What is STEM?

What is STEM and STEAM? 

As a mom and a former public school educator, I keep hearing about STEM. It's the new buzzword in the education sector. Well, what if you're a homeschool mom? I believe it is very important to keep an ear out on what is taking place in the educational side of your state and national government. After all, whether or not your children are being homeschooled or going to a private or Christian school, they all end up in the same pool after graduation. We know children are our future, but what we do in the nasty now now can help our children be successful in their future. So let's talk about STEM and what it means for us homeschool moms.


STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) are clearly the have all and be alls of the world. These

are the foundations of what I call the "smart" careers. (Careers at which I don't find myself ever qualifying for.) 

Anyway, our world is always changing at rapid speed and our children need to be students of these subjects to be successful. The problem is that "research shows that by 4th grade, 1/3 of students have lost interest in science" and "by as early as 2nd grade, students start stereotyping math as a male's subject". 
That's a problem!

Here's why a push for STEM has been organized: According to STEMconnector.org and LiveScience.com, we have a major shortage in jobs for STEM knowledgeable people. In fact, it is stated that by only 2018 we will have a need of over 8 million jobs to fill with 600,000 manufacturing shortages.  Here's the breakdown of STEM jobs from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for 2018:

• Computing – 71 percent
• Traditional Engineering – 16 percent
• Physical sciences – 7 percent
• Life sciences – 4 percent
• Mathematics – 2 percent

Does this mean my kid needs to play with legos more? Haha. Well maybe. Actually the website above states that less than half of STEM related jobs actually don't require a college degree. So you're thinking, good news for my pocket! Hold on. It does also state that four year degrees in these fields help with salary scales as having a bachelor's increases your salary by an average 26%. Yes, send your kids to college, of course and make sure they love STEM subjects on the way.

What does it look like and how is it different from what we currently teach and do?

"What separates STEM from the traditional science and math education is the blended learning environment and showing students how the scientific method can be applied to everyday life."(livescience.com) It  teaches students computational thinking and focuses on the real world applications of problem solving. As mentioned before, STEM education begins while students are very young.
If you're rusty on what the Scientific Method is, visit http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_scientific_method.shtml.

According to  Going Deep: STEM in the Connected Classroom, an activity is only truly a STEM activity if it involves ALL science, technology, engineering and math.  Think "unit study", only add engineering.   Not only are students to be constructing, designing, gathering data about their design, redesigning, problem solving and using math, science and technology to do this, they are to be communicating regularly during their project with other students working on a similar project and or professionals via technology resources. 

I know as an educator that rich, effective teaching should be deep and integrate as many subject areas as possible. STEM does that with a specific focus on the concentrations of science, technology, engineering and math being tied together. However, the difference is that it is NOT a collection of activities using the four areas of study separately around one topic of study. That is how we teach now. STEM is seeing a problem and using science, math, engineering and technology to solve it. 

You can have a STEM learning environment with a head focus on one of the four concentrations. Let's explore this concept. 

© 2014 ETA hand2mind

1. Engineering Focus: It must involve the engineering process shown in the graphic from ETA Hand2Mind.com. Using this focus, children engineer to solve a problem utilizing science, technology and math along the way. This is probably the most unexplored focus coming from a classroom perspective. It's not just building something related to what you're studying. It's very similar in my mind to the writing process- multi-step revision and editing. This is more than building with legos. It's design with purpose. My father-in-law is a gas engineer and the graphic shown here is exactly what he does all day long. He defines a problem or creates an idea for a gas water heater. He then plans how it should look and what it should do. He works in a team to make the model, test the model and redesign the model until it works the way he envisioned. Pretty neat? He, the engineer, is in fact close to extinction if we cannot effectively teach our children the art of engineering. No more warm showers. Just kidding! For an interesting story about a real life engineering focus read about how NASA used this focus to win the race to the moon.


2. Science Focus: This focus starts with a question and uses all four concentrations to answer it. 

3. Math Focus: It is extremely difficult to start with math for a focus because math really is the key focus in all the other concentrations. "Engineers would be tinkerers without mathematics". 

