Lelu Spanish + STEAM Program

 

The following is a sponsored post with Lelu. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

One of the things that I've seen a lot of discussion about in our Facebook homeschool group is the need for more math and science resources in Spanish. Lots of parents are struggling to find good quality materials because the technical terms are not ones that are commonly used in day-to-day language. 

So when Lelu reached out to me about sharing their Spanish STEAM program, I readily agreed. 

This is a new program that launched this year. It has been created by Latina mom, Ana Leyva, and she founded the program at Stanford University. Ana is a huge fan of multidisciplinary learning, and has had a transformative educational trajectory (she is also the first in her family to go to college - Princeton University - and to get Master's degrees!).

What is Lelu?

Lelu is a subscription box service that focuses completely on teaching STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) concepts in English and Spanish because engaging kids in rich multidisciplinary learning gives language learning new life! They offer several programs for kids ages 3 to 11. That's a big age range, but don't worry, the boxes are tailored to each specific age group. 

Each box that you receive has a theme and contains materials for completing FOUR activities (one a week), plus instructions for completing extra activities related to the monthly theme. It also comes with 1-3 lessons/units per activity and important concepts such as the Scientific Method are taught in each box. 

Students also receive a monthly activities calendar to extend the learning and instructional videos for each of the core activities. Past themes have included the plant life cycle/el ciclo de vida de la planta, the human body/mi cuerpo, and the harvest/la cosecha. 

The three levels are:

SILVER LEVEL
This package includes their Spanish + STEAM Activity Boxes delivered to your door each month, accompanied by online tutorials and clear instructions in both Spanish and English, all revolving around a fun monthly STEAM theme!

GOLD LEVEL
The most popular package includes everything the Silver package includes plus weekly 2 hours of 1-on-1 online tutoring! 

PLATINUM LEVEL
In addition to everything offered in the other packages, this package features live online community classes (or as we like to call them, fiestas)! Each week your child will join a community-wide meeting to sing, play, and share the projects they've been working on and engage with each other! Along with the box and tutoring, this community session is critical for your child to see the big-picture about how languages connect us. Students are asked to share their work during the community meeting so the meeting is a perfect recurring motivation for kiddos to practice their Spanish skills every week!

In think it is important to note that Spanish skill levels vary between children, so Lelu tailors each box to your child's language ability. The goal is to not only teach, but also to promote fluency.

Because the boxes are bilingual, they are a great option for families in which parents who don't speak Spanish can still support their child's bilingualism. And the online tutoring is also beneficial. 

Growth Mindset

And growth mindset fundamentals are weaved into every part of the program. According to American Psychologist, Carol Dweck, “In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.”

Other Products

In addition to the subscription boxes, you can find other products on their website, such as Spanish labels for kitchens and bathrooms, a Spanish alphabet wall poster, and their Lotería Cuerpo Humano game. 

Pin it!

Other Posts that May Interest You. 

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• Ask en español & Alternatives

7 Other Construction Kits for LEGO Lovers

One of my biggest challenges during the summer is keeping my kids off tech. That means finding projects to keep them busy. If this sounds familiar to you, then you'll enjoy my posts this week with ideas and products that are geared to challenge and engage!!

I'm listing these in order of age range, starting with products that the youngest kids can enjoy.

This post contains affiliate links.

Lincoln Logs 100th Anniversary Tin (Ages 4+)

I can't believe that Lincoln Logs have been around for 100 years! That just proves how special this product is. This set is made entirely of wood, just like the originals.

If there's one thing that doesn't change, it's history... and Old West play! This gift tin is perfect not only for this generation, but the sturdy logs can be passed down! Start a family tradition, or add onto a classic set, because these Lincoln Logs are compatible with other Lincoln Logs sets. The included design is for the old Meeting House from 1925. A thriving frontier town needs a great log-built Meeting House. Get the roof in place before winter storms and torrential rains hit the village! Put together hitching posts so the horses don't wander off into the wilderness.

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GoldieBlox and the Dunk Tank (aff) (Ages 4+)

Do you have a younger engineer you want to encourage? Think GoldiBlox! In this kit, Goldie has to find a way to give her dog, Nacho, a bath. One problem: Nacho hates water and loves being a dirty dog. After many tries, Goldie finally comes up with the perfect contraption: A dunk tank! Introduces the real-life STEM concept of hinges and levers. Designed for tinkering and creative exploration, GoldieBlox toys build spatial skills and confidence in problem-solving. All GoldieBlox toys are inter-compatible.

