Use STEAM to Prevent Summer Brain Drain
Recently there has a been a great push toward STEM, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. These fields of study are crucial in today’s business world. But, we really need to add an “A” for art, to make it complete and really reap the benefits of the innovation and creativity that being involved in the arts can produce. Without the arts to open up the right brain thinking needed to innovate, STEM can be really dry and lack creativity. It’s one thing to be proficient at these heavily left-brain, analytical studies but it requires a little creativity to dream up the next iPhone or Facebook. STEM is required to make those crazy right-brain ideas successful and feasible but the idea needs to happen and that requires strong right-brain skills.
I have been combing the internet to find lots of fun and engaging ways for you to incorporate STEAM into your summer fun this year. Here are a couple of my favorites.
- Make a STEAM bored jar. These 48 activities take only about 5 minutes each and will give you something to do when the kids say, “I’m bored!”
- Add an ‘A’ to STEM with these 8 great ideas from a teacher that require use of the WHOLE brain (the logical/analytical left brain and the emotional/creative right brain)
- Combine art and science to produce colorful eruptions and make natural watercolors with flowers.
- Try these edible kitchen science experiments. There is something so exciting about being able to create something crazy that you can eat.
- Use STEM apps to increase the visual creative aspect of these subjects.
- Check out my STEAM board on Pinterest to get lots more great ideas for incorporating art into STEM.
There is so much potential for science, technology, engineering and math to be fun and visual. Just don’t forget to add the art to make it complete.
For some more great ideas for keeping the Summer Brain Drain at bay, check out my other STOP Summer Brain Drain posts.
