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Mama Smiles

Joyful Parenting

MaryAnne at Mama Smiles Welcome to my blog! I'm MaryAnne, and I write about building a rewarding family life through mindful parenting, hands-on learning, and creative family activities. Learn more.

engineering

An Exciting and Affordable Way to Introduce Kids to Robotics and Coding

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Edison 2.0 review. Finally, a robot kids can program that families can afford! It's an impressively versatile little robot, too! I've reviewed a few robotics programming toys for kids on this blog, but Edison 2.0 is the first one that I can truly call affordable! Timberdoodle sent us this robot to review; it's part of their fourth grade curriculum kit. The price point is … [Read more...] about An Exciting and Affordable Way to Introduce Kids to Robotics and Coding

Spaghetti Tower STEM Challenge for Kids with a Twist

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Have you ever tried building a tower using raw spaghetti noodles? I love this fun twist on the traditional Spaghetti Tower STEM Challenge for Kids. Spaghetti Tower STEM Challenge for Kids with a Twist My husband Mike challenged my two oldest kids to a spaghetti tower building challenge. The goal was to see who could build the tallest Spaghetti tower using spaghetti, tape, … [Read more...] about Spaghetti Tower STEM Challenge for Kids with a Twist

How to Teach Children to Think Like Scientists

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How do you teach children to think like scientists? If you want kids to learn how to really look at the world around them, a science journal is a great place to start. This post includes tips on how to teach scientific reasoning through journaling - and a free printable to get you started. How to Teach Children to Think Like Scientists Mike and I are both trained … [Read more...] about How to Teach Children to Think Like Scientists

The Best Thing My Kids Learned With Circuit Maze

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Circuit Maze taught my kids the basics of building circuits, as well as something much more important. Yet another reason STEM education is so important! This past summer, Timberdoodle sent us a review copy of Circuit Maze - part of their 3rd grade Curriculum Kit. I pulled it out, and my eight-year-old third grader (Johnny) immediately gravitated towards it. Johnny LOVES … [Read more...] about The Best Thing My Kids Learned With Circuit Maze

Engineering Challenge: Can You Design and Build a Truck?

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Can you design and build a truck? This construction themed STEM challenge for kids gets them thinking like real engineers. Do your kids love trucks? Even four-year-old Anna is mostly out of this phase now, but I remember especially how excited the kids were when our street was re-paved when we lived in Massachusetts. All day, they got to watch digger trucks dig up the road. … [Read more...] about Engineering Challenge: Can You Design and Build a Truck?