist or a mathematician, this is what Dr. Stephanie has to say:
“You do not have to be a scientist to teach your kids about science. You have loads of experience with the world around you. When you drop something, you know it falls. You know that when it is hot, an ice cube melts. These are things children are still exploring and learning. And learning about it through play will give them a deeper understanding.”
Every activity she shares can help you teach your children how to explore the world around them this summer. You will help them find the answers to different questions through discovery, reading new books, and turning STEM subjects into fun activities. Here are a few of the activities Stephanie Ryan has shared through her Instagram that will guarantee your children beat summer boredom and learn:
Water Bead Memories
Everyone knows and loves the movie Inside Out, so this summer, you can re-watch it with your kids and have an afternoon of pure fun. With jumbo water beads, create your own core memories storage. Help your kids sort out the beads to connect them with the emotions described in the movie: green/disgust, blue/sadness, yellow/joy, red/anger, and purple/fear. They will learn more about how to express themselves and what they are feeling. It also reminds them that emotions come and go and do not last forever.
Following the same theme connected to the movie, you can help your children sort the water beads into colors. Once that is done, they can create a graph with the colors and the number of beads they have. It keeps them entertained and learning math. Ask your child which emotions were felt the most in this activity and which emotions were felt the least, and then, have them describe how they think Riley felt at the end of the day in the movie.
Tasty Activities
Hopefully, this summer will be filled with sunny days that will allow you to teach your children how to make s’mores without fire. The perfect activity for them to enjoy a tasty snack and learn more about science. And a bonus? This is a fire-free activity that is pretty safe for kids!
How do the s’mores without fire work? You need a pizza box, aluminum foil, and a thin piece of plastic. Ryan explains, “We reused a pizza box from a dinner earlier in the week and cut a rectangular hole in the top. Then, we wrapped this new flap in aluminum foil. In the hole that was left from the flap, we covered it with a piece of laminating plastic that we hadn’t used yet. We put a single graham cracker down and added some squares of chocolate on top of it. Then, we cut a giant marshmallow in half, placed it on top of the chocolate, closed the pizza box, and set it outside for a while. The sun reflects off of the aluminum foil and down into the box. The plastic traps the heat and makes it warmer.” What is the learning that can occur with the s’more? This teaches about the greenhouse effect and physical changes!
Another tasty activity is the Stoichiometry Bake. This will teach children the ratio and relationship between the different ingredients involved in a reaction. You can choose a recipe of your liking and let your children add the correct amount of each ingredient. Really drive the patterns home by breaking down the recipe so that for each egg you need X amount sugar, Y amount of flour, etc. They can do one egg, then the ratio amounts. Then repeat.
The next day, they can learn more with another activity: Parfait Patterns. Kids will be able to create their own parfait, add each ingredient at a time, and see the different patterns that can be formed. You can assign a letter to each ingredient and have them add the food in order. A delicious pattern!
Colorful Activities
Kids love everything that comes in different colors, so why not help them create their very own rainbow crayons? Recycling old colorful and broken crayons, bake them in different molds to help your children create differently shaped, rainbow crayons. But if one day of color is not enough, take it to the next level the following day by making your own lava lamp. All you will need is a water bottle, vegetable oil, water, food coloring, an Alka-Seltzer tablet, and Stephanie Ryan’s guidance.
This summer does not have to be a boring one, even if kids need to stay home in order to remain safe. Stephanie Ryan and her educational Instagram account will be the perfect guide for fun STEM activities for kids to beat summer boredom. Are you ready to raise the next Albert Einstein or Katherine Johnson?