by Kelsey Rasmussen

“I want to help,” is a child’s invitation to be included in the meaningful work around him. Sometimes this means we won’t get loaded into the car on time, so we decide to do the task ourselves and skip the teachable moment. Other times, we slow down and let our child(ren) engage in learning by doing the real work of life. It benefits a child to develop skills and, once he’s mastered those skills and can genuinely help set the table or peel the potatoes, it benefits parents, too.

Having taught science and engineering in secondary public school for 15 years, I’ve learned that much of what people do in everyday life is engineering. You’re “engineering” whenever you identify a problem (we need to water the plants while we’re Up North), come up with a solution (let’s put the sprinkler on a timer), and repeat the solution until it works (you know it never works the first time!).

You do science every time you pursue a testable question: Does our family enjoy mac and cheese better when made with cream or cream of celery soup? Do tomato plants in direct sun produce more tomatoes than those in partial shade? Does fertilizing once or twice per month produce larger watermelons?

Artistic creativity is involved in engineering and experimental design. The buzzword STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, art and math because they all interweave.

• Art uses creativity for expression, for example, open-ended exploration with materials like paint or craft supplies. Kids may design toothpick-gumdrop sculptures or popsicle-stick-and-glue barns.
• Engineering focuses creativity to solve a problem. For example, use craft supplies or recycled-materials to create a shelter for birds or bugs or to create a mail-and-cell-phone holder to help the family stay organized.
• Science answers testable questions for discovery. For example, you can test which bug-hotel design attracts more mason bees.

Don’t limit yourself. A person can be an artist, engineer and scientist depending on the need. In fact, most 4-year-olds already are!

Activity Highlight:

Take your child’s favorite craft and add this simple constraint: it has to help someone or something. A popsicle-stick structure becomes a bird feeder; a recycled cardboard box with bamboo straws or cardboard tubes becomes a bee hotel. Test whether these work by watching and counting visitors. Your little artist has become an engineer—probably without even noticing the difference!