Happy National STEAM Day!

Hooray for STEM/STEAM learning!

National STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) happens on November 8th and serves to help promote children’s learning in the arts and sciences. It just so happens that is right up our alley so to speak. From day one Nature of Early Play and Play Mart have designed and developed playground equipment to encourage children to learn and explore—in addition to having fun!

How did STEM/STEAM Day come about?

Research studies and aptitude tests revealed in the early part of this century that students in the United States were not scoring or excelling in the areas of science and technology when compared to students of similar age in other countries. The research highlighted this disappointing trend and pointed to a decline in the future preparedness of young people in the U.S. for jobs in STEM fields. This encouraged educators in this country to bring STEM learning to the forefront of the school’s curriculum.

In 2006, the congressional STEM Education Caucus noted: “Our knowledge-based economy is driven by constant innovation. The foundation of innovation lies in a dynamic, motivated and well-educated workforce equipped with STEM skills.” National STEM day was celebrated for the first time in 2008.

While there is still progress to be made in helping to educate our children in the areas of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math, we are beginning to see results, especially among young girls. Released in January of this year, a report from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that women now make up approximately 28% of the STEM workforce in the US. This is up from 8% in 1970.

Learn STEAM while you play.

We encourage all children to learn and explore STEAM concepts while they play. We’ve even created a package of some of our playground components to highlight these areas for infants and toddlers. We selected these specific pieces to not only complement each other on the playground but also to add variety and entertainment for all. In short—we’ve designed them to be educational, challenging, and FUN! Our STEAM-focused and age-appropriate playground equipment was designed to spark a child’s interest and encourage them to explore Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math. The STEAM Playground package includes a variety of components, each with a way to inspire learning while at play! You can learn more about our STEAM Playground Package here.