Usually, for countries that have four seasons, they always have summer camps and parents are excited to send their children to go for the camps because of the benefits of the camps for their children.
However, in Malaysia, we do not have to wait for summer season to attend camps, especially STEM camps. All the camps in Malaysia are available especially during school holidays. Why STEM camps? Is it that important for children?
These are the questions that are popping in parents’ head when they heard about STEM camps. In this article, we are listing all the answers for your questions.
1- Pop the Comfort Zone Bubble!
STEM camps are a unique venue for children’s development and growth in different aspects such as their communication skills. By joining STEM camp, your children are gently encouraged to step outside from their comfort zone without feeling pushed or intimidated. The children will communicate with other children and tend to develop good moral values as shown by their friends during the STEM camps.
In STEM camps, children will always be doing different activities that they have not done before (mostly). This way, the children are slowly and lovingly pushed to complete the work and overcome the challenges that they faced. For instance, when a child hates counting, in STEM projects, sometimes they will require the child to count and measure. The child will happily do so because he/she will be very eager to finish the projects without realizing he/she is actually counting. STEM camps have the perk to do this, putting the child in a different zone but still exciting and interesting to the children.
2- Confidence is the Key!
Indeed, confidence is the key to success. Children need to confident in anything that they do for them to be success and achieve anything that they want. How? STEM camps help children to develop confidence when they learn new skills and manage to overcome challenges faced when doing the activities. With all these new skills learnt, more success will be achieved by the children.
Are your children shy? STEM camps could help them to boost their self-esteem and get more opportunities to learn how to socialize with their friends. Once they know and understand the tricks, they will be excited and confident to talk to others.
3- Learn Basic STEM Skills
Where else could the children learn about basic STEM skills? Yes, in STEM camps. What are the basic STEM skills? When we are talking about basic STEM skills, we are referring to the ability of the children to solve the problem with science, mathematics, engineering and able to use technology, both unplugged and with tools. When the foundation of these four disciplines is strong, the entire learning phases of the children will change, better than before.
4- Explore Different Careers
STEM camps will introduce different careers to the children and help them to plan their future ahead. In STEM camps, children will start taking their baby steps in achieving what they want to be. How? In STEM camps, children will know the roles of an astronaut by building rockets and DIY telescope, an engineer by building and designing bridges or robots, a scientist by working on different experiments based on chemical reactions and many more.
When they are enjoying themselves doing all these experiments, it will inspire them to be an astronaut, engineer, scientist or a teacher. From there, next steps should be taken, enhancing their skills, through STEM camps too! Nowadays, there are a lot of STEM camps in Malaysia so why wait longer? Register your children, now!
5- Enhance Their Skills
21st-century skills. Through all the STEM experiments conducted in the camps, 21st-century skills are supported through all these activities. It might be all hands-on, fun and games for the children, which make them have a new perspective of different ways of learning STEM but the truth is, children are developed and skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving skill, innovation, collaboration, adaptability, and teamwork are enhanced. For example, in one of the STEM camps by ALFA and Friends, Nation Hero, children are required to think and design a boat to help the citizens that are stranded on an island.
In designing the boat, design thinking comes in and the innovation skill, critical thinking and problem-solving skill are all enhanced when the children need to design their boat with recyclable materials and some items provided. But this is what we want the children to learn. In the eyes of the children, it is just one fun and interesting activity to save the people by making a boat.
6-Curiosity Will Lead to Creativity
In STEM camps, children will be encouraged to think for answers for questions. The solutions are not provided by the teachers themselves; they evoke the curiosity of the children by letting them find out the answers through STEM activities. By doing this, STEM camps are the great medium for the children to be creative in finding different solutions for a problem. Children will understand that there is no right and wrong ways to solve problems but there are multiple ways to solve a problem. While doing some experiments, they will also understand that a solution is able to solve a few problems.
