Have you have heard all the rage about STEAM?

It includes all of the elements of STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) with a nice little addition, art.

This recently new phenomenon is of particular interest to me because of my STEM loving boy (Have you SEEN all of the LEGO activities we have done in our house?) - but he also adores art. And, by including art into STEM topics we are giving children a way to connect with subjects that they might not enjoy as much.

STEAM Activities for Kids

I hope this list provides a great place for you to get started with STEAM Activities for your kids... pick one or two and then go from there.

Incorporating these into your children's lives will be MUCH fun - and MUCH learning, too.

Designing Robots: Use Qixels to help kids design their very own robot decoration. This STEAM activity helps kids create using their own imagination with very little help. For more STEM robot fun, you will want to check out our LEGO® Education WeDo Robotics in Your Homeschool post where you will learn how to build robots with LEGO®.

How to Flip a Rainbow: I love this STEAM activity because it is so simple. All you will need is a tall glass of water, paper, and markers. This will help kids learn how looking at objects from a different point of view always gives different results.

LEGO® Candy Math: Learning with LEGO® is so much fun. This activity helps kids learn about addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and fractions all with the help of two of our favorite things - LEGO® and candy. For more ideas on how to use LEGO® for learning, visit our LEGO® Learning Page. It is full of ideas.

Compass Painting: With the use of a simple math compass and water paints kids can create a one of a kind masterpiece. Who knew you could turn a math instrument into an art tool?

Math Art Mobius Strip: If you have kids that are enthralled with art but could care less about math, this is the perfect STEAM project for them. Watch their eyes light up as they discover the wonder of a Mobius strip.

Playdough Engineering Kit for Kids: This is a great kit to put together because it can easily be taken along when you are out and about. It helps kids learn how to make familiar shapes as well as making their own shape creations come to life.

Experiment with Watercolor Resist: Use different types of media to see how it reacts to watercolors. This is a great way to achieve different art effects. Kids can learn how to make different textures and patterns.

Paper Plate Marble Maze: Building a marble maze can be a bit challenging. But the end result will only give kids the confidence to keep on building. For more marble fun consider adding the game Kerplunk and the book LEGO® Chain Reactions to your STEAM resources.

Fun With LEGO Mini Figures - Create Your Own Mini Fig Printable: I like this STEAM idea because it is so easy. It gives kids the platform to create something of their very own, using their own ideas. Giving kids room to create allows them to explore, learn, and discover all while being hands on.

Following are products that will foster the hands on learning experience that comes with building.

Magnetic Building Blocks Toys Set Preschool Educational Stacking Toy 76 Pieces 3D Magnet Building Construction Kit for Kids Over 3 Years Old MYNT3D Professional Printing 3D Pen with OLED Display XYZprinting da Vinci miniMaker 3D Printer - 5.9'' x 5.9'' x 5.9'' Built Volume (Includes: 300g Non-Toxic PLA Filament, Enclosure, Maintenance Tools)ThinkGizmos TG633 Ingenious Machines Remote Control Robotic Building Kit For Kids with Batteries OWI T4 Transforming Solar Robot Haynes Build Your Own Internal Combustion Engine Build & Imagine: Pet Portrait Studio (magnetic building set with wooden dress-up pets)Thames and Kosmos Little Labs Intro To Engineering 4M Weather Station Kit

STEAM is a wonderful tool to use in a variety of subjects. It brings together the fascination with science, logic of math, and creativity of art.

What are some of your favorite STEAM activities for kids?

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Using LEGO to Learn Geography

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I don't know about you, but I wasn't given much information when I was going through puberty.

In fact, I vividly remember thinking that a woman could become pregnant by simply eating a certain combination of foods! (I think this stemmed from seeing "The Pregnancy Diet" in one of my mother's magazines.)

It's been important for me to give my children accurate information about puberty, sex, and all of the things surrounding this pre-teen/teen stage of life -- information that is grounded in Biblical truth and doesn't leave anything out.

It is also important to start EARLY -- I think as early as 8 or 9 -- so that our children don't get curious and go hunting for this information in places that haven't been vetted by their parents!

