Challenging Kids of ALL Ages

You heard me.  The "product" I love that challenges my two year old and my ten year old. AT.THE.SAME.TIME.

I am a huge proponent of play based learning. I also have a almost three year old boy with speech goals.  There could not be a better way for me to work with him on these goals.  I don't do very well with toys all over the place- it actually makes my eyes cross.  I love that STEM bins allows him to play to his heart's content WITH some structure.  Let me give you a little peek....

We lost our playroom when we moved to our new house so I am working on a play closet.  It is a very long closet under the stairs.  I am pretty obsessed with these shelving units from IKEA...they are perfect for everything!!!

Smith loves to look at the cover of the boxes and decide what tools he wants to work with.

 And those dino jammies make my heart swoon!!!

My favorite part of STEM bins?  These cards!  They are perfect for Smith.  He doesn't have to read anything to understand that he has a task.  There are also cards that challenge Nash and Emmie as well, I just forgot to get a picture! Drats!

I can't say enough about the wonderful talking Smith was doing while he was building and engineering!

After the big kids came home from school and I was working on dinner, all three kids grabbed a different STEM bin and set of cards to work on.  

 Nash even asked me if I could suggest STEM Bins to his teacher :)

 Another part of STEM bins that I love so much is the collaboration aspect.  When kids have a mutual purpose, their discussions typically shift in the direction toward more productivity. 

Last but not least reason that I love STEM bins for at home is the focus on fine motor.  Nash has always struggled a little with his grip, handwriting, tying, etc.  This is a perfect way for him to work on these skills in a play based way!

Overall we are INCREDIBLY happy with STEM Bins and know they will grow with our family. What you didn't see in my post was the box that came with every last thing I could ever need for STEM Bins, even down to the velcro circles and small binder rings for the cards. Brooke also included a blackline booklet so that you can copy and use the accompanying printables over and over again!