STEAM kit fever

If you have been living under a rock, which doesn't seem like such a bad choice some days, you might suppose STEAM kits are the carpet shampooers you used to rent at Hinky Dinky that left the rug all soggy. Spots would show back up day after next, more prominent, entrenched, and meaner than before.

My oldest called to ask the best way to deal with a spaghetti sauce stain on carpet. "Welcome to parenthood," I said. "Area rug," said my walking buddy.  Resolve not to be flip.

Apparently libraries need STEAM kits with an assembly of books, activities, DVDs, puzzles, games, and junior science equipment all on a basic science theme for patrons to check out. My views are somewhat tinged by many years of work with young children, and sleepless nights when one of the plastic chickens for the Fisher Price farm  flew the coop. None of that matters, and my current job is just to describe the contents of the kits by material types, subjects, sizes, media, vendor, price, and Dewey classification. And to pray that the pieces are all returned intact and on time!

My parents never did get the Nehi orange soda stain out of the ugly brown carpet, but they were STEAM parents. Howie and Fritz were engineers and children of the Thirties. They chose toys for us that were open-ended, extremely inexpensive, and encouraged creative use of materials. Dad would frequent the deep-discount table at the Toy Castle shop around the corner from his office, as a service to Santa.  Mom was all about open-ended creative constructions. They respected our solitary explorations, but were ready to share and support our curiosities and enthusiasms. They taught us creative reuse of materials, and solid construction techniques by example. Tonight I'm a bit teary and very grateful for my parents and their philosophy of child's play. They did not mistake entertainment for play.

Science: Prisms, rock collections, rock tumbler, gyroscopes, ant farm, butterfly nets, constellation projector, telescope, bug box, magnets, magnifying glass.
Technology: Dry cell battery, switch, and bulb, simple machines like pulleys, crystal radio, Mattel Vac-u-form with a Thingmaker converter, water rockets, hammers, screwdrivers, c-clamps, pliers, saw.
Engineering: Geodesic domes, Pinewood Derby race cars and track, Legos, basic wooden blocks, erector sets, straw connectors, tinker toys, a tree house.
Art: Graph paper, Prang watercolors, plenty of paper of all types and sizes, Eames House of Cards, original geometric Colorforms, fabric scraps, glow-in-the dark ink and paints, felt pens, mechanical pencils, kaleidoscopes, carbon paper, scissors that really cut.
Math: A five-dollar bill to purchase fireworks (nothing better for teaching mental math), Yahtzee, chalkboard, simple loom, another five-dollar bill to purchase four Christmas gifts, measuring cups and spoons, thermometers, tasks requiring folding.

© 2013-2017 Nancy L. Ruder