How to fuel my 6-year-old's STEM passion? School's not cutting it. Any cool websites, toys, or advice?

[thestemengineer]

So I am an electrical engineer single dad of a small kid (6) in Oxfordshire who seems to be interested in STEM/Electronics. I have never done this before, how do I make sure he can grow his passion? Schools don't really do anything, do they?
Do you use any websites, resources, or toys?

Please help 😂

https://stemeducationguide.com/7-best-diy-computer-build-kits-for-kids/

Space-
Visit a local planetarium or observatory.
Download the SkyView lite app
Buy a telescope
Sign up for kids updates on NASA site.
join à local astronomy group for the kids meet-ups

Other science-
hot wires kits
marble runs
meccano-
kitchen chemistry
science museums
build boats from plasticine and see which design holds most marbles without sinking. Why?
make bridges/ towers from marshmallows and cocktail sticks- which is most stable? Why?
scratch coding is a good introduction to coding, download an app/ programme for that age (can’t remember which DS used, but he loved it)

I’m not disagreeing exactly but urge caution with this. Children imitate their parents. I was this kind of parent, always asking him questions and explaining stuff and now that is exactly what my DS does to his friends, he can be a right boring know-it-all and they tend to glaze over and ignore his lectures. So be careful what you role-model 🙈

I'd suggest a day out first:

Science Oxford in Headington quarry - family days on saturdays
Winchester science centre and planetarium if you're south ox
Maths dept at Oxford uni have an art installation on geometry until may next year (sculptures based on mathematical principles and forms) - if you just search for "cascading principles"

Lots of ideas and inspiration for both you and your 6yo to find out what is most interesting - THEN look for a kit or project along those lines!

Mine are a bit younger but after seeing how interested they were in the air stream at science Oxford which can hold paper planes suspended in mid air, I went home and switched the hair dryer on and we had a few ball pit balls hovering over their heads for a while. Then you can talk about the Bernoulli principle or whatever (if still engaged - mine weren't).

http://www.spacekids.co.uk/spacesuits/

Day out in Bristol - the Science museum, SS Great Britain, the Aerospace museum with the Concorde. Visit Clifton suspension bridge?

London Science museum online shop is great for interesting kits.

Just follow the things they express an interest in, even if it's just a trip to the library on Saturday morning to find books about the latest question.

Lots of stuff online for free, just need to have a dig about.

Snap circuits are great for a six year old.
For clubs try seeing if you have a coder dojo near you, although six might be a bit young.
I also recommend the space centre in Leicester, it’s a great day out.

Electrical engineer doesn’t know how to teach child electronics?!?

sorry but it made me laugh

@Mintesso that is very true. It's also important to explain correctly too and if you do t know find out together preferably by teaching them how to use a reference book at the library although asking Alexa is quicker. I've had to correct many a students misconception of "well my mum said......"

@Kissmystarfish glad to make you laugh. It's not that I can't teach him, it's that I have never done it before and was asking for suggestions and personal experiences from other parents... don't do that mate, it ain't nice...

For coding, buy a Micro:bit. Plenty of free tutorials online.

I've also heard the website Tynker is really good.

Many school DO offer STEM as part of after-school clubs. You could express an interest and maybe the school would look into running one

I second kiwico, have used and love them

TinkerCAD
Sphero play, it's a ball you control with your phone but you can build around to turn it into something else

If you look at Chinese websites like AliExpress/Temu they have loads of cheap STEM toys, things that you can build (for kids) with gears, motors, bit of programming etc.

Cheaper version of a Lego spike robot would be an EV3 for e.g.. or look at Elegoo kits which are cheaper than Arduino
Keyestudio smart home kit can be fun but would be advanced.
Lots of little experiments in the kitchen, like bicarb of soda and vinegar. Can use food colouring to make it interesting..or find out how to do the elephant toothpaste experiment at home.

