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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Play puts the brain in a malleable and receptive state and lowers performance and failure anxiety, making learning easier.
- 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.
- Diverse teams do better science, come up with more creative ideas, and generate more insight.
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.
You can learn more in this interview.
Why is it important to have an alternative to traditional STEM toys?
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. Science skills are the skills needed to do science better-- that's everything from idea generation to knowledge of first principles to keeping a level head when things don't go to plan.
Traditional STEM toys reflect the culture of STEM as a whole. Screen intensive games and robots leave out more active, social, and creative kids who are just as needed in technical fields. One-and-done kits teach kids to follow instructions, rather than engaging them in creative thinking and iterative problem-solving, which is how real science breakthroughs happen. And, plastic, masculine building systems send a clear message about who belongs in STEM and who doesn't.
The motionKit gets kids moving, thinking, and off of their screens, uses challenges to drive exploration rather than instructions for completion, and is designed to visually represent the creative and feminine side of STEM-- all while giving kids science skills that will have a lasting effect on their ability to learn and their self-perception.
How can kids learn resilience through play?
Play puts the brain in a malleable state, lowering performance anxiety and making learning easier. While building chain reactions with the motionKit, things go wrong. Kids have to manage the emotion of failure and react constructively by formulating a plan and trying something new. Giving them the chance to practice this framework in the low-stakes world of play prepares them to be resilient in academics and in life.
Why is it important for adults to encourage kids of all backgrounds to explore STEM topics?
STEM has a diversity problem, so it's important that we do what we can to call more types of kids into science fields. Research shows we can move the needle on the STEM gap by emphasizing creative problem-solving, resilience, and collaboration in STEM experiences. Plus, the big problems of the future are going to need diverse teams-- Diverse teams do better science, come up with more creative ideas, and generate more insight.
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. Science skills are the skills needed to do science better-- that's everything from idea generation to knowledge of first principles to keeping a level head when things don't go to plan.
Traditional STEM toys reflect the culture of STEM as a whole. Screen intensive games and robots leave out more active, social, and creative kids who are just as needed in technical fields. One-and-done kits teach kids to follow instructions, rather than engaging them in creative thinking and iterative problem-solving, which is how real science breakthroughs happen. And, plastic, masculine building systems send a clear message about who belongs in STEM and who doesn't.
The motionKit gets kids moving, thinking, and off of their screens, uses challenges to drive exploration rather than instructions for completion, and is designed to visually represent the creative and feminine side of STEM-- all while giving kids science skills that will have a lasting effect on their ability to learn and their self-perception.
How can kids learn resilience through play?
Play puts the brain in a malleable state, lowering performance anxiety and making learning easier. While building chain reactions with the motionKit, things go wrong. Kids have to manage the emotion of failure and react constructively by formulating a plan and trying something new. Giving them the chance to practice this framework in the low-stakes world of play prepares them to be resilient in academics and in life.
Why is it important for adults to encourage kids of all backgrounds to explore STEM topics?
STEM has a diversity problem, so it's important that we do what we can to call more types of kids into science fields. Research shows we can move the needle on the STEM gap by emphasizing creative problem-solving, resilience, and collaboration in STEM experiences. Plus, the big problems of the future are going to need diverse teams-- Diverse teams do better science, come up with more creative ideas, and generate more insight.
How does STEM education benefit kids even if they don't end up in STEM-related careers?
The motionKit teaches resilience, divergent thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving. While these skills are linked to professional success and diversity in STEM, they're also valuable for every child, regardless of the field they enter.
Resilience is linked to improved mental health and increased life satisfaction. Creative ideation is linked to happiness and greater job satisfaction. Whether you're parenting a child, working on a report with a colleague, or sharing a toy in Kindergarten, collaboration is critical to success in life across career and age. 75% of employers rate teamwork and collaboration as “very important.” Problem-solving skills give kids the confidence to face unknowns not just in science, but in life, and are linked to higher self-esteem.
For more information, please visit the links below
Facebook: https://www.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
Instagram: https://www.
Kickstarter: https://www.
Alana Aamodt and Anna Gilbertson are co-founders of Momentix Labs, a toy company creating research-driven products and experiences that bring design skills--like iteration, creativity, and collaboration--into STEM education as a way to create space for more diversity in technical fields. With their toys, they’ve observed hundreds of kids in homes, at schools, and at camps and museums challenge themselves and fall in love with engineering. Their MotionKit launches on Kickstarter (pre-order) on September 14. From robotics research to teaching 7th grade to researching how to get more women into STEM, we combine kid-testing of our designs with our own experience to move the needle on the STEM gap.
The motionKit teaches resilience, divergent thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving. While these skills are linked to professional success and diversity in STEM, they're also valuable for every child, regardless of the field they enter.
Resilience is linked to improved mental health and increased life satisfaction. Creative ideation is linked to happiness and greater job satisfaction. Whether you're parenting a child, working on a report with a colleague, or sharing a toy in Kindergarten, collaboration is critical to success in life across career and age. 75% of employers rate teamwork and collaboration as “very important.” Problem-solving skills give kids the confidence to face unknowns not just in science, but in life, and are linked to higher self-esteem.
For more information, please visit the links below
Facebook: https://www.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
Instagram: https://www.
Kickstarter: https://www.
Alana Aamodt and Anna Gilbertson are co-founders of Momentix Labs, a toy company creating research-driven products and experiences that bring design skills--like iteration, creativity, and collaboration--into STEM education as a way to create space for more diversity in technical fields. With their toys, they’ve observed hundreds of kids in homes, at schools, and at camps and museums challenge themselves and fall in love with engineering. Their MotionKit launches on Kickstarter (pre-order) on September 14. From robotics research to teaching 7th grade to researching how to get more women into STEM, we combine kid-testing of our designs with our own experience to move the needle on the STEM gap.
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