4. Technology Focus: Students learn about technology we already have and try to make it better. This reminds me of the cartoon "Curious George".
 "This "make a better mousetrap" approach motivates students to learn the science needed to understand how the technology works, perfect mathematics needed to run the technology properly and safely, and some engineering design process in order to effectively improve the devices." (engineersplayground.com)


This is a new way of thinking and is no longer a shallow form of education we had as children. STEM learning should be designed to take students deep into a subject. STEAM, STEM, with the addition of art is also gaining speed. Imagine your children taking what they're learning to the next level with a cross-curricular approach. Extending in writing and fine arts is just one more way to extend their learning. 

Goals for STEM learning in each grade level

STEM in the Early Grades discusses what early childhood students can do in the way of STEM learning. While we would initially assume this is for upper elementary through high school, elementary students can also participate.

At the elementary school level, to pique interest is the key by providing inquiry-based and problem-based learning. This requires a lot of time and working through steps of trial and error to get to a desired result. However, this is very structured and projects are based on the standards of learning for the state in which the child resides or standards set forth by the school. Students will need the opportunity to participate in learning outside the classroom too. 

For homeschool moms, this is easy! A word of caution: I am not suggesting to abandon your usual curriculum or methods of homeschooling as we know that young children need that grammar stage and foundations of all subjects, but adding these learning experiences can train them to think in a problem solving manner.

For middle school, STEM becomes more rigorous and students would be aware of fields and occupations relating to STEM. As they enter and pass through high school, they may be on specific STEM tracks toward an occupation or career by training for it. 

For Homeschool

This is a topic for which I am hard pressed to find reliable resources as of yet. They simply aren't available for a homeschool setting and the resources I have found aren't affordable.  We are hoping to add to our staff a teacher author, Ms. Casey, this school year coming. She is a STEM teacher in an elementary school and will have great resources and ideas to share here on Freshly Chewed. She will be journeying through this new way of learning with her students this coming school year, 2014-2015 and will be using mostly common items which are inexpensive; you can find their work on the FB page, Cedar Ridge Science Lab. I am excited about seeing what they will be learning and you will be sure to gain some ideas from her. So, stay with us!

Why should children (and adults) be steeped in knowledge and ability of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics?  

These are the contents of study that change our world, that allow us to invent and problem solve. Think of some of the engineered luxuries you enjoy today. Where would we be without the heavy emphasis these inventors had in the areas of STEM, what if they had not envisioned and brought forth these inventions? 

So, whether or not you get on the STEM bandwagon, it is important that our children are steeped in all types content areas including these heavy STEM ones. Here is a real life encouraging story about how knowing your STEM can really make a difference. This is a lengthy expert from Cedar Ridge Elementary School's Science Lab FB page and offers some great links for your children.

"When Cynthia Koenig, a young social entrepreneur from New York, learned that millions of girls and women around the world spend hours each day collecting water from distant sources, she decided to create a new way to help people in poor communities transport water and it's called the WaterWheel. Koenig's WaterWheel allows people to roll water in a 50-liter container versus carrying it in 5 gallon (19 liter) jugs. Koenig estimates that the WaterWheel can save women 35 hours per week in water transport time, as well as prevent the physical strain that comes from balancing 40 pounds of water on top of their heads for hours each day.

Every day around the world, over 200 million hours are spent each day fetching water, often from water sources miles from home, and this task usually falls to women and girls. By freeing up valuable time, the WaterWheel allows women to spend time on income-generating activities that can help pull her family out of poverty. The time savings also means that there is a greater likelihood that girls will be allowed to stay in school, further reducing the rate of intergenerational poverty.

After receiving a $100,000 Grand Challenges Canada prize to develop the WaterWheel, Koenig founded a social enterprise company, Wello. The company is in an early stage of development and has been piloting the WaterWheel in rural communities in India. Koenig also plans on continuing to make the WaterWheel itself more useful by adding in filtration, drip irrigation kits, even a cell phone charger that uses the rotation of the wheel to charge the battery of the cell phone and give people more access to essentials like communication and education.

To learn more about this invention and its potential to transform the lives of many girls and women around the world, check out Koenig's TED talk at http://bit.ly/1gBdpGt and you can read a recent article in The Guardian about her venture at http://bit.ly/1dMt7Mh.