If you look online at physics videos you will find you can demonstrate a lot just by using recycled materials tbh, like cardboard. I loved this one

Are you writing an opinion piece for a magazine or newspaper? The entire tone is so weird.

Find objects in the home and take them apart and put them back together again.
Turn a bike upside down turn the pedals and see what happens when you change gear

This sounds like DD1. She's 9 now, but 3 years ago she spent a lot of her time pawing over her DK Space and Science encyclopaedias. They are really good with lots of in depth information but also plenty of interesting photos/pictures too. We took her on trips to the National Space Centre and to open evenings held by the local astronomy society at a nearby observatory, and answered a million and one questions about space (well, DH did as the other space enthusiast in the house!).

We have numerous science kits, although most are chemistry-based, which we do in the holidays. The Galt ones are really good for a 6yo, as are crystal growing sets. The crystal trees make particularly good stocking fillers. The Works have had good simple (and cheap) sets in the past too. We also have several books with experiments to do at home with standard household items - anything involving fire (even if just a small flame) is always popular, as was Oobleck, and some of the things we did using super strength magnets.
I also gave her my old chemistry A-level text books to look through when she became quite obsessed with molecules and atoms, having exhausted the encyclopaedia's information (she has ASD and this was a special interest for quite some time). This also went down very well as she just picked out the sections that interested her. Now she is at middle school with proper science labs, she likes using the molecular model kits to build molecules. I wish I had bought her a set when she was fully in the grips of her interest!

We also have both a desk and pocket microscope, which are popular with both DCs. DC2 (7yo) loves the Gravitrax (DD1 has poor spacial reasoning so finds it very frustrating and won't touch it now) and will be getting snap circuits for Christmas.

Both DCs like watching Brainchild on Netflix.

Whizz Pop Bang magazine subscription is great

Of course! Why didn’t the OP think of that!

Toys
https://www.thamesandkosmos.co.uk/
https://www.learningresources.co.uk/shop/subject/science-toys-resources/science-kits

Years ago in Cambridge there was a hands on science place. It was very good. The wonder lab is a glossy shiny place. Slick. The Cambridge one was small but packed. I can’t find it and I can’t remember enough about it.

When your child is older there are companies like this one for coding:
https://www.codetoday.co.uk/

This used to be a permanent place. I am not sure if it still is.
https://www.cambridgesciencecentre.org/

You don't need to buy a telescope until you know the child is interested in star gazing. You can use binoculars until then.

Just a few ideas from what my dd did at primary age: (she is now applying to study electronics engineering)
Blockly python
Coding classes at the library - I think they got given free microbits
She also had a set, possibly Hotwires?
She watched Youtube videos on all sorts, I remember her watching one on how to make your own vending machine and then her making it out of cardboard

I noticed my own kids would respond to an interesting object/exhibition/concept in very different ways. So I would take them to something e.g. observatory and then give some space to see how they responded.

I found leaving room for them to respond meant they chose for themselves. They have continued to be very different despite a shared interest in STEM overall.

I had one who ALWAYS built a model of some type after visiting somewhere. So I just made sure there was access to Lego, knex, junk modelling stuff etc.

They really learn when they produce something - but what specifically they produce doesn't really matter, it can be messy etc.

My DD has a Tinker Crate subscription as a gift from her grandparents each year and she really loves doing them.

I'd recommend going to the Wonderlab at the science museum on a teacher training day as it's much quieter. It is also not much more expensive to get an annual pass than a single admission. We often combine that with another bit of the science or natural history museum.

If you're near Cambridge there are good museums attached to university departments and the Cambridge science centre is good too.

Usborne do some lovely science books. They have a lot aimed at 6ish, with lift the flaps. They make great presents.

Day out in Bristol - the Science museum, SS Great Britain, the Aerospace museum with the Concorde. Visit Clifton suspension bridge?

That's a good shout (more than a days worth I'd think) except the science museum ('we the curious') is unfortunately closed at the moment due to a fire.

Yes! All of this.