Makin' it work

Anastasia has a keen interest in how things work ... mechanically, electronically, chemically: all of it. She's been helping Orlando fix motorcycles since she was a toddler, and there's nothing more interesting to her than when he has something disassembled on the dining room table. One of her favorite shows TV is "How It's Made", which I dutifully watch and try to be interested in. Orlando and I very much want to encourage her excitement in how the world works. So, included in the gifts under the tree this year, were presents aimed at creating, not just imagining or playing. The crafty side of our girl got a rainbow loom, a latch hook kit, and a couple of robot building kits. I've managed to catch lots of pictures of her hunched over a project making a bracelet or working on her panda latch hook. This is a nice change from staring at the TV.



Another present that we're all pretty excited about targets her inner engineer. When we saw the Snap Circuits kit in a catalog, we both thought it was super cool. Learning about how electrical circuits work without the challenge of twisting wires and soldering connections seemed pretty fun. So, during winter break, when Anastasia pulled it out, Orlando and I were both pretty excited to play with it. We started from the beginning of the book and Anastasia began putting together light switches, battery testers, and various noise makers, checking each project off as she went.

After about an hour, she decided she wanted to try project number 162 - AM Radio with Transistors. With Orlando's help, she followed the step by step instructions and the result was awesome.



I've spent a lot of time thinking about how to encourage Anastasia's interest in science and math when so much of the media around her are driving her toward the pink aisle. Now, she's a girly girl who loves to dress in pink and sparkles, is desperate for a pair of high heels, and prizes the make-up kit that Myney gave her for her 7th birthday like her own personal treasure. She loves her Barbies, and I'm not going to try to persuade her to leave them behind. But, none of those things feed her love of science. Shortly before Christmas, I saw this video for Goldiblox, a very cool engineering set that's designed specifically for girls.



I love that there's a company out there actively working to encourage girls' interests in science and engineering. I considered adding it to Anastasia's Christmas stash, but decided we'd bought enough already. In the end, I'm glad I didn't. We've got a little girl who doesn't see gender bias in science (yet). As long as we, and her teachers at school, can continue to cultivate her love of science, I think we may have a future engineer (or astrophysicist, or rocket scientist, or physician) on our hands.