It contains a month’s worth of hands-on STEM activities with a profile of a STEM professional. You’ll enjoy the family-friendly fun but so will your pocket book. Most of the “kitchen science” experiments can be done with materials you already have on hand. STEM at home does not have to be expensive.

You can purchase it on Amazon as a paperback.

The biggest gaps in performance appear when they looked at the racial and socioeconomic standings on the test takers. In other words: “larger gaps exist between students of different racial and ethnic backgrounds or family income, with white and Asian/Pacific Islander students and those from higher income families scoring higher than their counterparts who are black, Hispanic, or American Indian/Alaska Native or who are from lower income families.” [National Girls Collaborative Project]

The NSF study says that K-12 students who come from a poor background and/or whose parents were less educated were not likely to take the classes that help them do better on these tests. This sets these students up for not being ready for a STEM career, in the long run.

In fact, women make up about 29% of the S&E workforce. Middle school girls tend to show a high interest in STEM but their engagement tails off in high school.

This loss of interest for girls is attributed to social pressure to ‘fit in’ and to a lack of access to technical topics [Microsoft report]. Parents and teachers play a key role in changing this dynamic.

How does it touch us? STEM affects everything from how we communicate to how we travel to what we eat and drink. STEM is everywhere and in everything. Our very future is dependent on STEM. A study conducted by the Smithsonian Institute says 2.4 million STEM jobs went unfilled 2018. As society advances, that number will rise. The demand for STEM workers grows every year.

Unfortunately, over three fourths (78%) of high school graduates are not STEM and English ready [Smithsonian report]. Take it from a former university engineering instructor, being proficient in English is crucial to success in a STEM fields.

How can you make sure your child is ready for a STEM major in college? Download the STEM Dreams Readiness Guide today.

In-home exposure to STEM-focused activities, books, and resources can make a huge difference, especially if parents lead the way. Parents have the power to foster an environment of discovery and feed a child’s curiosity about STEM.

STEM Dreams is devoted to cultivating STEM awareness for parents and caregivers. Our free STEM Readiness Guide is a great place to start.