CultureMarch 28, 2018
I Will Always Love The Phantom Tollbooth
Children’s literature has so much to offer when it assumes young readers are up for a challenge
Stories by Amanda Baker
Amanda Baker is a science communicator and outreach advocate. She has a geoscience PhD from Cornell University and has managed open-access, academic journals as well as the outreach journal Frontiers for Young Minds. She is currently writing and editing science content for kids, from curriculum materials to magazines like Smore. She has served as a Science Olympiad national event supervisor and taught a first-year writing seminar on sustainable earth systems while at Cornell.
Public HealthMarch 21, 2018
Nature: Closer Than It Seems
Fighting the stigma that the outdoors is hard to reach, dangerous and best experienced alone
BehaviorMarch 14, 2018
Life Is a Group Project
Even adults can become the dictator, the slacker, the martyr, the lone wolf or the sidetracked enthusiast of their group
BehaviorMarch 7, 2018
"For Whatever Reasons"
Acknowledging bias is not a substitute for doing something to address it
BehaviorFebruary 28, 2018
Winning, Losing and Learning to Be a Better Member of the Team
Tough lessons from competition can help build stronger collaborators
CultureFebruary 21, 2018
Relevant Skills: It's All Relative
From getting samples through customs to siphoning gas in the desert, the skills researchers need to develop for their work often extend far outside the traditional classroom
BehaviorFebruary 14, 2018
Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics...and Budgeting?
Giving young people the chance to plan the nitty-gritty details of a hypothetical research project can offer a low-stakes way to initiate conversations about money management
ElectronicsFebruary 7, 2018
FabLabs Are Showing That Student Makers Have Many Faces
Opening the lab door to alternative education, therapeutic emotional support, special needs and behaviorally nonconforming students shows potential benefits that reach far beyond report cards
CultureJanuary 31, 2018
My Museum
Visiting museums as a kid leaves you with so much more than just the sum of the exhibits
CultureJanuary 24, 2018
Lighthearted Thinking about Thinking Out Loud
Can a card game make interdisciplinary synthesis and critical thinking fun?
CultureJanuary 17, 2018
Using Pop Culture to Practice Productive Disagreement
From supervillains to Sunday book club, books and movies provide low-stakes chances to build the constructive conversational skills we need for more important debates later on.
ElectronicsJanuary 10, 2018
Connecting Kindergartners and Coding without a Screen in the World of Unstructured Play
The KIBO robot tries to balance the huge potential young children have for learning with the physical realities of how they like to play.
BiologyDecember 27, 2017
Can a Shipping Container Increase Access to Hands-On STEM?
The MilliporeSigma Curiosity Cube traveled more than ~18,000 miles in its inaugural year, packing science and scientists into a bright yellow box.
EnvironmentDecember 21, 2017
Salty Solutions: Looking at the Driveway a Little Differently
With kids home from school and snow on the ground, its a great time for some wintertime STEM exploration
CultureDecember 13, 2017
STEM Gifts That Don't Come in Boxes or Need Batteries
Encouraging the budding scientist in your life doesn't have to mean getting your hands on the latest gadgets
BehaviorDecember 6, 2017
Recognizing False Beliefs: More Than Chimneys and Reindeer
The holidays can provide a yearly reminder that all the learning we have to do as we grow up leads to a lot of important highs and lows
CultureNovember 29, 2017
Hiding Clear Ideas behind Unclear Words
Sometimes it take a little bit of humor to see that clear ideas can get buried inside convoluted sentences
CultureNovember 21, 2017
Getting a Little Lost on the Great Food Scavenger Hunt
Looking into the source of your holiday meal may lead to more questions than answers—and that can be a good thing
CultureNovember 15, 2017
Recognizing Ms. Frizzle's Own Magic
Still looking for ways to take chances, make mistakes and get messy 20 years later
CognitionNovember 8, 2017
Dirty Windshields and Other Ways to Notice Gradual Change
We want to help kids become better observers, but some of our natural cognitive shortcuts mean that we need to give ourselves reasons to pay attention
CultureOctober 31, 2017
Embracing Your Enthusiasm: Halloween Edition
Building outrageous yearly decorations for Halloween provided important lessons not just about design and engineering, but also embracing things that make you happy even when others might be inclined to judge
ElectronicsOctober 25, 2017
Recognizing an Unexpected Source for Unstructured Play
Free-play modes on 1990's video games provided a special opportunity for a generation of kids to mentally romp around an unfettered digital landscape.
BiologyOctober 17, 2017
Underestimating After-School STEM Is for the Birds
Informal introductions to new ideas can open doors for participation in citizen science – like tracking local bird populations – long after a particular program ends.
ElectronicsOctober 5, 2017
From Farming to Fitness Trackers: 4–H National Youth Science Day
More than 100,000 students around the country were expected to explore Incredible Wearables in the program's exciting 10th year.