With more emphasis on STEM/STEAM-based learning, and more children of all genders and ages getting interested in the hard sciences, educational toys designed to engage and teach about scientific concepts and principles are at the forefront of new and exciting ways to teach kids and families about the physical underpinnings of our world.
Luciteria Science is quickly becoming the premier source of educational toys and element samples, providing unique and interesting ways to get hands-on with our world. With the launch of Luciteria Science's educational toys and learning kits for the classroom or home enthusiast, element collecting has never been cooler or more fun. Here are seven fun and easy ways to get involved in this exciting hobby!
1. Is it in you?
One of the most interesting and surprising ways to start collecting elements is by learning what elements are in your own body. It's estimated that a 70kg (154lb) human body contains .2 milligrams of gold! This is an exciting way to teach children and adults alike not only about the elements, but about concepts such as the metric system, metric to Imperial conversion, how to calculate the gold content of their own bodies, and so on.
2. What's this even made of?
Many element collectors start with things made from elements, rather than trying to get pure samples off the bat. Neon signs contain noble gases such as neon, krypton, xenon, and argon, which fluoresce different colors when exposed to electrical current. Common over-the-counter medicines and remedies such as Pepto-Bismol give you pink bismuth, magnesium, and so on. Iodized table salt contains iodine, sodium, and chlorine. With some intellectual curiosity and a little ingenuity, your budding collector will be seeing elements everywhere they can be found-which is everywhere! Even better, they'll learn about chemistry, physics and how the elements create everything from the "lead" in their pencils to the family pets!
3. Are we having fun ore what?
For those who like to get outside and explore, rockhounding is a great, hands-on way to examine elements in their raw forms and learn about geological principles and how to read the stories rocks can tell us. Different colored crystals in an agate give clues to their origins and the processes which shaped them. Red dirt signifies a high iron content. Granite contains a number of elements in various combinations.
4. Play with it
Chemistry sets, science kits, and educational toys are all great ways to learn about STEM-related concepts and principles. Everything from geology to biochemistry to astrophysics is waiting to be discovered-and knowing how the elements impact and affect the world we see and experience on a daily basis offers thrilling ways to gain new insights into our world and our universe through the medium of play!
5. Family night fun
Uno and Candyland are great, but what if you want to learn and entertain at the same time? Element collecting offers fun ways to engage the whole family and shake out of the "same old same old" rut, especially while COVID continues to be a threat. Choose elements based on everyone's ages, shoe sizes or first names and see who can find the most representations of those elements in a specific room or your house, with a special prize or treat for the winner!
6. Learning is fun
Study after study has shown that learning is more enjoyable, and students get more out of it, when it's interactive and allows them to actually see and explore the concepts they're learning rather than just memorizing rote lists. STEM educational toys are wonderful because they add a playful element to learning and can be adapted to many different roles within the learning process depending on the subject in question. From math to physics, the only limit to how STEM toys can be incorporated in learning is your own imagination.
7. Pure pleasure, pure science
For the devoted collector, only the purest possible representations of the elements will suffice. Companies like Luciteria Science source element samples of uncompromising purity and beauty, suitable for the die-hard collector and the casual aficionado alike. As unique gifts and educational toys that combine learning and fun in new and exciting ways, STEAM toys have never been more beautiful or enjoyable for collectors and students of all ages.
