This week’s Camp Au Pair theme is Science (STEM). This includes science, technology, engineering, and math.
Crafts, recipes, activities, and games related to all things science, technology, engineering, and math can be found here on the Camp Au Pair – Science (STEM) pinboard.
Field Trips can be a great way for kids to learn and have new experiences. Get permission from your host parents before any outings. Here are a few places to go, that fit this theme:
- Airport Observation Area
- Aquarium – both zoos have great aquarium exhibits, and there’s also Sea Life at Mall of America!
- Factory Tour – there are several local factories, so call a few and see if they offer tours.
- Farm – try Gibbs Farm museum
- Museum – Science Museum of Minnesota, The Bakken, the Bell Museum, and more!
- Nature Center – The MN Arboretum, Woodlake, Westwood Hills, and a bunch more – just Google “nature center near me”
- Planetarium – The Bell Museum has one. Check their website for schedules. The Science Museum also has an Omnitheater – not a planetarium, but always has science- related movies on a gigantic screen
- Zoo – MN Zoo or Como Zoo
Virtual Field Trips
Videos – On YouTube, you can find many great videos of science experiments to do with kids.
The Magic School Bus is a cartoon series with episodes on lots of great science topics. You can find some episodes on YouTube and the full series on Paramount Plus.
Bill Nye the Science Guy is science TV series for kids. There is an episode guide on his website with clips and explanations on a wide variety of science topics.
Movies – The Lego Movie, Big Hero 6, Wall-E, Hidden Figures, Robots, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Flubber, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, and Meet the Robinsons all fit the STEM theme.
Webcams – You can do a Google search for science websites with webcams. Here is a collection of 22 science webcams from around the world.
Books – Stop by your local library and look for books on science, technology, engineering, and math.
Remember… Science is learning about how things work through observation and experimentation. Every day is full of opportunities to encourage children’s natural curiosity about the world!
Image: sweetpaulmag.com