As we all adjust to our new normal, and while parents are looking for ways to engage and inspire their kids to homeschooling, it is important to remember to keep learning fun.
My own experience as a teacher and a mom has shown the benefits of joy and laughter in the classroom and home. Studies and measurement of brain chemical transmitters reveal that students’ comfort level can influence information transmission and storage in the brain (Thanos et al, 1999). When students are engaged and motivated and feel nominal stress, information flows freely, and they achieve higher levels of cognition and make connections. Such learning does not come from quiet classrooms and directed lectures, but from classrooms with an atmosphere of enthusiastic innovation (Kohn, 2004).
With many families choosing or required to homeschool their kids, there will be a huge need for more materials to promote learning and how to be the best teacher for your own -family.
Utilizing STEM games and STEAM kits are wonderful tools to achieve the needs that parents are facing this summer and the upcoming school year. Through play, exploration and discovery, there are ample times to share experiential learning, laughter together and uncover the unknown.
The sound of boisterous laughter may be far more contagious than any virus, or cold. When laughter is shared, it binds people together and triggers healthy physical changes in the body. Humor and laughter strengthen your immune system, boost your energy, diminish pain, and protect you from the damaging effects of stress. It is good for both, the mind and the body.
Play during homeschooling offers opportunities for humor and playful communication, which strengthens our relationships by triggering positive feelings and nurturing emotional connection. When people laugh with one another, a positive bond is formed. This bond acts as a strong buffer against stress, disagreements, and disappointment. These behaviors become learned and create a positive atmosphere in the home and classroom.
What can you do to add more fun to your classroom? A familiar method is to sprinkle some humor into the lesson plan and make it entertaining. Experiential learning through play provides the perfect setting for this to occur.
Breaking into a game can be a great way to start a class off and relax your kids. The approach is up to you. Choose a method you’re comfortable with and fits your objectives. Fun is the path to help reach the objective. Look for quality STEM games and STEAM kits that provide tools to achieve your goals.
STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. These topics are linked together because they rely on a common focus and approach.
STEAM is about asking questions and trying to figure out how things work.
Children naturally use STEAM skills to learn about and explore their surroundings and make sense of the world.
Brain research tells us that when the fun stops, learning often stops too. Engaging our kids in laughter and fun will offer a healthier, more meaningful, more successful learning experience. Don’t be afraid to have fun and laugh along with your kids. I promise it will go a long way!
Griddly Games’ STEAM kits and STEM Games will take learning out of the book and make the experiential learning engaging, exciting & memorable!
All our products promote: strategical, creative, and critical thinking, sensory, science, memory, mathematics, logic, language development and hand-eye coordination.
Just Add Fruits & Veggies – Science lessons: Osmosis, Germination, Chemical reactions, study of electricity.
Just add Baking Soda – Science lessons: chemical reactions, alkaline, states of matter
Just Add Egg – Science lessons: chemical reactions, experiments with pressure difference, study of membranes
Just add Sugar – Science lessons: density of solutions, chemical reactions
Just add Sun – Science lessons: freezing and melting points, light absorption, reflection and heat transfer
Just add Glue – Science lesson: science of polymers, chemical reactions, states of matter
Just Add Milk – Science lessons: surface tension, weakening molecular bonds, density of liquids
Rocket Lander – Skills Developed: understanding three-dimensional mathematics, critical thinking, 3d graphing, logic, mathematics skills.
Wise Alec – Skills Developed: logic, mathematics, memory, hand-eye coordination, spelling.
Wise Alec Junior – Skills Developed: creative thinking, memory, knowledge, hand-eye coordination, mathematics, team building, sight reading words.
5 stones – Skills Developed: hand-eye coordination
Oversight – Skills Developed: logic, critical thinking, hand-eye coordination, concentration, focus
Rainbows & storms – Skills Developed: teamwork, communication, mathematics, creative thinking, hand-eye coordination
Chronicles of the Mind – Skills Developed: memory, communication, creative thinking
Words of the Wise – Skills Developed: memory, team building
Show me the Kwan – Skills Developed: Logic, memory, spelling, hand-eye coordination.
Ali Wolfond
Griddly Games is definitely a go to in my classroom. The games require thinking, strategy, and decision making (skills that are critical to a child’s development). It helps that that games are fun and engaging! My students absolutely love them (especially Kwan!). The STEAM kits give many opportunities for hands on exploration and drawing conclusions. Teachers – I highly recommend including Griddly Products in your classroom. Parents- if you are going to home school this year or are simply looking for an educational and fun activity to do at home, these STEM/STEAM kits and games are for you!