It’s common knowledge that a stem is the main trunk of a plant, or the part where buds and shoots form rather than roots. Even if you know what a stem is, you might not realize what STEM is.
STEM is shorthand for science, technology, engineering and math. As a curriculum, STEM educates students about those four topics in an integrated, applied manner instead of providing instruction about the subjects separately. In other words, STEM integrates the four topics and teaches students using real-world scenarios.
The Importance of Science and STEM Learning
If you look back in history, you’ll see that the United States has typically been a global leader in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math. Despite the country’s impressive record of success in those fields, fewer students choose to study these subjects today than in years past.
The lack of interest is a widely-reported challenge. To appreciate the nature of this problem better, consider the following observation from the U.S. Department of Education:
If we want a nation where our future leaders, neighbors and workers have the ability to understand and solve some of the complex challenges of today and tomorrow, and to meet the demands of the dynamic and evolving workforce, building students’ skills, content knowledge and fluency in STEM fields is essential.
While adults may appreciate the essential nature of STEM knowledge, it, unfortunately, doesn’t necessarily mean kids will line up to learn about science or any of the other subjects identified in the STEM acronym. In fact, even kids who start off with a sincere interest in science, technology, engineering and/or math often lose interest before they graduate from high school.
Science Explorers Makes Learning Fun
What if there was a way to stop these trends and get and keep kids interested in STEM topics? Not content to speculate about whether there was a way to do those things, we figured out there is a way to achieve them — by making learning fun and getting children hooked on these subjects at an early age.
We created a curriculum that’s all about hands-on STEM learning. The kids who attend our summer science camp in New Freedom, PA and those who participate in our after-school science club in York, PA don’t sit back and listen to us preach about science, math and technology. Instead, they are actively involved in fun-filled, education-packed experiments that teach critical thinking skills while teaching them about STEM subjects.
And the great thing is our science camp and science club participants have fun the whole time they’re picking up essential knowledge!
About Our Science Camps
Science Explorers hosts summer science camps in Dillsburg, PA and many other cities and towns located throughout York County. Kids aged 4-11 years old are welcome to attend our weeklong camps on either a half- or full-day basis.
We design our curriculum to align with national science standards while exposing them to topics they may not know anything about. Oceanography and biology are just samples of the topics that young kids can learn about in one of our summer science camps in York County, PA.
About Our After-School Science Clubs
In addition to summer camps, we give students in Winterstown, Spry, Franklintown and many other locations the chance to participate in our after-school science clubs. Each club lasts between three and five weeks. While a club lasts, kids will attend a one-hour club session once per week immediately after school ends.
When a club get-together wraps up for the day, attendees will receive a Parent Page that discusses what the club covered and suggests activities kids can try at home. After each session, kids will take what they made during the meeting home to show off to their parents and siblings.
Sign Your Kids Up Today
To get your children hooked on STEM learning, sign your kids up for a science camp or club with Science Explorers today!