The University of Delaware – Diane Kukich
“Melissa Jurist, coordinator of K-12 education in the College of Engineering at the University of Delaware, gets emails from parents every year at about this time asking her about holiday gifts for their kids who love science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). “I tell them to get the tools that real scientists use, guide their children with activities that bring their world and the scientific world as close as possible, and, most importantly, have a blast,” says Jurist, who launched her career on Sesame Street. “What makes the most sense, to me, is to provide multiple points of access to STEM — equipment, books and activities,” she adds. “I don’t differentiate gifts by gender, and I don’t think STEM materials need to be expensive.” Jurist has compiled two “learning labs,” one for less experienced/younger children and one for more experienced/older kids. These items can be found in hardware stores, hobby shops, science stores and through online vendors. Links are provided for some of the harder-to-find items.”(more)