Skillmatics Australia

Author: SkillmaticsAU

  • Kids DIY STEM Activity : Make Your Own Levitating/Floating Ball Device

    Have your kids experience and experiment the science with this simple DIY project where they will learn to make their own Floating/Levitating Ball Device with easy to find household items.

    But first, let’s talk about “air”. Air moves things and even lifts really heavy things, but to most people, the HOW is a mystery!⁣

    The basics of flight start with Bernoulli. ⁣Bernoulli was a Swiss mathematician who discovered that the faster air flows over the surface of something, the less the air pushes on that surface. That means that the air pressure on the object is lower than average.

    For today’s experiment, that means that blowing air through a straw beneath a ball will cause the ball to levitate! Your air pushes the ball upwards but the fast flow of air around the sides creates a low pressure area that keeps the ball from shooting off somewhere else. It’s like an invisible cage. This concept is what keeps air-planes in the sky as fast air moves over the upper surface of the wings and causes lift!⁣

    Below are the steps to Make Your Own Floating/Levitating Ball Device:⁣

    1. Gather the supplies (Straw, Cardboard Tube, Tape, Ping Pong Ball, Scissors).
    2. Cut a slot out of the cardboard tube. The slot should be halfway through the tube, about an inch in height, and 1/2 inch from the end.⁣
    3. Cut a hole just below the slot and slide the bendy end of the straw in the hole. Bend the end upwards and trim so that the straw will not touch the bottom of the ball.⁣
    4. Tape the straw to the tube where the hole was cut such that the bent part is centred within the tube.⁣
    5. Place the ping pong ball on top and blow thru the straw!⁣

    Video

    Now, let kids play, observe and answer following questions.

    1. How high can you make it levitate?
    2. What happens when you change the angle of the bent end of the straw?
    3. What other variables can you test?

    Looking for more DIY STEM Projects?

    Have a look at Skillmatics Buildables series below. Kids will Build, Learn and Explore as they BUILD their own devices with step-by-step instructions, LEARN with practical application of key STEM concepts and EXPLORE the world of science with lots of exciting challenges!

  • AGGRESSION IN CHILDREN: WHAT IT IS AND WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PREVENT IT

    An Overview

    In the age of violent video games and fight scene filled movies, parents are often worried that their child’s behaviour is increasingly aggressive. And while aggression may be an essential survival mechanism, increased frequency of these behaviours may lead to it becoming maladaptive. Understanding what this aggression looks like and what the underlying cause of it is can be the key for parents to deal with it effectively.

    What Does it Look like?

    Aggressive outburst in children can take numerous forms. It can be physical and include hitting, kicking or even biting. Alternatively, it can involve verbal outbursts, tantrums, and attempts to use violence or threats as means to an end. In older children, especially females, aggression can be more invisible and will involve manipulation. Most of the time these aggressive behaviours are a consequence of children’s frustration and inability to deal with emotions correctly and are expected. However, when they become frequent or part of their behavioural pattern, these behaviours can be termed as aggression. This aggression can either be proactive or reactive. Proactive aggression refers to those aggressive behaviours that are performed in order to achieve some personal gain, while reactive aggression is performed in response to a perceived threat.

    What Causes it?

    Biological Causes: Being aggressive is one of the innate tendencies of any human being and is an essential survival mechanism. In the required circumstances, many will resort to aggression. Therefore a lot of aggression stem from biological causes. While research suggests that girls and boys are equally aggressive, girls employ relational aggression strategies while boys are more overtly aggressive. Studies done on twins have also shown a salient link between genetic factors and aggression. The child’s temperament and emotional traits, hormone levels as well as prenatal intrauterine environment can also influence how aggressive a child is.

