So, you’ve bought the most recent STEM toy for your kids. Whether it’s a collaborative build or a basic science kit, it’s a better option for your child as the educational component is disguised by the fun in the process. You build it together, incorporate the educational aspects, and then it’s complete. Now what?
Even if you could repeat the engineering design process process (for some toys and kits, the kit can only be assembled once), it would be tedious for both the parents and children. It’s a one and done: your stem toy collects dust on the shelf and the important educational aspects are as good as forgotten. Onto the next short lived STEM toy purchase?
The STEM market for kids is all the rage, growing at a fast rate and gaining the interest of Amazon and other big box retailers who are looking to enter the competitive market. This is most likely due to an overwhelming 90% of parents encouraging their children to pursue careers in some form of STEM field. STEM classes are increasing across the country, but are often provided later in a child’s elementary timeline. In an attempt to stimulate an early interest, parents are now asking themselves what the right direction is in terms of early childhood education outside of the classroom.
There are an immense amount of products to browse: architecture related build kits (from Legos to Structural Engineering kits), science experiment boxes to do at home, basic circuitry and coding, the options are quite endless. Yet, many STEM toys are single use, expensive, forgotten after they are figured out. In a sea of products, it’s hard to tell which STEM product will actually make an impact on a child’s education or is worth the investment.
Thimble fills the gap: a STEM subscription box that incorporates engineering and coding concepts into one reusable kit. It ranges in difficulty based on the experience of the learner and comes with an online subscription service that provides tutorial videos and directions for children (and parents!). An extensive array of builds to create are taught on the online platform so the fun and learning never ends, all at an affordable price.
Thimble uses project-based learning to keep students engaged, with an abundance of different electrical, engineering, and coding builds for kids to assemble in one kit. The projects are expandable and connectable: the robot kit, for example, is built upon through many different modules and can be connected to other Thimble projects. The learning experience doesn’t end, it’s only built upon. Past STEM projects are continuously touched upon, and there’s nothing to “sit up on a shelf” since materials from various builds are constantly brought back to life in future tutorials. Interested in learning more? Learn more about our monthly STEM subscription for kids.