Fun Ways to Start Building Kids Love Of Science With Forts
Posted April 25, 2018 by Fort Magic
When it comes to art projects and reading stories, kids are eager to learn. But the mere mention of math and science can make kids groan. Fortunately, savvy parents and teachers can change that! Discover some fun ways to start building kids love of science with forts. From architecture to lab experiments, fort building gets kids excited about science!
Teaching STEM Skills for a Brighter Future
Science, technology, engineering, and math – that’s what STEM skills are all about! And these are subjects that kids need to learn for the future. According to Forbes, the most coveted jobs skills for 2018 are STEM skills and this is sure to be the situation for years to come. And STEM skills we should teach our kids should include flexibility, creativity, problem-solving, and intellectual curiosity. Other STEM skills kids need to know include statistics, argumentation, and decision-making based on data.
How Does Fort Building Help Teach STEM Skills?
When kids build a fort, it requires planning. First, they need to decide what type of fort they want to build. Then they have to make it happen. Sizes, shapes, and measurements are involved. Some mistakes are part of the process. Kids learn about problem-solving, disagreeing to find a solution, brainstorming, and proving their ideas are possible. Curiosity, flexibility, and creativity help them build the fort they imagined – or one that is even better! Kids have a great time doing it. And they don’t even realize they are learning important career skills for the future!
Raising STEAM Skills with Fort Building
STEAM puts the arts into STEM education, taking kids’ learning to the next level. STEAM is focused on design skills and creative thinking rather than memorization and computation. With this approach, kids learn through imagination and innovation by tackling hands-on STEM projects. And what better hands-on project that grabbing a Fort Magic kit and building a castle, library or ship to sail the high seas?!
A Think Tank for Kids
Teach kids about science, math, and teamwork by having them build a think tank of their own design. Let them figure out the type of building and solve their own problems to create it. Then transform their fort into a think tank with math flash cards and scientific graphs. Have math contests and give out science-minded prizes. Do you remember the Rubik’s cube? They are still around and help kids learn about problem-solving. It’s all about making learning fun!
Minor League Mathletes
Kids join Little League baseball to learn about athletics and get prepared for middle school and high school sports. Why not exercise their minds? Conduct some minor league Mathletes in the forts your kids build. Have them solve problems then give them more difficult ones to figure out. This helps your kids feel confident about academic competition, too!
Mad Science in a Laboratory Fort
Let kids go a little mad about science in their own laboratory fort. Give out goggles and lab coats so the kids feel like real scientists. Plus, this protects their eyes and clothes while they conduct some amazing experiments. Choose age-appropriate lab activities and always discuss the safety rules before the kids start their lab work. Use vinegar and baking soda to make a bubbling volcano. Make pennies turn green. Simple projects inspire kids to figure out why – the basic premise of science.
Building Anticipation and Forts
Fort building and STEAM activities make kids anticipate the possibilities and ask more questions. Encourage a question and answer session. Why can’t we mix certain liquids? How do tornadoes happen? What happens to cause fog? Find projects that help kids learn why and how. Keep experiments safely and neatly contained to one area of the house – the laboratory fort your kids build! As they put the fort together and take it down, have them count the Fort Magic sticks they used. It’s another way to include math in their day!
How do you use fort building to teach your kids about math and science? Share your ideas with us below!
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Photo Credits:
TinkerLab Blog: One of our favorite engineering blogs for children is TinkerLab. Have you ever visited the site? If not, you’ll definitely want to browse sometime soon. You will find loads of fun and inventive ideas for encouraging all things hands-on and engineering for kids. TinkerLab has fantastic Tinker Lab YouTube videos too!
Rave & Review Blog: The fun Rave & Review blog is where you’ll find loads of sharing on your favorite products for parents and grandparents all the way to newborns.
Twodaloo Blog: At the awesome Twodaloo blog you will find activities and information about early childhood development that you can use at home, in the classroom, or in the therapy setting.
