Modern education is putting more focus on basic STEM concepts, and that is super exciting, for children, and educators alike. STEM is an international acronym that stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, and aims to expose children to these four interconnected disciplines.
What is national STEM Day?
Initially starting as a U.S. celebration, STEM Day rapidly gained popularity and has come to be celebrated in many parts of the world. Across the globe, November 8th is celebrated as International STEM Day. This means that globally, teachers and parents are taking this opportunity to encourage children to take their first steps in the world of science. It is also a great opportunity to celebrate STEM accomplishments from all over the world and focus on showing your child the vital difference that science and its affiliated disciplines are making in our world, not to mention our day-to-day lives.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, STEM occupations made up a whopping 7% of total jobs in the United States, with roughly 10.8 million people employed in STEM sectors in 2019.
How is STEM Day celebrated?
One of the attractions of this holiday is its incredible diversity. Since everyone’s talents and interests are a little different, families and schools all over the world are celebrating STEM Day. As a school, you might celebrate STEM Day by organizing a school trip to a laboratory, or by inviting someone working in STEM to speak at your school. It’s also a great idea to mark national STEM Day by creating and assigning various relative projects (either individual or group) to your students, to encourage them to develop and nurture their interest in STEM subjects. As a parent, celebrating STEM Day can be more colorful. From a day trip to the Science Museum to gifting your child a STEM toy, it’s never been easier to encourage children to get involved with science.
What is Geomag?
Geomag is a collection of magnetic building rods, and toys whose purpose is to teach STEM to children and adults alike. If you’re looking to introduce your toddler, for instance, to basic science principles, then the Full-Color range of magnetic building cubes may be just the thing. As your child grows older, the STEM toys available to them become more complex. You’ve got the Geomag Glow series, ideal for ages 3 and up, which harnesses solar energy to create a glow-in-the-dark effect. For kids a little older (5 and above), you can try the E-Motion range of toys, which uses magnetic rods to build spinning tops, and hanging structures, and teach children basic physics concepts (while also creating fun, handmade toys for them to play with).
Geomag sets aren’t just for children.
If you are an adult with a fondness for STEM subjects, why not indulge yourself this November? The more complex Geomag Mechanics toys are aimed at older children and adults, who are wishing to learn about gravity, and motion laws in a fun, interactive way.
Geomagworld building sets are accredited by STEM.org, the largest and oldest STEM education and research center in the United States. They work together with schools, universities, and yes, even toy companies, to educate on basic STEM principles. STEM.org reviews products, to ensure they’re not just a fun toy, but also have a valuable, applied functionality in teaching basic physics, or other STEM-related concepts.
Additionally, the Pro-L range is accredited with the prestigious Toy Association STEAM Award. It is based on the criteria outlined in The Toy Association’s “STEAM Toy Assessment Framework”, which defines and details specific characteristics of a good STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) toy for various age groups. Every toy submitted for evaluation is firstly tested by the important people – children. While the children play, they are observed by professionals who have been trained to carry out research with children in a robust and ethically responsible way. The toys are then evaluated by the Good Play Guide’s team of experts to ensure they meet the strict criteria set in The Toy Association’s “STEAM Toy Assessment Framework”.
The great thing about Geomag products is that there is no limit to what you can create, using the special magnetic rods and metal spheres. Once built, any construction can be fully disassembled and stored safely in the special Geomag storage box. That way, you don’t have to worry about misplacing rods or spheres. This also allows you to construct any shape or structure you can come up with. As such, it’s a never-ending source of fun, limited only by your imagination.
Because of this incredible versatility, Geomag toys are particularly well-suited for children, who tend to bore easily of repeating the same game. With Geomag, it’s never the same creation twice.
Geomag sets come with different complexity levels, starting from small, beginner sets comprised of only a handful of pieces, to complex, ‘pro’ sets with 60+ building pieces. This year, celebrate National STEM Day with an accredited, fun-building treat.