To learn more about how to support her work, visit Wello's website at http://wellowater.org/

For a wonderful book about more female innovators and inventors throughout history, check out “Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women” for readers 8 to 13 at http://www.amightygirl.com/girls-think-of-everything

Or, for younger readers age 4 to 9, we highly recommend the newly released fiction book "Rosie Revere, Engineer" about an budding young engineer at http://www.amightygirl.com/rosie-revere-engineer

To help children and teens better understand the challenges many children around the world face in order to go to school, check out our blog post, "Honoring Malala: Mighty Girl Books on Children's Fight for Education," showcasing our top books for young readers on children's educational access issues at http://www.amightygirl.com/blog/?p=4057

A Mighty Girl also has a section highlighting stories that feature poverty and hardship as a significant theme. Such stories provide opportunities for parents to discuss these topics with their children while also helping to foster children's empathy for people living in difficult circumstances. Learn more at http://www.amightygirl.com/books/social-issues/poverty-hardship

And, if you're looking for ways to encourage your children to become the next engineering and technology innovators, visit A Mighty Girl's STEM toy section at http://www.amightygirl.com/toys/toys-games/science-math."

What an encouraging story!  Thanks go to Ms. Casey at CRE for posting this on her FB Science Lab page. 

RESOURCES to help you in STEM

In addition to researching for this post, I did find a MOST helpful website for homeschool moms on the subject. http://www.stemmom.org/p/homeschooling.html  She has scads of STEM projects!  Please take time to check her out.

Also, STEM: RESOURCES FOR HOMESCHOOL

ASK a Scientist  A service provided by Binghamton University, every Thursday. Scientists answer kids' questions about science related topics. I found the answer to "What is Thunder" really interesting.  Teachers (and homeschool moms) can find information on participation via the provided link.

ETA Hand2Mind: STEM Teacher Resources

* A note of caution. When looking for STEM activities, make sure you're getting true STEM learning experiences.

 Ms. Casey's Science Lab Page https://www.facebook.com/CREscience

Attend a professional development workshop and learn how this fits in with you. 

If you choose not to ride the STEM train, provide many challenging and rigorous learning experiences for your children using the STEM concentrations.  Benefits will be bountiful and don't be afraid of these meaty subjects. We know homeschool moms model life-long learning.

Shelley-
Educator & Homeschool Mommy
M.Ed. Reading Curr.& Inst., ESOL

 
You can purchase a new fun filled STEM Integrated Unit from our sponsor, Tools for School Teacher Resources,
here for only $5.00! 
 

Safe Sunscreen: Making an Informed Decision

Summer is finally here! Or rather, it will be as of this Saturday. With summer comes outside play, swimming, vacations, and many other sun-drenched, fun-filled activities that we all love - especially after being cooped up all winter! However, with the onset of summer comes the inevitable trip to Walmart and the overwhelming task of standing in the sunscreen aisle trying to read the labels while your children repeatedly ask you how much longer. After hushing them for the 100th time (or was it the 101st?) and trying to regain focus, many moms end up grabbing the sunscreen with the best claim on the front and calling it a day. Hey, at least you got something to protect you and your kiddos from all the sun-kissed activities this summer, right?

Wrong.

In this post I'm not going to tell you what sunscreen to buy or not to buy. I'll be honest, I don't have time to read each and every label (especially when that's already been done and I'll give you that link in a minute). What I am going to do is give you the information you need to be able to make an easier, better informed decision for you, your family, and your individual needs. Lets get started, summer is here and who wants to spend it indoors reading a blog?

The Somewhat Brief History of Sunscreen

Everyone knows that the ancient Egyptians built pyramids and the Great Sphinx, but did you know that they also had a form of sunscreen? The Egyptians favored lighter skin to differentiate themselves from their slaves. So they developed a mix of rice bran extract, jasmine, and lupine seed extract (sorry, I don't have the exact recipe) that they used to help protect their skin from the darkening effects of the hot desert sun.

Besides that tidbit of ancient history, I couldn't find anything substantial on sunscreen until it's introduction into modern era in the late 1930s. A chemistry student named Franz Greiter set out to develop a form of skin protection after he received a sunburn while mountain climbing. Fast forward to the early 1950s and Coppertone was born (except back then it was called Coppertone Girl). But it is estimated that sunscreen wasn't widely used until sometime in the 1970s to early 80s. And this is also when sunscreen started to have a SPF rating over 2 or 4 which is what it was back in the 50s. Why is the history of sunscreen important? I just wanted to point out that it is a fairly new invention (except for the primitive, but seemingly natural concoction of the Egyptians).