Ruby Rails Sky-High Cable Car (aff) (Ages 6+)

Help Ruby Rails, Goldie’s BFF, build a gondola ride and soar high above Bloxtown! Combine plastic construction pieces and durable chipboard to construct the two towers, and connect them with a pulley to send Ruby swinging right over the kitchen sink. Introduces the real-life STEM concept of tension.

Designed for tinkering and creative exploration, GoldieBlox toys build spatial skills and confidence in problem-solving.  All GoldieBlox toys are inter-compatible. Comes with 32 pieces, including Ruby mini-figurine. Hundreds of how-to building videos online to help spark creativity in young engineers.

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14-in-1 Educational Solar Robot Kit (Ages 8+)

This kit is recipient of the "Best Green Products Award 2013" from Dr Toy and Creative Child Magazine has anointed it with "Top Toy of the Year Award" and "Kids Product of the Year Award." This robot can be transformed into 14 different robot modes which include a multitude of comical and functional movements. The user can easily change from a Wagging-Tail Dog to Running Beetle to Walking Crab to Surfer to Speedster to Zombie Chaser! The robot kit provides unique accessories and parts that make the robot move on land and water.

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These Engino construction kits because I have a major LEGO-lover who enjoys building things. I love that these are not gender specific! Boys and girls alike will love these projects. 

STRUCTURES: Buildings and Bridges Set (Ages 8+)

Learn all about buildings and how they literally support our lives! Construct different types of bridges and find out how their architecture design provides massive weight support. Discover all the types of forces applied and how engineers manage to reduce their effects.

Build 9 working models such as a house, a pyramid and various types of bridges: beam, arch, truss, cable-stayed and suspension bridge.

Simple Machines (Ages 8+)

The SIMPLE MACHINES set is a combination of the basic 5 sets of "Discovering STEM" series and covers all Simple Machines mechanisms. These mechanisms offer a mechanical advantage and are crucial elements of many machines and devices. They are designed to multiply or reduce force, increase or decrease speed and convert one type of motion to another.

Build 60 working models that cover the subjects of levers, the wedge, the wheel and axle, the screw, the inclined plane, the pulley, as well as the more advanced gears and linkages!

Gears and Worm Drives (Ages 8+)

Learn how Gears can easily reduce or increase speed, change force or transfer motion from one position to another. Discover how Worm drives are used to greatly reduce rotational speed and how screws can convert rotational motion to linear, while greatly increasing force.

Build 12 working models such as an experimental crane, a gearbox, a carousel, a helicopter, a screw press and a crane with a rotating arm.

Other Posts You May Enjoy:

• Activity Books for Young Engineers
  
  
• Using Broken Devices to Nurture Your Child's STEM Interest
  
  
• Get Your Kids Excited About STEM With EEME
  
  
• The Search for STEMnauts

The Search for STEMnauts Contest

Calling all middle school and high school students!

If you are obsessed with space or enjoy coding, this is a great opportunity for you! NASA has partnered with Texas Instruments to create and host this super fun contest that features the skills astronauts use in space. And they are searching for young STEMnauts to complete their challenges.

To win great prizes, you and your team of up to 5 fellow students must decipher puzzles and brainteasers using the coding and STEM* problem-solving strategies NASA uses to make human life in space possible. You'll have to have an adult sponsor, but they canNOT help you with the challenges. ;)

Teams must be middle or high school students. Homeschoolers are eligible.



The team with the most points will win:

• A new Galaxy Gray TI-84 Plus CE graphing calculator for each team member
• A $500 Amazon gift card for your team
• Passes to choice of NASA visitor center
• An assortment of fun STEM and space-related objects, including:
  - ISS Drawstring Backpack
  - Squishy Astronaut
  - NASA Pins/Decals
  - Foam RocketsS
• A video chat with a NASA subject matter expert

In addition, each of the members of five teams chosen at random will win a Galaxy Gray TI-84 Plus CE graphing calculators.

