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Monday, February 18, 2013

Get Your Kids Excited About STEM With EEME



The following post is written in collaboration with EEME. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

For the last several months, my daughter has been saying she wants to grow up and make robots for a living. Hey! I'm okay with that as I hear that robotics are "the future." But I've been wracking my brains trying to think of ways to encourage and nurture her interest.

So when I was contacted by EEME to review one of their products, I was curious and agreed. I am so happy I did. EEME is a relatively new company that creates hands-on projects to teach kids about electronics. But it is really more than that because each kit comes with online lessons to teach your kids not only how to assemble the projects, but to walk them through the process and explain the concepts behind each step.


The first kit they've created is the Genius Light, an easy project that helps your child assemble a simple LED circuit system that does the smart thing - it lights up when it is dark and dims when it is light. The project is geared for children ages 7 to 12, but my 6- and 8-year-olds sat down at the computer and carefully (and enthusiastically!) assembled their Genius Light learning about circuits, breadboards, bus parts, resistors, and more. It was Greek to me, which is what makes this such a FABULOUS resource for parents. You don't have to know anything about electronics to help your child learn about them because the video series teaches you all about it as you watch each step. The videos last anywhere from about 30 seconds to several minutes. I love that it is broken down in this way so that your child has time to learn at their own pace. And you can pause or replay the videos as often as you want to better understand any of the concepts presented. The video segments are best described in three different ways: Activity, learning, or question based. Activity videos involve your child assembling a part of the project. Learning videos explain how things work, and the question segments (usually just one question) check to see if your child (or you!) understands what he or she was just taught.

But you don't have to take my word for it, because the best part of it all is that the video series is FREE. You can sign up to watch them even if you don't buy the kit - but you'll want to because it looks like so much fun to put together, which it is. And guess what? If you sign up, I get up to $50 credit to use toward buying future kits. And you can, too!

EEME would be a great choice for homeschooling families or parents looking for creative ways to nurture their child's interest in STEM subjects.

Here's a quick look at how our class session went and what the completed project looks like...


With so few Latinos entering STEM fields, I think it is very important for us to encourage our children if they show an interest in science and/or math. Our country needs more engineers and technology experts entering the workforce if we are to compete in a global market. And there are hundreds, if not thousands, of children who would readily pursue this line of work, if we would simply support them and provide them with the tools necessary to learn about it.

I am happy to endorse this ingenious company and look forward to using it to offer my children more projects to create and opportunities to learn.


You can follow EEME on Facebook, Twitter, and they have some pretty awesome Pinterest boards, too!


Disclosure: EEME sent me a free kit to review. All opinions expressed above are completely my own.