The My Box of STEAM project is 1 year old! Let’s celebrate! During this time, all partners have worked hard to bring useful content to the website and, so far, only a select few had access to it. No more!
First of all, the pedagogical guide has just been published on the Resource page of the website. It was written by all partners from the project and formatted by Grimm Sisters, who added some wonderful illustrations to the document. You may browse it to find some information about what STEAM is and how it differs from STEM, and what preparatory steps to take if you are considering creating boxes just like we do. This guide is available in all languages of the project and in English, so we hope you can give it a look.
Next up, the first boxes will also be made available soon! All 36 boxes are the main production of the project. On this website, you will find:
- A box notice that will help you gather the material needed and conduct the experiment while making the most of the resource;
- A “Creation of the elements” file to explain how to recreate the experiment, step-by-step and how to use the storytelling resource with schemes;
- A storytelling resource to involve children in the activity more efficiently through a story, drawings and interactive elements;
- Two pedagogical sequence frameworks to use the boxes in class or to teach your children new things about the world that surrounds them!
All boxes will have been tested in class before coming to the website, which ensures that you will have quality material at your disposal. You are free to use and adapt all boxes as you see fit; however, don’t forget to credit the project when using the boxes in public! Also, these boxes are not meant to be sold: they are provided to you for free, and they must remain free for all.
If you are excited about discovering the first boxes that will appear on our website, so are we! In order to give you a taste of what is coming, here are the themes of the first 11 boxes that will be made available:
- Botany
- Clean the ocean
- Conductors and insulators
- Geometrical shapes
- How magnets work
- How to use a map
- Learn the colours
- Solar energy
- Solid figures
- Sundial
- Water cycle
The remaining 25 boxes will appear progressively throughout the year. Check our website so that you do not miss them!
Later this year, you will also have access to the Box roadmap, which is a guide that details the box creation process from the first thought to the in-class activity. It can be used as a way to understand better how we created our own boxes and to answer your questions when it comes to creating your own boxes. Finally, the implementation guide will be written by the three school partners of the project as a way to explain how to use the boxes in the classroom: how to best create the elements of the box, how to tell the story, etc.
Stay tuned!