Creative Ideas for Celebrating National S.T.E.M./S.T.E.A.M. Day
November 8th is just around the corner! Families all over the world will be learning more about aspects of the arts and sciences on National S.T.E.M./S.T.E.A.M. Day. It’s a movement that encourages the exploration of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Add the “A” for Art, and you have a formula for learning that encourages practical application of scientific principles in a fun and educational fashion.
What is National S.T.E.M./S.T.E.A.M. Day?
National S.T.E.M./S.T.E.A.M. Day is inspired by the Project MC2 franchise produced by MGA Entertainment. In the series, we follow four super-smart, science-savvy teens–McKeyla, Adrienne, Bryden, and Camryn–as they solve problems, build friendships, and save the world for NOV8, an elite, all-female spy agency. (Fun fact: the date November 8th is an homage to the NOV8 Agency!)
National S.T.E.M./S.T.E.A.M. Day also highlights the importance of the arts and sciences in our everyday lives. They are essential to our daily routine, and will most likely be a part of the careers of the next several generations.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that of the top twenty fastest-growing occupations, nearly every one of them has a S.T.E.A.M.-orientation.
How Can Your Family Benefit by Participating?
By exploring science, math, technology, engineering, and art together as a family, you’ll find things in common between parents and kids that may surprise you. Your son might show a natural curiosity that engineering parents use on the job every day. Or, your daughter may uncover a talent for coding just like mom or dad. Getting involved in National S.T.E.M./S.T.E.A.M. Day has many other benefits as well:
Inspiring Creativity
Problem Solving
Asking Probing Questions
Making Connections
Taking Risks
Becoming Innovative
What Kinds of Activities Can You Try Together?
Get On the Floor
Capitalize on the revival of board games! Bonding over meeples can bring families together through competitive or cooperative play.
Over the last few years, so many fantastic new games have been released exploring everything from coding to racing against time to combat a worldwide pandemic, to spy hunting, or escaping zombie hoards with math skills.
If videogames are more your family’s speed, craft Redstone structures in the biome of your choice, build heart-stopping roller coasters and see how dangerous they can get, or explore life on planets far- far- away.
Also, don’t forget good, old-fashioned building bricks. Challenge each other to build the tallest, the craziest, or the sturdiest structure. Game on!
Get In the Kitchen
Cooking is an art, and baking is a science. That’s good because S.T.E.A.M. encapsulates both of those talents.
Practice math skills by measuring ingredients, doubling or halving recipes (don’t forget about fractions!). Estimate exactly how much is a pinch, a dash, or a sprinkle. Find out about emulsification, volume, and density as you make sauces and dressings.
Combine ingredients that fizz, sizzle, and bubble. Use marshmallows and toothpicks to create three-dimensional feats of engineering. Discover the process of crystallization by making rock candy. Afterward, reward yourselves by devouring your creations!
Get Out and About
There is the potential to discover the arts and sciences in your neighborhood, your city, and the whole world! National S.T.E.M./S.T.E.A.M. Day is the perfect excuse to visit a local or regional museum.
If you live in a major metropolitan area, you can combine your museum visit with a walking tour of the city. Search out architectural marvels. See if you can spot trends in building styles or ornamentation.
Can’t go on a major outing? Don’t despair! Dozens of world-class museums offer virtual tours of their collections that you can visit from the comfort of your couch.
Get Creative
This is where the “A” in S.T.E.A.M. really shines! It’s important to remember that the world’s greatest scientific minds were artists in their own right.
Leonardo da Vinci sketched hundreds of engineering drawings. Albert Einstein played the violin. John James Audubon combined art and science with his watercolors of bird species.
There are ways to combine the arts and sciences that might be in your house right now:
Explore recycling and upcycling by transforming trash into treasure.
Discover how colors change by making suncatchers with layered tissue paper or cellophane
The possibilities are as varied as your imagination will allow.
Get Smart
Your local library is always chock-full of great resources, but on National S.T.E.M./S.T.E.A.M. Day, let your friendly neighborhood librarian take your learning to the next level.
If you have a Girl or Boy Scout in the family, see if their Troop or Unit has a S.T.E.M. celebration planned. Both organizations have increased their opportunities to earn S.T.E.M.-based merit badges over the last several years.
There is sure to be a project to satisfy your family’s curiosity. Take an online course. Watch a video series or webinar on YouTube.
Getting smart about the arts and sciences will open up a world of possibilities. As they say at NOV8 headquarters, “Smart is the new Cool!”
So, are you ready to have fun?
Take the time to explore all the possibilities that National S.T.E.M./S.T.E.A.M. Day has to offer. Who knows, someone in your family may be the innovator of the next generation of smartphone, invent a new technology that could counteract climate change, or create a new art medium that changes the landscape of the visual arts.
If you want to share your family’s National S.T.E.M./S.T.E.A.M. Day adventures, use the hashtag #STEMSTEAMDay on social media.
Now, go out there and see where your imagination takes you!