    Environmental Factors: Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory proves that aggressive behaviours are especially modelled by observation. Family, friends and those in the child’s immediate environment have a heavy influence on the kinds of behaviours the child picks up. Not only do children witness these behaviours and learn from them but also focus on the outcomes and repercussions of these behaviours. Furthermore, when children get what they want by engaging in aggressive behaviours, they are more likely to continue these behaviours. Children are susceptible to aggression by violent media and television. Pre-schoolers are most likely to be impacted by exposure to this sort of content.

    What you can do about it?

    1. Stay calm: Dealing with a child’s aggressive behaviour can often be a source of stress and anger to parents. It is essential to remain calm in response to these behaviours and even model emotional regulation. Teaching your child by example is one of the best ways to curb their behaviours.

    2. Immediately reprimand aggressive behaviours: Threats and warnings only show your child that their behaviour is excusable. Instead, don’t be afraid to take immediate action including time-outs and loss of privileges.

    3. Don’t give in to tantrums and reward positive behaviour: Giving into tantrums rewards and reinforces the negative behaviour. Thus your child is more likely to use a similar tactic to get what they want in the future. Therefore it is important to remain firm in your decisions. Rewards and praise are effective when your child performs a positive behaviour as it encourages them to continue doing the same. Don’t hesitate to praise or reward them when they react well to situations. These rewards shouldn’t be materialistic or financial.

    4. Teach replacement behaviours: Aggressive behaviours often occur because children are unable to regulate their emotions or manage their behaviours. Teaching your child these skills can help replace their aggressive behaviours. Another effective strategy is naming your child’s emotions. This validates how they are feeling and helps them understand and identify what they are feeling.

    5. Get professional help: Sometimes aggression occurs due to mental health conditions or behavioural disorders. If your child’s behaviour continues to get worse, becomes unmanageable and/or starts interfering with their daily functioning seek help from a professional.

  • Sleep Better With 5 Tips By Our In-House Child Psychologist!

    Sleep ‘enriches our ability to learn, memorise, and make logical decisions. It re-calibrates our emotions, restocks our immune system, fine-tunes our metabolism, and regulates our appetite.’ I learned about the importance of resting well when my college roommate at Sarah Lawrence took a course with Professor Meghan Jablonksi on the Psychology of Sleep and Health. The course examined sleep through a historical, developmental, neuropsychological, physiological and cultural lens. Therefore, comprehensively giving its students an incentive to spend less late nights at the library and be more regular in following a routine sleep cycle.

    Here are our tips on how to make sure that both you and your child are better rested:

    1. Stay away from caffeine post noon – The consumption of caffeine (your daily tea or coffee, fizzy drinks, etc.) can actually delay your body clock. Caffeine blocks adenosine (your body’s natural sleep-inducing agent) and researchers at the Harvard Medical School have reported disruptive qualities (you will wake up multiple times a night) linked closely to the quality of your sleep (interrupted vs. uninterrupted). 
    2. Exercise in the day to tire you out at night – As naturally energetic beings, humans require a sufficient level of activity in the day to tire them out at night. Exercise not only releases endorphins which put you in a better mood, it also physically exhausts you so that you can rest better each night! 
    3. Set a bedtime routine which you follow religiously – Your mind is trained to follow a routine! In fact, this is a part of “sleep hygiene” – a term referring to healthy sleep habits (such as reading or no screens before bedtime) which help you fall and stay asleep. Did you know that CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) is used for people who have chronic insomnia? 
    4. Clock the hours of sleep you get each night – The average human requires between 7 to 9 hours of rest per night. Try to better understand your sleep patterns and the impact they have on your quality of sleep and levels of energy the next day. Do you wake up feeling well-rested or do you feel groggy, slow and sluggish? If you said yes to the latter, that means you require more sleep! Children require adequate sleep to fuel their (naturally high) energy levels. 
    5. Create your sleep space – Is the temperature cool? Are your blinds down so as not to let sunlight in? Or do you prefer leaving them up so that you wake up naturally when it’s light out? Monitor the conditions that you need to get your best night’s sleep.

  • Why Early Childhood Is Important for Holistic Development?