I think there are only around 150 teams at the moment, so your chances are good! Get in there and start deciphering codes and riddles.

You can enter the contest any time before it ends on May 31st.

My daughter is totally geeked about participating and is lining up a teammate. :)

Good luck!!!

Hour of Code and #STEM #Giveaway

Good morning, Familia! Did you know that this week is Computer Science Education Week? And to celebrate, students all across the country (and the world!) will be participating in an Hour of Code, a one-hour introduction to computer science. Designed to teach the basics, ANYONE can participate; there are no age restrictions AND IT IS FREE. I know MommyMaestra readers will love it because the one-hour lesson is available in more than 40 langauges!

And you don't have to know diddle about coding to learn. The online tutorials are totally awesome! Your child can choose from various themes, such as Minecraft, Star Wars, or Frozen. Each one gives your child challenges and shows them how to complete them. It really is fabulous.

Why should you have your child participate? Because Latinos continue to be virtually invisible in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields. In 2013, only 9 percent of STEM degrees and certificates went to Latinos. According to Horacio Gutiérrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel at Microsoft, in a NBC article this summer:

"There are tens of thousands of jobs in the Untied States—certainly thousands of jobs in the technology field—that are currently not being filled because of the unavailability of talent in the country," he said. "So we have an opportunity by increasing the pipeline of Latinos in the STEM fields of matching them with those jobs."

There are MANY high-paying jobs in need of skilled professionals. And Latino children - our children - are the future workforce of this country. Let's give them the opportunities to learn and nuruture their love of STEM subjects to help them succeed.

So sign up your kids today for the Hour of Code! It's easy and free.

THE GIVEAWAY

To further help you parents nurture your child's STEM interest and skills, I've partnered with six other Latina bloggers to give you a wonderful present to give your kids this holiday season.

MommyMaestra, ModernMami, Qué Means What, Mami Talks, Mamá Latina Tips, and Hispana Global have all pooled our money to create this awesome set of STEM toys worth more than $100! And one of our readers is going to win it. Our turn around time is quick; you have 7 days to enter so that we can get the toys shipped to you before the holidays arrive.

To enter, all you have to do is use the Rafflecopter below.

By entering this giveaway, you agree to the Official Sweepstakes Rules. No purchase required. Void where prohibited.

¡Buena suerte!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Activity Books for Young Engineers

This post contains affiliate links.

Both of my kids love building things and creating things from their imagination. Here are five of our favorite activity kits from Klutz books.

LEGO Chain Reactions: Design and build amazing moving machines

by Pat Murphy and the Scientists of Klutz Labs

Klutz Book of Paper Airplanes

by Doug Stillinger

Paper Flying Dragons

by The Editors of Klutz

LEGO Crazy Action Contraptions

by Doug Stillinger

Star Wars Folded Flyers: Make 30 Paper Starfighters

by Ben Harper and Pat Murphy

LEGO Gadgets

by The Editors of Klutz

Other Posts You May Enjoy:

• 7 Other Construction Kits for LEGO Lovers
  
  
• Using Broken Devices to Nurture Your Child's STEM Interest
  
  
• Get Your Kids Excited About STEM With EEME
  
  
• The Search for STEMnauts

Using Broken Devices to Nurture Your Child's STEM Interest

STOP! Don't throw that broken toaster in the trash! Don't discard that old radio that has stopped working!

Instead, save them for your kids.

A few weeks ago, someone (the kids) lost the remote to our last DVD player, which was a super basic model that I bought because it was the cheapest available at my local store. On the front was PLAY, STOP and EJECT. So to pause, rewind, or fast forward you needed the remote. And I only bought that one because the DVD player in our original DVD/VCR combo had stopped working. But we still have quite a few movies on VHS, so I kept the broken device.

The point of all this is that our entertainment center was a crowded mess. And after losing the remote, I finally had enough. So...

Last week, I bought a new DVD/VCR combo. On Tuesday, I unhooked the ghastly tangle of wires and cords that connected all of my old devices to the TV, and finally figured out how to hook up the new player. I was about to throw out the old devices when inspiration struck. I looked at my kids who were tired of reading and complaining about being bored and begging to watch a movie. Instead, I gave them the old DVD/VCR combo and told them to enjoy.

They were ecstatic.

