children – KC Engineering and Land Surveying, P.C.

November 8, 2021 By Decire Gonzalez KC'S BLOG #Activities • #skills • 2021 • children • Engineering • STEM 0 Comments

National STEM Day

This Monday, November 8, is National STEM Day. The term STEM is a catch-all acronym for the following academic disciplines: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This holiday was created by a toy company named MGA Entertainment in 2015 to allow children to engage in these academic disciplines in fun and entertaining ways. This allows children to explore their interest in these academic disciplines and at the same time allows them to find their career passion at an early age.

In celebration of National STEM Day, here are some activities you can do with your children to help them develop and/or advance their STEM skills:

To get your children invested in science, try conducting experiments with them about the effects of greenhouse gases. This will teach children about climate change and exploring data collection. https://www.steampoweredfamily.com/activities/the-greenhouse-effect-experiment/
To get your children invested in technology, build a solar-powered house. This can be created out of paper, and it teaches your children about alternative energy resources. https://tinybeans.com/sun-science-experiments/slide/1
To get your children invested in engineering, try building, planning, and/or designing structures out of blocks and papers. This will teach your children how engineers use technology to solve everyday problems. https://babbledabbledo.com/science-for-kids-paper-building-blocks/
To get your children invested in math, try playing adding and subtracting games. This can stimulate children’s problem solving skills. https://kidactivities.net/mixing-math-fun/

There are hundreds of other activities your children can do to stimulate their STEM skills. Even if they choose a career path outside of STEM, these activities can be useful in their everyday lives. For more information about STEM, go to: https://www.ed.gov/stem

June 29, 2020 By Decire Gonzalez KC'S BLOG 2020 • children • Engineering • LEGO • STEM • STEM Camp 0 Comments

LEGO Summer Camps for Little Big Engineers

Are LEGOs one of your child's favorite toys? If so, you may have a little big engineer in the making.

According to lego.com, “the name ‘LEGO’ is an abbreviation of the two Danish words ‘leg godt,’ meaning ‘play well’."

LEGOS are defined as a development toy comprising of interlocking plastic structure squares.

LEGOs are not just pieces of construction blocks that come in different colors and / or shapes or just a method of entertainment for children. LEGOs help children explore their creative sides. In addition, they can be tools that help children identify the career choices they want to achieve as an adult. For example, LEGOs can help children identify if they want to become architects or engineers.

For most children, the end of a school year and the beginning of summer vacation is very exciting because they can stay up late, go on vacations, have sleepovers, and enjoy a lot of other fun activities. However, summer can be a stressful season for most parents. While continuing their busy schedules, most parents spend months trying to find the best summer camp for their children. Now, many summer camps have listened to parents' requests and camp directors have created summer activities that fit the parents’ interests as well as the children’s needs.

There are LEGO summer camps and classes available for little big engineers. These camps were developed to help children learn and shape their futures at a very young age. The camps activities are for all different age groups and some of the activities consist of learning how engineers think and learning how to use simple engineering mechanisms while also having fun and enjoying the summer.

For more information about LEGO summer camps or summer activities where your children can participate, visit www.activityhero.com/activities/lego-camps-classes

April 20, 2020 By Decire Gonzalez KC'S BLOG 2020 • children • coronavirus • COVID-19 • Engineering • homeschool • science • STEM 0 Comments

STEM Activities for Kids to Enjoy During Quarantine

For kids who hated to wake up and get ready for school, the recent stay-at-home orders likely seemed like a welcome break from the normal routine. But, even for the children who were not fans of the daily school routine, after being stuck at home for over a month, the novelty has likely long since worn off.

Not to worry, we have compiled a list of fun activities and websites that can help stave off boredom for at least the next few weeks.

Dr. Kate Biberdorf (Kate the Chemist), on the Today website, offers up recommendations for two science experiments for kids, including the creation of homemade puffy slime.
The Legends of Learning website is currently offering access to free math and science games.
LiveScience.com has listed a roundup of activities and resources available to supplement home learning during the coronavirus pandemic.
The James Dyson Foundation, an organization aimed at raising up and educating the next generation of engineers in the United Kingdom (UK), is offering 44 science challenges, available for download, on its website.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has created a website that offers education for kids in the area of artificial intelligence (AI).
Bonus for parents: Check out this article on what Google is doing to launch a new category of apps in the Google Play Store called, “Teacher Approved”. When you download any of these apps, which can be found within the Kids tabs in the Play Store, you can rest assured that these apps have been pre-approved by educators.

Being stuck at home does not have to be boring. It can be an opportunity for kids to engage in the kind of fun educational activities they would not otherwise have time for. And best of all, they get to enjoy these activities while spending quality time with you.

July 15, 2019 By Decire Gonzalez KC'S BLOG 2019 • bridge construction • children • construction • Engineering • STEM • structural engineering 0 Comments

The Building Blocks of Little Engineers

Today’s toy market is making it easier than ever for kids to find a passion for engineering. With big companies such as K’NEX and LEGO® coming out with more educational and stimulating toys, kids are able to develop problem solving and innovative skills at an early age. Both K’NEX and LEGO® now have education lines marketed towards schools and kids eager to learn hands on.

K’NEX is the younger of the two companies, but their focus on kids’ creativity in the classroom has made them a notable toy and learning tool. K’NEX Education features sets that teach kids how to build bridges, amusement park rides, and even renewable energy machines. Their focus on STEM toys allows teachers to have a creative and understandable approach towards complicated theories and equations that some kids have trouble understanding. By allowing for hands-on application of what is taught in the classroom, students are able to have a deeper comprehension of the subject as well as real world application.

LEGO® Education is another tool that gives teachers a more relatable medium in which to reach their students. These sets have allowed kids to take more effective control over STEM subjects. While original LEGO® bricks have always taught kids to think creatively and innovatively, LEGO® Education puts the focus more directly on the negotiation of complicated fields such as robotics and computer science. With the LEGO® Education SPIKE Prime, kids are invited to take their creations to the next level. Surpassing the physical bricks, LEGO® has created an easy-to-learn system that incorporates computer coding and programming to create functioning robots.

Now more than ever, there is an urgent need for engineers and other STEM professions. As technology advances and the world begins to change, younger generations will have to find a way to navigate within it. These toys are great tools to get them started.

Disclaimer: LEGO^®is a trademark of the LEGO® Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this site.

August 28, 2017 By Evan Thomas KC'S BLOG 2017 • children • learning • STEM • technology education design • ted talk 0 Comments

Making Engineering Accessible

TED is a lecture series with events around the world focusing on Technology, Entertainment, and Design. As designers who work to create a more functional world, we at KC feel TED “Talks” generally do an excellent job of bringing big, complex ideas down to the ground. Here’s one of our favorites: Fawn Qiu’s “Easy DIY projects for kid engineers”.

Fawn Qiu’s mission to develop simple, clever, and engaging engineering projects for children is guided by three principles:

Every project has a low floor, in that they are affordable and technically simple.
Every project has a high ceiling, meaning there is plenty of room for the scope of the project to grow. Creativity is encouraged.
Every project is customizable. In order to keep people engaged, it’s important to make sure they are invested in the project’s outcome. KC knows how important this is. Every one of our projects is a custom solution for a client with very specific needs—always new, always a challenge that we are thrilled to overcome.

We think accessible science projects are absolutely instrumental in getting children interested in the STEM fields from a young age. Watch Ms. Qiu’s video above, and then check out some of the links below for specific projects ideas. Be sure to find the KC table at your next school career fair!

Phone Numbers

E-mail