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posted by CoolHand on Wednesday December 16 2015, @02:03AM   Printer-friendly
from the make-em-smarter dept.

So it's that time of year again, and I'm pondering gifts for the kids that will teach them Science, Tech, Engineering, Math (STEM) fundamentals without their knowing it. The google searches so far have produced addition flash cards with cartoon characters on them and the like, which is instant tedium. I saw this replica of the Digi Comp at Maker Faire a couple years ago and thought it would fill the bill, but $350 is a big risk to take on something they might only play with for 5 minutes. Have any Soylentils given STEM gifts that really have worked, capturing kids' imaginations and teaching them useful STEM concepts?


[Please indicate a suggested age-range for any gift you suggest. -Ed.]

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  • (Score: 2, Informative) by hsander on Wednesday December 16 2015, @07:19AM

    by hsander (331) on Wednesday December 16 2015, @07:19AM (#277007)

    http://robotmagic.org/ [robotmagic.org] [robotmagic.org] teaches programming and STEM concepts with 3D robot challenges. The game starts with a Scratch-like block editor but also supports editing code in JavaScript- so kids can eventually write their own blocks and complete programs. Challenges like moving an astronaut with jets on his backpack and building things with a 3d printer are fun and teach STEM concepts. Advanced features include debugging tools, cloud storage,teacher tools, and multiplayer support. It runs in any browser.

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  • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday December 16 2015, @01:25PM

    by Phoenix666 (552) on Wednesday December 16 2015, @01:25PM (#277067) Journal

    Thanks, I'm gonna try this. I set them up with Scratch, but haven't been able to get them into it.

    --
    Washington DC delenda est.