Urban Air is proud to partner with Snapology, an organization that is dedicated to helping children explore the world of STEM by enriching their learning with hands-on classes and camps in science, technology, engineering, math, art, and literacy, and an innovative curriculum that will aid in their development. Founded by two sisters, Lisa and Laura Coe, Snapology classrooms can be found all over the nation. Urban Air partners with Snapology in several locations to offer these unique, educational courses to kids who want to learn more about STEM/STEAM.
What is STEM/STEAM
So, what exactly is STEM/STEAM, what does it stand for, and why is it important? STEM, now referred to as STEAM, stands for science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. It is a teaching and learning approach to education that helps students explore critical thinking, real-world problems and problem-solving, and collaboration in a variety of difficult challenges.
Rather than separating the five subjects, the STEAM approach integrates the subjects together to help kids develop the skills and knowledge they need to face many real-world obstacles.
Why is STEAM important? One of the primary reasons why STEAM is critical for students to learn today, whether they are in elementary, middle, or high school, is because of how it encourages the learnings that take place to be used in projects and challenges. Rather than using information taught from separate fields, STEAM education allows students to connect the dots and come up with unique ways to solve problems, which is an increasingly important challenge we will face in the future.
The second reason why STEAM education is important is because of the future. With technology, engineering, and mathematics requiring a STEM education and STEM careers experiencing heavy professional growth, preparing students at a young age to tackle scientific, math-based, or challenging problems now will help create a more successful workforce in the future.
What are the STEM fields?
There are many STEM fields that your child can branch into with a career focus on STEM. Some examples of STEM fields include physical sciences, math and statistics, engineering, biological and biomedical sciences, health and wellness, and agricultural and natural resources.
In the physical sciences STEM field, you can expect to learn more about topics such as astronomy, chemistry, earth sciences, geology, and physics. These topics are common college courses that will help support young professionals to find success in many physical sciences careers.
In the math and statistics STEM education field, topics like calculus I, II, and II, and statistics are common. These courses can aid in employment for a variety of fields by providing fundamental knowledge in STEM education to help your child succeed.
In the engineering STEM field, there are a wide range of paths to take when it comes to the field of STEM and education. Civil engineering, biomedical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, data processing, mechanical engineering, and chemical engineering are just a few of the topics covered in the STEM field of engineering.
When it comes to the biological and biomedical sciences STEM field, genetics, plant biology, animal biology, and molecular biology are common fields of study.
In the health and wellness STEM field, dentistry, public health, veterinary medicine, nursing, and optometry are just some of the unique fields and pathways to a career in the health and wellness industry.
Lastly, the agricultural and natural resources STEM field typically focuses on natural resources and conservation, and agricultural to help solve a number of agricultural issues in the U.S. and other countries in the globe.
What skills do you learn in STEM?
There is almost no end to the number of skills that can be learned with a STEM education. Some of the most common skills include problem-solving, creativity, engineering design skills, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, adaptability, and more.
While the importance of each of these skills should not be downplayed, they are much more useful when used in combination with one another, rather than used alone.
Why is that? To be able to solve complex problems that use specific data sets or to understand more about how something could be built better in the future, it’s crucial that all parts of the problem are considered. Communication, data analysis, and collaboration are just a few of the skills that could be used together in these examples, but it’s evident that all of the STEM skills that are taught could benefit careers in a variety of fields.
What kinds of STEM jobs are there?
In today’s world, those who have a STEM education can go into many STEM jobs – and many of these careers are seeing new and recent growth, making educational development in STEM increasingly important. Below are just a few examples of the STEM workforce options that you can find today.
- Engineers: While there are tons of engineering types, such as mechanical, chemical, and software engineers, the primary responsibility of an engineer is to understand, construct, and maintain complex systems. Whether it is a building or a computer program, engineers are often known for solving difficult problems.
- Architects: Architects help create designs for new building projects, as well as make changes to or redevelop current building projects. Having a background in STEM education helps because architects rely on math skills to help bring these projects to life.
- Software Developers: Software developers design, build, and test software programs for a variety of devices and industries. A STEM background can aid in this career when problems arise, as software developers must find the issue at hand and devise a solution within the programming.
- Data Scientists: A data scientist takes a large amount of information and interprets it to analyze the data and connections between what the data shows. Data scientist careers can be found in many industries, such as in retail, environmental, and manufacturing.
- Web Developers: Web developers create and maintain websites by making updates and coding. They are often responsible for technical aspects of a website that help the website perform well, such as when there are many people on the site at one time.
- Doctors: There are many different types of doctors, such as pediatricians, neurologists, anesthesiologists, and obstetricians. Each of these specialties has its own unique education and set of skills that are required, but a background in STEM can help students with finding research and learning more about the academic field they choose as it relates to a career as a doctor.
- Dentists: Dentists diagnose oral diseases, interpret X-rays, remove tooth decay, fill cavities, repair fractured teeth, and more. They also provide recommendations to clients on how to take care of their oral health and maintain healthy teeth and gums.
STEM Programs at Urban Air with Snapology
With Snapology, there are tons of programs to choose from. Science, technology, engineering, art, math, robotics and coding, preschool, competition teams, and special needs programs are all available.
In the science program, students have a special focus on science, where they learn about astronomy, physics, earth science, animal life cycles, and more, all while having fun in the process!
In the technology program with Snapology, kids will learn about stop motion and coding, while creating games and movies and learning more about the technology in the world around them.
In the engineering program, there are four levels: junior, basic, intermediate, and advanced. This program offers a deep-dive on engineering and even offers an amusement park engineering program to teach core engineering principles through building real-life models.
In the art program, students will experience art through creating mosaics, building models, and expressing themselves by making a movie or creating a code.
In the math program, kids get to dive in on math problems and problem-solving, while learning more about how math can be found in the world today.
In the robotics and coding program, students will learn from teachers how to assemble and create a robot, and how to code the robot to complete specific tasks.
In the preschool program, children ages 2-6 will learn more about all things STEAM, and get a foundation of STEAM skills to help them critically problem solve.
In the competition team program, Snapology coaches help guide students through innovative competitions that require complex problem-solving. It’s a great time for kids and parents!
Lastly, Snapology works with special needs kids in all programs, while encouraging creativity and friendship for all who are involved.
Interested in learning more about STEM programs at Urban Air? Find out if a location near you offers a Snapology classroom to get started enrolling your students today!
