Teaching Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) with Confidence
July 18, 2018
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I believe science education starts in the book of Genesis as our Creator in all His glory is revealed in His Creation! So, while teaching these STEM subjects throughout their education years, I always have my children read through the
Bible
by the end of their school years, so they know true wisdom and not just scientific knowledge.
Here are three ways to handle STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) in your homeschooling:
Prepare, pray, and trust God.
Prepare
I believe the wonder of home education is that our children can be prepared for whatever their future holds because we expose them to so many varied activities, studies, people, classes, and disciplines. Here are just a couple of suggestions:
Also, if your high school students are interested in pursuing any of the STEM disciplines, they can also do their own research by checking each prospective college’s science department and discern their philosophies on Creation v. evolution, and read through the class descriptions to see which colleges are a good fit with their worldview.
Pray
If you have children interested in STEM, pray that God would open up doors and orchestrate the people and events in their lives to bring them to what He has planned for them.
Pray that whatever gifts, abilities, talents, jobs, or college searches, God would be glorified in all those choices. Pray for their salvation and their sanctification. What good is it if they gain the whole science world, but lose their own soul?
Trust God
Then trust that God will sovereignly lead you and your children through these school years and into their future. He desires to do so. I know He will reward your obedience as you have set your children apart and separated them from the world and its teachers so that they would be raised in Godliness for His purposes.
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” -
Proverbs 3:5, 6
Prepare, Pray, and Trust God.
Trusting with you,
~Deborah
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Honestly, math is not my thing. Science is much more interesting! There are experiments and lots of fun stuff to do. If I had to label our homeschooling style, I'd have to say we lean towards Eclectic.
Math is not so much hard to teach as it is hard to make interesting. For the parent or for the kids . . . It's also hard to choose a math program. There are so many available on the homeschooling market these days it can be really hard to choose the best program to use. Luckily, most have sample pages or lessons for you to try to see if its a good fit for your child.
I personally prefer paper and pencil math programs, but lots of people enjoy online programs or classes for their kids. These are the things I look for when choosing which math program I will use:
Is it “open and go?”
Is it visually appealing?
Are there clear explanations?
Is it engaging?
Is it paced in a way my child can regularly feel they have accomplished some learning?
Are there options for individualizing the amount of practice available?
Is there a section for metric measurements?
Are there answers with the problems worked through in all the steps?
And most important—Does my child like it?
It seems like a tall order, I know. It is a long wish list. This is kinda why we would be labeled Eclectic. I usually use several math and science programs with added info from other sources each year.
My
favourite part of teaching science is this: If you are creative, pretty much
anything can be science!
Your kid looking at clouds? That's Nephology.
Does he want to know how your voice works? That's Phonology.
That interest could lead to Stomatology, the study of the mouth.
Is she interested in Earthquakes? That's Seismology.
There are literally hundreds of areas of scientific study.
The sky is the limit! Wait! Actually, no, it's not . . . lol. There is the whole field of Space sciences!
With 3 of the 5 children I have homeschooled having special needs, I learned the importance of keeping the learning materials fresh and fun! The good part of having homeschooled for over 20 years is having lots of choices to choose from. The bad part is I have an . . . umm, . . overabundance? . . of math and science materials :-) Let me know if you need any ;-D
Michelle is a Canadian homeschooling mom to four great kids including two on the autism spectrum, one of whom is the owner of NoveltyTrades.ca. She also has two adorable granddaughters. They have been homeschooling for 20 years. Michelle is the Marketing Assistant, Canadian Division, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine.
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When it comes to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) my children work on the traditional kind of academics here at home, but we also do a whole lot of hands-on learning! In our house, that is the most enjoyable aspect of these subjects, not just for the children but also for myself as their teacher.
I have always done my best to allow the children, no matter how young, to help around the house. Toddlers helping to stack wood for example is not just a chore, but it also builds concentration, coordination, cause and effect, science, and engineering.
When renovating my homes, I have allowed the children to help if they wanted to and encouraged them to try. Yes, at times it requires a ton of patience and takes longer to complete; however, the end result is worth it! Littles ones love hammering nails, sorting small parts, pulling tape off the wall after painting, and learning the names of the tools that are being used.
I have found by allowing the children to be involved and observe what I am working on around the house encourages them to be self starters, creative, and use their imagination. My oldest son is living proof. At the age of 12, he has taught himself how to fix small engines and is in charge of taking care of his dirt bike, 4-wheeler, our lawn tractors, and the gas weed eaters, saving me a ton of money on the farm.
What is even more remarkable is that he built his own skate park for his scooters here at the farm. Using materials he found on the property, he has built several jumps, ramps, rails, and other areas. He is also currently working on a large quarter pipe. He built this all on his own, and this is the perfect example of STEM activities in my home as a homeschooling family. By allowing my son to learn STEM activities the traditional way (i.e. paper and pencil) but more importantly getting him involved in hands-on learning around the home, he has developed skills and abilities at the age of 12 that many adults do not have!
Katie Furlong is a busy homeschooling mother of 4 children. She is currently parenting at every stage: toddler, preschooler, tween, and teen. She has an Early Childhood Education diploma, is also a trained Montessori Teacher, and a certified Neurofeedback Practitioner. Katie and her 4 children live on a hobby farm where they keep bees, ducks, chickens, 2 lazy cats, and a big yellow dog. When she is not chasing children, she likes to fix up her 159-year-old farmhouse,
write
, and cook to create new allergy friendly recipes. Katie may also have an
essential oil
addiction and need an intervention.
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Contest Winners
Denise, age 15, Ontario
We celebrate Victoria Day here in Canada because Queen Victoria (one of England’s longest reigning monarchs.) She was Queen for 63 years and 216 days. We also call her “the Queen of Confederation.” Most likely because she was the Queen at the time when Canada was granted its independence.
In Canada, Victoria Day became a holiday in 1845. Queen Victoria died in 1901, and Canada’s Parliament officially named the holiday “Victoria Day.” In Quebec they call the holiday “Journee nationale des patriotes.”
Victoria Day falls on the Monday which is, or is immediately before May 24
th. The reason it is on or near May 24
th is in honour of Queen Victoria’s Birthday, who was born on May the 24
th in 1819.
On Victoria Day (which is considered a Federal Canadian Holiday). The Royal Union Flag is to be flown from sunrise to sunset at all federal government buildings.
In Canada we usually celebrate Victoria Day with: fireworks, picnics, parades, and going camping. My community often celebrates with fireworks in one of the parks, and everyone is invited to this little community event.
Serenity, age 15, Ontario
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