Gift guide inspires kid’s STEM skills
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) – Purdue’s INSPIRE Research Institute for Pre-College Engineering is helping people find the perfect Christmas gift for the children in their lives.
“There’s all different kinds of things that really will appeal to different types of kids,” said INSPIRE’s Assistant Director Elizabeth Gajdzik.
Gajdzik said these toys are the gifts that keep on giving by promoting STEM education.
“A lot of the toys don’t even have the word engineering anywhere on them, so assisting them and telling them, ‘Hey this one does promote engineering thinking,’ as well as providing research that allows them to take toys they might already have in their home, and make them even better and to introduce engineering STEM concepts,” said Gajdzik. “I think that really helps them out and takes away that guessing game.”
This is the second year INSPIRE has put together an Engineering Gift Guide. It’s filled with more than 50 toys and application suggestions intended to engage girls and boys as young as age three in engineering thinking and design. The guide also has a list of 30 books with stories and facts about engineering.
INSPIRE Director Monica Cardella said the toys range from the more traditional and well-known to more high-tech toys, but all promote STEM education.
“By getting involved with STEM toys early children can just continue to develop their natural creativity skills so they can explore creative solutions, but they can also combine the worlds of thinking about stories and narratives and people and characters who have needs, with designing solutions to those needs,” said Cardella.
It took months of research before INSPIRE had their list, and this year all toys have a special seal showing they were chosen.
Cardella encourages anyone to take a look and consider purchasing one for the child in their life because it could make a big impact.
“Tapping into things that children are already good at, while at the same time bringing in more problem solving skills that hopefully will just lead to a lifetime of engaging in critical problem solving,” said Cardella.