On a recent trip to the bookstore, Mandi stumbled on a book called "Ellie, Engineer" by Jackson Pearce.  Our 8 year old daughter is named Eliana or "Ellie" for short.  A book about a girl engineer named Ellie?... that book was coming with us :) Ellie Engineer is a great story about a crafty little engineer.  She creates and builds inventions in her workshop inside the playhouse in her back yard.  Ellie works with her friends and kids in the neighborhood to build a gift for her friend Kit. Eliana has actually enjoyed reading this book aloud with her little sister Lily.  They both seem to love ..read more

In recent years, there has been a renaissance in STEM related toys being developed as toy manufactures realize that parents are seeking out more impactful and even educational toys. Shhhh... don't tell the kids we're giving them things that are both tons of fun to play with and also great learning tools. Over the years with our four kids, we've experimented with lots of different STEM toys. Here's a list of some great ideas of toys you should consider if you're still looking for great Christmas gift ideas. 1. Wonder Workshop - Dash, Dot and Cue Robots We love these robots from Wonder Work ..read more

Looking for a fun way to learn the elements of the periodic table?  How about making each element into a delicious cookie! Earlier this fall, our home school group got together at our house to put together this delicious science project.  Kids of different ages participated in putting together all of the elements.   This project requires students to reference the period table the entire time.  Students have to find each of the elements and their symbols as well as the position on the table.  It prompts great questions and discussions about the elements that certainly wouldn't come up when sim ..read more