Understanding the Rays, Ratings, and Wrongs of Sunscreen

There are three different wavelengths in sunlight. Ultraviolet A, Ultraviolet B, and Ultraviolet C. UVC rays do not reach the earth so we don't have to worry about them. UVA is more prevalent during the morning and late afternoon hours of the day and UVB during the middle or heat of the day. UVA can penetrate glass and UVB cannot. We'll come back to the rays in a minute.

The SPF number is the Sun Protection Factor that you are receiving from your sunscreen for the UVB rays. Most people assume that the higher the SPF number, the better the protection. However, according to Dr. Steven Wang of the Skin Cancer Foundation:

SPF 15 blocks 93% of UVB radiation, 

SPF 30 blocks 97% of UVB radiation, and

SPF 50 blocks 98% of UVB radiation. 

Therefore, a super high SPF doesn't really afford much extra protection. However, Dr. Wang also says that due to conservative application of sunscreen, people generally only get about one-third the label value of protection. In other words, use more sunscreen or a higher SPF.

You may have noticed that I didn't mention UVA rays in regards to the SPF number. Sunscreens used to only afford protection from the UVB rays and ignored the UVA rays totally. This is because it is the UVB rays from which you are most likely to get burned. However, according to physician and founder of the Exodus Health Center, Dr. Josh Axe warns while the UVB rays can burn skin, it is the UVA rays that penetrate deep into the skin and lead to premature aging. And according to one peer-reviewed hypothesis paper, Rising Trends in Melanoma: A Hypothesis Conecerning Sunscreen Effectiveness, it is the UVA rays that can do the damage that also trigger skin cancers. Therefore, more sunscreens are now claiming protection from both the UVA and UVB rays. These sunscreens will often be labeled as broad spectrum, multi-spectrum, or UVA/UVB protection.
Other than protection from burning, the main reason people use sunscreen is to protect themselves from skin cancer. The ironic thing I noticed while researching this topic is that as sunscreen became more widely used, skin cancer rates have actually increased. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation,  Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) and Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) skin cancers have increased 300% since 1994. And according to the CDC, Melanoma, the most deadly of skin cancers, has increased significantly at a rate of 1.6% every year since 2001. It seems the more we use sunscreen, the more the skin cancer rates climb. And the higher the rates climb, the more we are told to use sunscreen. Are we perpetrating this vicious cycle with the use of sunscreen? How can this be if sunscreen is good for us?

Here are the two main problems with sunscreen.

1. First, many if not most of the sunscreens available for purchase traditionally (remember, sunscreen doesn't have a very long history) have been made with chemicals. We forget that our skin is our biggest organ and absorbs some of whatever we put on it. A lot of the leading sunscreen brands have ingredients that disrupt the human hormonal system and release free radicals. Chemical sunscreens also absorb the UV rays. A peer-reviewed study  show that the absorption of the rays tends to "excite" the chemicals causing them to become unstable. I also found a chart on the Environmental Working Group's site that lists sunscreen ingredients from most toxic to least toxic with other pertinent information as well. And as promised earlier, here is the link with the rating of individual brands.  

To solve the chemical problem, most people switch to a mineral based sunscreen. Mineral sunscreens reflect the UV rays instead of absorbing them as chemical based sunscreens do. The mineral base I would recommend would be Zinc Oxide. You will see on the EWG link I provided that Zinc Oxide has one of the lowest hazard scores and is excellent in blocking the UVA rays. However, a word of caution on mineral based sunscreens: many of the mineral based zinc oxide and titanium dioxide sunscreens that are available use nanoparticles of these minerals. While the EWG say there is no harm in their use, the European Union's Public Health website  says that because of their tiny size they can "cross cell membranes, reach the blood and various organs" which can lead to a myriad of potential problems. In my opinion, nanoparticles in general haven't been studied carefully enough yet. So, if you are using a mineral based sunscreen, I would advise to look for one that specifically states it does not use nanoparticles - at least until they are studied further.

2. Secondly, all sunscreen, both chemical and mineral based, block the UVB rays which we have been told to avoid, but also happen to be the very rays our body actually needs to produce Vitamin D. 