Next thing I knew they were scrambling for screwdrivers, headlamps, sorting containers, and tweezers. Then they spent the next couple of hours taking it apart.

I love that my daughter pulled out her Inventor's Diary so she could take notes.

She even grabbed her camera to take pictures.

So next time you have something break, don't throw it out!

Give it to your kids instead.

CAUTION: Remember, that these device have tiny pieces that pose a choke hazzard, so they are not for small children to play with. My kids are 8 and 10, so I would recommend that only older children be allowed to explore the inner workings of small appliances. Make sure none of them have sharp parts and that they are NOT plugged in before your child begins to take it apart.

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!

Other Posts You May Enjoy:

• Activity Books for Young Engineers
  
  
• Using Broken Devices to Nurture Your Child's STEM Interest
  
  
• The Search for STEMnauts

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

Happy Kid Inventors' Day!

“The best way to predict the future is to invent it.”
- Alan Kay

Did you know that today is Kid Inventors' Day? It's celebrated every year on January 17th in honor of one of our country's greatest inventors: Benjamin Franklin. He was born 307 years ago today.

We studied Franklin last year and the kids had a blast learning about all of his inventions: the lightning rod, the Franklin stove, bifocals, the flexible urinary catheter (yikes!), the odometer. And at the ripe young age of 12, he invented swim paddles (flippers). He also discovered many fascinating things about electricity, including how to store it in a crude battery of sorts.

People who invent things fascinate me. More often than not, they invent more than one thing. Some would say that few people are born true inventors. I would argue that everyone is born with that natural curiosity and creativity that are the parents of invention. But instead of encouraging our children and students, we tend to discourage it.

How often do your kids create elaborate mazes or machines out of ordinary household items? How often do you compliment your child when they do...or are you like me, sometimes fussing about the mess they've made?

Instead, why don't we make it a regular habit to encourage their spirit of invention? Today, I'm setting aside some time this afternoon for my kids to create something. Whatever they want. And to inspire them, we'll explore the Kid Inventors' Day website.

To make things fun, we'll be putting together an Inventor's Kit that includes (among other things) an Inventor's Journal, tape, glue, pipe cleaners, paper clips, brads, popsicle sticks, yarn, magnets, and anything else my children happen to think of. I'll post a picture when they're finished with it.

The Kid Inventors' Day website has some great books about inventors around the world. But before I end this post, I wanted to share with you a list of just some of our favorite Hispanic inventors:

Narcis Monturiol - Spanish inventor of the first submarine.

Ellen Ochoa - Invented optical analysis systems (and was the 1st Latina astronaut).

Victor Ochoa - The Mexican American Inventor of the Ochoaplane, and a windmill, magnetic brakes, a wrench, and a reversible motor.

Ileana Sánchez - Puerto Rican inventor of a book for the blind that brings together art and braille.

Guillermo González Camarena - The Mexican inventor of the first color tv.

Ronald "Ron" Rivera - Puerto Rican. Invented an inexpensive ceramic water filter used to treat gray water in impoverished communities.

Jose Hernandez-Rebollar - Invented the Acceleglove, a glove that can translate sign language into speech.

Pedro Flores - Inventor of the yo-yo. (He's actually Filipino.) 

Engineering, Go For It!

Welcome back to Day 3 of STEM Week here on MommyMaestra!

Interactive Engineering Website for Kids

Engineering, Go For It! is an interactive site for students, who can choose from 15 different areas of interest all related to engineering. For example, if a student selects "Oceans" they will learn how engineers are making a difference in oceanography. From robotic vehicles for exploring the deep to coastal and environmental protection, your child discover different ways that they can have a career in oceanography with an engineering degree.

Students can also "engineer" their own path to college. Students may explore the types of jobs engineers fill and learn 10 essential steps for getting into the engineering program of their choice.

Your kids can also subscribe to their newsletter or follow their blog to learn about other students studying for an engineering degree.

Engineering Resources and Materials

Parents and teachers will love their online store which offers cards, posters, a children's book, eGFI magazine (shown above - see a sample here), and other materials for introducing or encouraging your children/students to explore engineering. You can even purchase an Introductory Kit which includes one of each of their products for family use, and includes a free teacher's guide.

Engineering Toys for Kids

Books about Engineering for Kids

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