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Calvin Asks: How can I keep my daughter inspired in engineering subjects?

My daughter is 11 and loves all things STEM! However they don’t do a lot of science at school and I want to make sure she stays interested in the subject.


I am clueless about engineering and I was hoping to get some advice about interesting activities to inspire her.


I'm a single mum and money is tight, so big expensive things are out – any suggestions on what I can do?


Looking for inspiration - Brighton

 
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  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    Visit inspiring places.  Some of these will be free and some will be more inspiring than others.  Being inspired is personal so wide exposure at that age is key.

    http://www.stemsussex.co.uk/primary/places-to-visit/


    My local university holds a science school for girls, I'd hope you could find something similar with the University of Sussex.  You'll need to ask directly as, in my experience, these things don't need to be widely advertised to fill their places.


    Visit Bletchley Park if you haven't already.  It's brilliant.  If you have, go again, too much to take in in one go.
  • That's exactly what I was going to suggest David Jolly‍ ! smiley


    There's a ton of engineering everywhere so visiting some interesting places is such a good idea if you need to do it on a budget. 


    Don't forget that the science museum is always an interesting place to go. Entrance is free although you will have to pay the train fare from Brighton to London. But again there are 'off-peak' deals to be had.. wink


    Another good idea would be television.... Programmes such as 'Impossible Engineering' and 'How it's made' etc are fascinating to watch. So I'd consider making time to watch those types of educational programmes together, instead of tuning into the mind-numbing conveyor belt of X Factor, Made in Chelsea, Love Island and other low quality programming (my opinion wink It's not the sort of stuff that I care to watch!) 


    Good luck! smiley
  • Lisa beat me with the suggestion of the Science Museum, but another one is the Natural History Museum. However the cheapest option is the local library (if you still have one - too many councils are closing them). There should be a good selection of popular science books. Finding such books written by TV personalities always helps (e.g. Professor Brian Cox, Marcus de Soto, etc.) since their names can be linked to TV programmes.

    Another option is to search for internet available programmes. Just going to BBC and searching for 'Engineering' brings up a list of programmes from the past available on i-Player which I don't remember but am already thinking would be fun to watch.

    Alasdair
  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    Brighton Science Week started on Tuesday.  Is this a co-incidence?
    http://www.brightonscience.com/events/


    Looks like a great programme of events, wish we lived closer, that would be 1/2 term filled up.
  • I agree with most people that looking out for interactive events aimed at that age is the way to go.  The Glasgow Science Centre is amazing, do lots of activities and  also events like this:  Curiosity Live


    This event showcases talent, research, innovation and creativity. You can go along and participate in research that's happening now, right on our doorstep with people who are carrying out ground-breaking work in their specialisms of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics.


    This can showcases areas of research that may engage with kids.


    Sign up for social media blogs/postings for STEM focused activities in your area.


    Also, get involved as kids will follow your lead if you are taking part and enjoying learning with them.


  • Another great place is The Observatory in Herstmonceaux in East Sussex. My children love it there - they prefer it to the Science Museum in fact. The place is a bit tired around the edges but they have some brilliant interactive stuff and it's inexpensive entry . They also have a great outdoor play area with fantastic things to do.

    I can't recommend it highly enough. My daughter is 11 and loves it there (as I do)


    I agree its hard for kids to get involved in STEM outside of school - or so it seems
  • Here's a suggestion (given the excellent ideas above): Could there be an IET "TripAdviser-like" page on this website for member recommended engineering/STEM attractions? Particularly the more obscure ones. Having done a (very) quick search on the web I can't see anyone else having done it for the UK - at least, only for the big obvious attractions. 


    Of course it'll have to have a "this information may not be up to date, please check" caveat, but as long as each entry has a website link that should be fine?


    I have lots of suggestions to kick it off, I'm sure many others here do too.


    Cheers,


    Andy
  • What an excellent idea Andy Millar‍ !


    Mmmm.... has got me thinking..... I've been looking at overhauling the 'Reviews' feature on this community so we can use it more effectively. Unfortunately it's been going down the priority list and overtaken by more important and urgent matters but your idea is a definite use case for what I have in mind for the feature! I'll be in touch... wink
  • If you want some things to do at home the STEM Toys of Christmas how-to-guide has some great hands on activities.
  • An issue which keeps coming up is; having established some level of curiosity in and enthusiasm for aspects of engineering, perhaps in the pre-teen years, why does that so often ebb away by the mid-teens? 

    Obviously this is a complex issue which has a very significant gender component, including gender stereotyping by society, although this is less pronounced in some other countries and cultures.  If we assume that a young person has an aptitude and enthusiasm for the application of science to achieve practical results, then why do so many begin to feel that Engineering and Technology does not offer a career pathway that they would wish to pursue , by the age of 13-14.  Is this “tripping point” created by social attitudes and gender related preferences, or are there other major causes? After all, more girls than boys are drawn towards the science of Biology. Geography and Art are relevant to some aspects of engineering. Strong interpersonal skills are needed in many roles to lead or coordinate. Perhaps we need to understand better which types of engineering and engineering related roles are more successful at maintaining the interest of a diverse range of people, to the point where this might become a viable career for them.

    Are we ourselves a major contributor to the problem?

    All the major Professional Engineering Institutions have long-established processes intended to ensure that only those who are exceptionally strong in mathematics, can pursue a career as a “professional engineer”, leading ultimately to Chartered Engineer recognition. Therefore, anyone who has not developed a talent or enthusiasm for mathematics as taught in school, by around the age of 14, leading them to strong GCSE and A level results, is already potentially falling out of the running. The Professional Institution view has traditionally been narrow, specialised and siloed, focussed on calculus or other advanced mathematical techniques relevant to their discipline. Other variations of careers have been either ignored, or at worst even looked down upon.  Examples include more practically orientated engineering careers such as skilled trades, technicians, engineers who are slightly less theoretically orientated. Less “pure” versions of engineering involving management, commercial and organisational skills. Types of practice outside the specialism such as architecture, topography, surveying, building etc. In fact in some eyes, almost anything outside the narrow definition of the accredited engineering degree course that they did or similar, isn’t “proper engineering”.  

    As someone who spent much of their early career in an almost exclusively male workplace of heavy engineering, where dirty overalls, hard hats and sexist attitudes were just normal. Much progress has been made over the last 30 years on gender issues in technical workplaces, but there is still much work to do. There is also much to do in addressing social-mobility, which sociologists assert has reduced in that time.  Many of those Chartered Engineers towards the end of their careers were products of the grammar school system, or were able to study at an affordable cost in “night school” during their twenties and thirties. Others slightly younger were given grants by local authorities to attend university provided they were reasonably successful in school.  We now have a highly competitive school system and very costly higher education system.  For example, I was speaking to a friend last week who has invested hugely in getting their son to pass his 11+ exam. A successful engineering graduate will also have to pay back their student loan. A good apprenticeship may be the answer, but there are not enough of them, spread widely enough and this “traditional” pathway even became stigmatised in recent decades.  

    Of course we need to ensure that pre-teens develop curiosity about how the world around them is constructed by mankind.  We then need to nurture that curiosity to turn it into an intellectual one, enabling those with an aptitude for a technical career to progress it.  If what we are achieving is just a series of tripping-points, that potentially crush any early enthusiasm, or allowing some to misuse our name to perpetuate forms of snobbery, then we need to address this.  


    Does anyone have direct personal experience of these issues and if so what should we do? Perhaps you disagree with my frame of reference? Are the issues in IT/Computing the same, or is that just cultural?