According to The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,  we are in a pandemic of Vitamin D deficiency worldwide. Other peer-review studies  agree. Since Vitamin D is not prevalent in our food (unless it's synthetically added), the main way humans get Vitamin D is from direct UVB exposure. Vitamin D helps protect us from so many diseases and, ironically enough, skin cancer. According to earlier referenced Dr. Axe, we have been avoiding the wrong rays (UVB) and ignoring protection against the other, more harmful rays (UVA). We have been tricked into believing that because UVB rays can burn us if we are over exposed, then they are completely bad for us. What we should be concerned about is exposure in moderation - not the elimination of exposure completely.

So, is sunscreen good or bad? My opinion is that sunscreen should be used in moderation. In our home, we only use sunscreen for the rare occasions that we are going to be outdoors for an extended period of the day, such as at the beach or an amusement park, etc. Otherwise, I let my kids out in small increments at the beginning of spring and build up to longer exposure times. We also take advantage of shade whenever possible during longer times of sun exposure, such as during picnics. Remember, the sun has been around since God created it, but sunscreen hasn't. And while correlation doesn't prove causation, the data showing skin cancer rates increasing does parallel the increased use of sunscreen.

Am I telling you not to use sunscreen? Of course not; when, how much and what kind are totally up to you. However, if you choose to use sunscreen regularly, remember, you and your children still need an average of 15 - 20 minutes daily of direct UVB exposure, minus the sunscreen, to allow your body to produce the Vitamin D it requires (exposure time does vary depending on climates and skin tones).

If you are one of those DIY types, here are a couple links to blogs with homemade sunscreen recipes that come highly recommended. This way you can control your SPF and the ingredients you use. 
Homemade Sunscreen #1
or

Homemade Sunscreen #2 
(If you are an Essential Oils fan.) 

This has been a fun topic to research and write about. And even though we don't personally use a lot of sunscreen in our family, we will probably make a couple changes to the type we do use in the future due to some of this new info I learned while doing this research. I hope it helps your family too. Please feel free to share this column with others and/or leave a comment. We love to hear from our readers! Look for our next Healthy Families, Healthy You column on medicated water (you are probably drinking it right now and don't even know it) 3rd week of July! Happy summer and don't forget to soak up some Vitamin D!

 

Love Note: Shea Moisture

As a mom, I began looking for soaps and shampoos that were safe to use on my baby. All baby's skin is different. My first one tended to have little spots of eczema and my youngest was blessed with easier skin. However, in researching the chemicals found in our shampoos and soaps, I decided to spend more on safety for my girls.  I have not regretted it since!  You may think, "there is no way I could spend more".  Well, we're on one teacher salary and can't either, so I moved some money around to budget for it. It has so far been a once every 6 months expense- hey, that's doable. 

Let me tell you about this Love Note feature:

This is Baby Head to Toe Wash and Shampoo by Shea Moisture. They have a whole line of products you will love. I get nothing for advertising this; I just love it and wanted to share with you. This particular kind is Red Tea and Babassu. It smells wonderful and has no harmful chemicals. You can find this product at your local Target or at Walgreens. They carry all kinds (even for us moms and dads). 
I use this one on my toddler's hair- also smells great and makes her hair so shiny and healthy.  We've been using it for several months and I see a difference in her hair!

This one is slightly better priced at around $9.00. Again, we don't have to buy these very frequently. We only use a small amount at one time. Love this! Try it out. I know you will too!

                                                                            Shelley

Tools for School Teacher Resources

Shelley here! Author, founder and editor of Freshly Chewed.  I'd like to share with you a little bit about my store front today. I also run a digital store front on which I sell teacher resources. My goal is to create fun, challenging and engaging resources for teachers to use in their classrooms or in a homeschool setting. Upon visiting, you will find I have well over 100 products for grade levels ranging from prek- 5th grade.  I aim to produce materials with these goals in mind:
- engaging
-aligned with standards
-challenging
-differentiated
-fun for students
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-well written
-methodically planned
-versatile for different teaching styles
-to save you time in searching, planning, gathering and writing
-to create cute clipart and graphics for use in your classroom

All products have a thumbnail image to show you what they look like as well as previews. They are immediate downloads upon purchase as well. No more notebooks and files taking up your file cabinets! You can easily store downloaded resources in an external hard drive or an online organization system on your computer!
You will also be able to see any feedback or comments under each product as it is specifically graded in several areas. You will be able to leave your feedback as well after purchasing!
My storefront has been open four years this Spring and is going strong.



Please visit my storefront by clicking on the Tools for School Owl Logo below and share with a teacher you know!

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