Now that we've gone through this with both a girl and a boy, there are some favorite resources my husband and I have used to guide our children through this pivotal time in their lives.

These are the resources that have proven helpful in our home. It isn't the ONLY way to teach your children about puberty and sexuality - just what has worked for us. I hope the resources are helpful to you as you guide your sons and daughters on their journey to becoming men and women!

Puberty Resources For Boys & Girls

Having a trusted resource that explains changes in boys and girls has been SO helpful in our house... it helps brothers and sisters understand what is going on with each other. Especially for a little brother, it can explain sometimes why his sister (and mom!) act a bit goofy once a month!

By far, the favorite books we have come across from Trish & Luke Gilkerson. They approach puberty and sexuality in such a straightforward, Biblical manner.

Each lesson in the book we did first (7 Lesson to Introduce Your Children to Biblical Sexuality) is geared for boys AND girls - so if your child is wondering about the opposite sex all of the questions are answered.

Scripture precedes each of the seven lessons, and directly relates to Biblical sexuality.

The other books by the Gilkersons are:

Changes: 7 Biblical Lessons to Make Sense of Puberty

Relationships: 11 Lessons to Give Kids a Greater Understanding of Biblical Sexuality

What I appreciate the most about all of these books is that it gives the parents an introduction, and then each lesson is 100% scripted - and written so that our children are engaged and talking. I wish I had known about these when my daughter was this age!

These books have made it EASY for my husband and me to talk with our son about puberty.

Because, let's face it, sometimes we - THE PARENTS - can be reticent about this subject.

Puberty Resources for Girls

“She who does not make the world better for having lived in it has failed to be all that woman should be.”

— Karen Andreola - Beautiful Girlhood

Beautiful Girlhood - a favorite resource to guide girls through puberty.

When my daughter was very young, we set up date nights in my bedroom, made tea, and read Beautiful Girlhood aloud. This set the stage for changes that would occur in the coming years. This book is sweet and old fashioned, setting forth the ideals of girl and womanhood.

We followed this up with the Companion Guide to Beautiful Girlhood - a more focused and interactive Bible study for the two of us.

The next in the series, Beyond Beautiful Girlhood, is all about keeping a home and womanhood -- not in sexual terms, but in terms of womanhood. VERY good.

Sharing these books are all sweet ways to spend time with our girls and bring them into the fold of what it means to be a beautiful girl - and eventually a woman. It is with great fondness that I look back on these times spent with my daughter.

As my daughter got a bit older she was naturally curious about the changes that were going on in her body. I purchased a couple of the American Girl books for her. We read them together, and I then I gave her the books to keep in her room and read again at her leisure. (I think she read these books DOZENS of times!)

These books are not written from a Biblical perspective, but they do give accurate information that when shared by me, I feel very comfortable using.

The Care and Keeping of You: The Body Book for Younger Girls

The Care and Keeping of You 2: The Body Book for Older Girls

Feelings: The Care and Keeping of Your Emotions

Is This Normal: More Girls' Questions

All of these resources are wonderful, but if they aren't used in conjunction with open dialogue and spending TIME with your girls, they won't be effective.

Puberty Resources for Boys

It's been a blessing for my son to have a father who is willing to spend time with him and talk to him a lot during this time of his life. They have "fire pit chats" where they discuss manly things... but it's also very helpful to have some books on hand to aid the discussions.

If every dad would read Raising a Modern Day Knight, I think our boys would be in great shape to become men. It helps fathers to instruct their sons in Biblical, chivalrous manhood.

I've also loved Bringing Up Boys - given to me as a gift when I found out I was pregnant with my son.

For a read aloud together with your son, try Boyhood and Beyond

Other books that will be good resources for our boys include:

The Boy's Body Book

It's Great to Be a Guy!

It's Perfectly Normal

“Sons are looking for the substance of life. As I hope to prove, they hunger for the best things. In the absence of these anchors, sons drift. But when loving dads add these into the manhood mix, their sons flourish. They become noble men, gentle men, men of valor, principled men, knights.”

— Robert Lewis - Raising a Modern-Day Knight