    An overview

    Early childhood education sets the foundation for the formation of core values, advance in cognitive development and socio-emotional awareness going ahead. Experiences at a young age have a profound impact on a child’s thoughts and behavioural patterns. This has a direct impact on the kind of adult and learner they will become.

    The role of an environment

    A nurturing environment during their childhood coupled with stimulating experiences will allow their neurons to form additional connections, and thus lead your child to acquire new skills. The two key factors are interest and curiosity. This in turn, prepares them to be resilient and helps them overcome the challenges that school and life will place their way.

    For babies, learning about the world around them (and the acknowledgement that there is a world beyond them – moving away from egocentrism to sociocentrism) occurs during prenatal stages (before they are born – while they are inside their mother’s womb). This continues into the perinatal (right before and after birth) and postnatal stages.

    Developing relationships

    During these early stages, children learn how to navigate an array of relationships – ranging from a partnership with their parents to friendships with their peers to mentorship by their teachers. This helps them become lifelong learners and develop healthy habits for their well-being.

    UNICEF research

    The UNICEF website makes a strong case for the importance of early childhood development, citing on this page that ‘A good foundation in the early years makes a difference throughout adulthood and even gives the next generation a better start.’ Unicef research has confirmed the following:

    • Brain development is rapid during early childhood (imagine your child’s brain as a sponge that is soaking up all that it can). If familial support and nurturing tendencies are lacking, it can have a severe impact on the neurological construct of a child’s brain.
    • Nutrition and healthy brain development are, of course, closely linked.
    • When investing in this sector, yields can be 4-5 times the amount invested.

    The 4 main branches of early learning

    1. Social and emotional (reasoning abilities, self-regulation, social skills)
    2. Language and communication (the formation of sounds, verbal language acquisition, body language)
    3. Physical development/movement (fine and gross motor skills)
    4. Cognitive development (thinking, learning and problem-solving)

    Developmental milestones

    Parents can foster a more nurturing environment for their child by looking out for development milestones based on age group. The USA Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has a comprehensive list of developmental milestones which you can access here and this is another good resource which lists a more succinct list of basic developmental milestones.

    Choosing an early-childhood program

    Once your children are ready to attend nursery school, one could invest in the early childhood education/development program that best suits the needs of your child. Reading through the mission statements/ethos of the school and visiting in person (thus talking to teachers and fellow parents) will give you a better sense of the organisation.

    Here are a few factors to consider:

    • How far/close away is it from home? How much additional time will this add to your day-to-day as a parent and to your school going child’s routine?
    • Cost – Is the school worth the cost? Investing in your child is ultra important but so is financial security for the years of education that are to come. Early-childhood is worth the extra investment because it hones these lifelong skills as a learner.
    • What have other people said about the program? Does it have decent reviews? Have you asked the tough questions you’ve needed to ask?
    • Why that school? What is your child learning and how is education structured there?
    • Is it a good fit for your family and for your child? Does it align with the values you are inculcating at home and is it supplementing their at-home learning?

     

  • STEM & its impacts on education

    An overview

    STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning has always been a popular concept but one that has had a recent revival. If one observes what the consumer wants (through data collected from search terms and consumption patterns), STEM learning is high on the list. With technological advances and learning becoming increasingly digital (in the age of Coronavirus), it’s no surprise that parents want their children to grow up STEM savvy.

     

    All about STEM

    The National Academies Press of USA (an academic journal which often writes about education) wrote ‘The jobs people do, the foods they eat, the vehicles in which they travel, the information they receive, the medicines they take, and many other facets of modern life are constantly changing as STEM knowledge steadily accumulates.’ Perhaps this explains the urgency of those parents who want their children to learn about STEM. Traditionally, the field has seen a gendered dynamic (more male dominant and less women in STEM) which is now, slowly but surely, beginning to change. Governments all around the world now have started advocating for more women in this field.

     

    Where to begin?

