What does your child study at school that you’d like to learn more about? Share with the IET for your chance to win a £200 voucher

[LucyBMumsnet]

Many parents will recognise feeling out of their depth when it comes to helping their kids with science, technology, engineering and maths homework. In a recent poll of parents with children aged 5 to 13, a third of parents said the mere thought of having to help their children with anything related to these subjects left a third ‘feeling ill’. Half openly admitted they know less about science than their children - and the same goes for technology (44%), engineering (25%) and maths (38%).*

The IET is looking to inspire children and their parents to explore the wonderful world of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) this summer at their free online Engineering Open House Day (EOHD) live event on Friday 23rd July between 10am and 3pm.

They’ll be showcasing stories and experiments that illustrate why STEM is such a fascinating topic and providing inspiration for the next generation of astronauts, marine biologists, app creators and engineers. All the fun interactive activities, tutorials and experiments will then be available to dip back into throughout the summer holidays on their website.

Here’s what the IET have to say: “Engineering Open House Day aims to help children aged 5–13 year-olds and their parents understand what it’s like to work in STEM by giving exclusive behind the scenes access to a huge range of organisations to demonstrate the breadth of creative and innovative careers on offer. There’s discussions, games, demonstrations and competitions to keep your children entertained for 5 whole hours and more! So in that spirit - and in the hope of giving you some inspiration for conversations with your own DC - we’d love to hear what you’d like to learn more about in the wonderful world of STEM.“

What does your child learn about at school that you’d like to know more about? Are there things you wish you were taught or would like to refresh your memory on? Has the difference between proper and improper fractions escaped you, making maths homework a weekly challenge? Perhaps science was never your strong point but you’d like to understand how the technology we encounter every day really works?

If you need a bit of inspiration, have a look at the list of activities, talks and behind-the-scenes visits taking place for Engineering Open House Day here. There’s something for children (and adults) of all ages and interests, including the opportunity to design and create your own app with Apple and learning how to build and launch your very own rocket.

Everyone who comments on the thread below will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky MNer will win a £200 voucher for a store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

*Find out more about this research, click here

My sons are maths wizzes (age 6 and 8) and I am dreading it for the future when they ask for help!

Oh my goodness there are SO many things!! I definitely need to get up to speed on the 21st Century!! I'd love to understand computer coding the most - it fascinates me, but I just don't get it! My kids on the otherhand make it look positively easy! Yikes

I work in STEM as does my DH so we can cover those subjects, but I run into problems with history and modern languages.

I'm also rubbish at coding, but DH isn't (it's his job) and though I'd like to be better, it's easier to let him do it!

• I need a refresher in binary code- learned the basics years ago just for ‘fun’ but my 10 year old can add, subtract, multiply and divide in binary!
• I also have no clue how to programme in Python, which seems to be mostly what they use in computing.
• all of my DC study DT or engineering, so a grounding in materials and the basics would be interesting.

How to get on with other children.

I am a computer programmer, so the coding is the bit I get. :-)

Entomology! My bug-mad 9 year old has already picked out his university degree because "insects need all the help they can get" and I'd love to have more family knowledge of this subject as well as environmental sciences.

I tried to help my kids with some coding once. Rarely have I been so infuriated. Couldn't work out where we'd gone wrong!

Computers and coding!

I didn't try hard at secondary school and fear being unable to support my kids with maths and science when they reach year 8 and above
On a personal interest level, I enjoyed Brian Cox's series on the planets and would love to learn more out of curiosity rather than to pursue any career goal.

Astrology

The practical stuff in Food Tech and the woodwork & similar my kids do in DT.

The closest I had to woodwork was tiny wood model kits (though we did get to use exacto knives which was great fun) and I left school feeling more intimidated by cooking than anything (though I'm sure making buckeye treats which I've never made since had some use). Even now, I prefer food prep that doesn't involve cooking, at most a couple minutes in the microwave.

I have found doing maths and science alongside my children has helped me learn those subjects better, though there isn't much in them that I feel a desire to learn move of (though that may be because I recently helped my oldest with science iGCSEs and still think I may be ill from another Chemistry equation).

I do wish my kids had the same music training I got, especially for vocals. They keep song sheets with just the lyrics and basically told to just go learn them (in one case, literally told that) while the instruments get most of the time, and both they and I find it disheartening, so there seems some swings and roundabouts with this.

@jellybeanpopper

DD can identify flowers and plants which I can't. I grew up abroad and I'm not good at British flowers, plant and birds. I'd love to be able to learn about these so I could go on nature walks with her and not feel out of my depth!

@jellybeanpopper I got this book recently for identifying wild flowers. I bought a 2nd hand book of it but you can buy a kindle version too. It's separated into colours of the flowers so quite easy to find what you are looking for. You could probably get it for birds too www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B079X2FGBB/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?tag=mumsnetforu03-21&ie=UTF8&qid&sr

I’d love to go back to school and study Geography again. Would be much more interested than my kids are.

DD is learning about evolution and adaptation in science next year. I’d love to know what scientists believe causes evolution and how it’s linked to adaptation.

History. I only have a C grade at GCSE, but I would have loved to have taken it further were it not for my high school's obsession with military history. I find social history fascinating and feel somewhat cheated that I was denied this at school in favour of learning the dates of battles and so on...

Another one who would like to know something about coding - or computing generally, I'd love my understanding of how things work to be more than turn it of and on again and hope it starts working again!

Geography. It's the one subject I wish I'd taken - I'm hopeless at it. Don't know about oceans and whereabouts countries are. My lack of knowledge is highlighted by questions in quiz shows but it's made me realise I'd like to know more about the world.
I could look into it but time is always short.

I realised how very avergae i was at Maths when my daughter bought her homework home at a very young age! An embarrassing young age. Luckily we have google for me to try and understand and help her and luckily she flourished at maths all by herself because she gets it far better than me, but id love to be as good as her too!

Oh my goodness, there are so many things!! I would love to learn more about science. It's only now that I'm an adult that I can appreciate how fascinating so much of it is. I just couldn't get my brain round it as a kid and I spent most of my science lessons feeling baffled.
IT was only really starting to become a thing when I was in my last couple of years at school (left in 1990) and I wish I knew more about them. I can do the basics, but anything else I have to ask DD's partner!! I'm not really clear about what coding is.
History, I was so confused with the names, places and dates that I kind of gave up. My brain seems much more capable of storing information now.

I'd love to know the meaning of all the words they use in English!

Latin. I've found it fascinating since DD started it this year in year 7.

I'm pretty rubbish at times tables and I don't know much about art, so I wish I was better at these subject (at least!) to be able to help ds when it comes to lockdown homeschooling (am really hoping there won't be another one!)

A bit like many previous posters i am dreading DS needing help with maths homework. That will be one for my Dad to help with just like he helped me when I was a teen!

Basic coding skills that for the languages my children will be able to use.