I recently asked a sixth-grade friend what he wants to do when he grows up. He said he wants to be a football player, a soccer player, or an astronaut. The sky is the limit for children. It’s important that we give them opportunities to grow and explore their interests. Albert Einstein once said “Imagination is everything. It is a preview of life’s coming attractions.” My young sixth-grade friend is very bright and athletic. He is already fluent in two languages and very smart for his age. I believe he can be anything he wants to be in life if he just sets his mind to it. For him the idea of being an astronaut is not just a figment of his imagination. He has already done research into what it takes to become an astronaut.
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How do we make sure our young children grow up to be what they imagine being as adults?
How do we make sure our children have limitless opportunities?
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When I was in sixth grade I can assure you I had no idea what it would take to be an astronaut. When I was recently doing some research on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education I ran across videos of young women who were engineers for NASA building careers in fields I didn’t even know existed! I wondered how they knew what they wanted to study and if school curricula targeted those types of careers. Our world is changing so fast, how do we know what topics should be taught in elementary school if the occupations of the future do not yet exist? We all know technology is changing at lightning fast speed and the problems of today are much different than the problems of yesterday or tomorrow. Think about this: former U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley is often quoted as predicting that the jobs in greatest demand in the future don’t yet exist and they will require workers to use technologies that have not yet been invented to solve problems that we don’t even know are problems.
I don’t want to get into a discussion about politics and whether STEM education will continue to be funded. There is no telling what our Congress will do or why they will do it. I’d rather place emphasis on the fact that there are numerous programs available now to give children opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math. For example, President Obama recently hosted the Second Annual Astronomy Night at the White House. He reportedly told the crowd of future astronauts and scientists:
Some of you might be on your way to Mars. America can do anything. We just got to keep on encouraging every new generation to explore, and invent, and create, and discover. We got to keep encouraging some young kid in Brooklyn, or a budding rocket scientist in Alabama, or that young girl who’s dreaming to become an astronaut.
(https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/10/20/remarks-president-astronomy-night, October 20, 2015)
Project Lead the Way (PLTW) also has some very impressive STEM programs for children. Even Bobby Bones is recording songs for kids focused on science careers. Check out the Raging Idiots' song When I Grow Up. It starts with "When I grow up I want to be an astronaut..." and goes on to cover careers as a doctor, veterinarian, and firefighter. The catchy tune includes:
I know I can be anything. When I grow up up up up up... Until then I'll do my best to make good grades. When I grown up up up I can be whatever I want want want, you'll see. Oh I know I can be anything!
It’s important that we all help young children build their skills and interests as early in life as we can. Regardless of what children want to grow up to be it’s important that they get the basic foundations in education (yes, reading, writing, and arithmetic) and get exposed to a variety of activities. If we don't provide them with opportunities that allow them to explore their true talents it will be a great loss to all of us. I once had an instructor who asked “If Van Gogh was never given a paint brush would he have ever discovered his talents?”
What are you doing to encourage children to use their imagination and dream big? Are you providing interesting learning experiences to children?
Explore the Personal Enrichment pages on the CStarsky Lifelong Learning website.
If you have activities you would like to contribute to the page about Fun Activities for Preschool Age Children please fill out the form and submit your ideas.
Keep an eye on the website. As soon as my sixth grade friend submits some fun activities I will start a page for STEM Education Activities for School Age Children. When that page is activated I will be happy to post your age appropriate activities on that page too.