    The allocation of time at home (before children formally begin classroom-based learning) can help mount an organic curiosity and thus interest for this field. From basic math equations (or a sudoku) to at-home science experiments to cooking (measurements, molecular gastronomy) to outdoor gardening (scientific discovery), parents have several options when it comes to the engagement of their child. However, ensuring that children have ample opportunity to engage with the ‘TE’ element of STEM: technology and engineering, has proved more challenging.

     

    How parents view STEM?

    For parents who implement screen time at home, monitoring and limiting this “screen time” can be challenging and they worry about over dependence on technology. After all, it’s become the new normal for your child to know what an instagram or snapchat filter looks like by the age of two. As for their use of machines or engines, and knowledge thereafter, it is virtually non-existent due to safety concerns. Parents worry too much about their children cutting things, or fiddling with batteries and spare parts. This is a valid concern but when it is developmentally appropriate (activities must of course be supervised and chosen/modified according to age-appropriate brackets), parents can instill a sense of purpose and confidence in their children. Showing them how and explaining the why will attract your child to STEM.

     

    Why is STEM important?

    The impacts on education through contributions in this field have been profound. From medical discoveries (e.g. this team at Oxford University working on COVID-19) to e-learning (e.g. Khan Academy) to engineering advancements (e.g. the modern invention of the Tesla) to MOOCs (massive online, open courses) changing our mathematical discourse… no one can doubt its importance and role in early childhood education.

    The issue we must now confront is how to better incorporate STEM during the early years. Fortunately, educational games companies (like us, at Skillmatics) are working hard on a solution. For instance, our range of Buildables is a great way to supplement at-home STEM learning. Parents who value STEM and its impacts on education can also check out our list of resources.

  • Why Problem Solving is an important skill for kids to acquire?

    Have you been in a situation where you were at crossroads and had to make a choice? How do you assess the two alternatives and reach a final decision? The ability to look at a situation objectively, analyze the potential alternative solutions and come out with a logical next step is the basis of problem solving.

    The skill of problem solving requires some critical sub skills like common sense, logical reasoning, sequential thinking, understanding consequences and the ability to focus on the critical aspects of a situation.

    When a child finds their way through a maze, sorts objects to categories or predicts patterns the brain is developing basic reasoning and problem solving abilities. You often observe children working their way back from the end of a maze towards the start.

    This is brilliance at play – “Begin with the end in mind.” They understand that working backwards can solve the problem.

    Another example is when a child is attempting to place blocks on top of one another to build a tower. The child understands that the block at the bottom should be wider than the one on top so that the tower does not collapse.

    There are several parts to solving a problem and as a parent you can intervene at the necessary stages to help build problem solving skills in your child:

    1. Recognizing the problem – While it sounds obvious, often recognizing a problem is the most difficult step in the process. As a parent, you should encourage your child to identify problems, for example – “Why is the tower collapsing again and again?”
    2. Replaying a similar problem from memory – Encouraging your child to relate the problem to similar experience will allow a child to “play back” learning’s from when he or she encountered such a problem earlier.
    3. Considering relevant information that applies to the problem- This involves processing all the available information to generate potential solutions. You should ensure that your child has considered all the factors involved.
    4. Generating solutions – This is all about finding answers to help solve the problem. As a parent, you must avoid giving your young one’s ready solutions. Rather you must help them work through the problem to generate their own solutions.

    Across the Skillmatics range, we have multiple age appropriate activities that are designed to develop and build problem-solving skills in children. Whether it is mazes, categorization, pattern recognition, Sudoku, math problems or special problem solving games – we have it all! Your child may find some activities challenging which may prompt them to give up. Our activities are designed to teach perseverance and as a parent you should support them so that they do not give up and keep trying until they can find the solution. It is important to realize that the understanding always comes from within the child. Once a child begins to enjoy the ‘Aha’ moments, he or she will be able to learn new concepts and solving challenges with ease and independence!