Momentix just launched their MotionKit on Kickstarter
STEM has a diversity problem: Only 22% of engineering undergrads are women and 30% are marginalized identities. But research shows we move the needle on the STEM gap by emphasizing creative problem-solving, resilience, and collaboration in STEM experiences.
Momentix just launched their MotionKit on Kickstarter. It’s a wooden toy that creates natural opportunities for kids to practice these skills through the process of building chain reaction machines.
“We just got fed up with seeing ‘STEM toys’ marked on every toy in stores. Just because a toy is made with science and technology or requires the laws of physics to work, doesn’t mean it’s teaching kids actual science skills,” says co-founder Anna Gilbertson. The Problems with Traditional STEM toys are:
1 – Screen intensive games and robots emphasize coding as the core of STEM, leaving out more active, social, and creative kids who are just as needed in technical fields.
2 – One-and-done Kits: Real science breakthroughs come from creative thinking and iterative problem-solving, but with those toys, you just learn to follow the steps.
3 – Plastic, Masculine: At an age when kids are learning to read social cues, branding toys with traditionally masculine colors sends a clear message about who belongs and who doesn’t.
Founders Alana Aamodt and Anna Gilbertson can comment on the following hot topics:
- Shift from STEM toys to 21st Century + Design Toys → As AI and tech grow, uniquely human skills are increasingly important and will not only make better scientists, software engineers, and researchers, but also more adaptable, capable, and literate problem-solvers.
- Learning through Play → Play puts the brain in a malleable and receptive state and lowers performance and failure anxiety, making learning easier.
- Why Resilience is a critical skill for kids → Resilience is learning to react constructively in the face of failures and emotional upset. It’s linked to improved mental health and increased life satisfaction.
- Why diversity in STEM makes STEM better → Diverse teams do better science, come up with more creative ideas, and generate more insight.
Alana says, “We studied design in parallel with physics. Being curious, coming up with new and creative ways to solve problems, failing fast, and iterating were taught in our design courses, but not in our physics courses, even though real world science actually requires a lot of these design skills.” On the choice to make a wooden toy, Anna says, “With the toy industry being the most plastic-intensive in the world, we made our toy plastic-free. It calls into action your forgotten projects, junk drawer misfits, and old toys, giving them new purpose in chain reaction machines.”
In a landscape where a lot of the STEM toys marketed towards girls are just glorified crafting kits, the Momentix MotionKit shows the whimsical, joyful, creative, and feminine side of STEM while giving kids tools that will have a lasting effect on their ability to learn and their self-perception.
Available only on Kickstarter Sept 14 to Oct 12.
For more information, please visit the links below
Website URLs: www.momentixtoys.com
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Blogs:
Thinking with your hands
How Rube Goldberg Machines can teach the next generation of scientists
The Secrets of Effective Hands-on Learning
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
