You may already know that November 8th is National STEM Day, celebrating four groups of subjects; Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.
With that in mind, we’ve come up with a few ideas for engaging your children in STEM activities, and slipped in a few cyber items too. We know that not everyone will end up in cyber security, but we hope that these resources will catch the imagination no matter what career choice they make in the end.
This list includes resources for young people aged about 7 years old to sixth formers, but we won’t tell anyone if you read the books, play the games, or learn to code yourself—in fact, we’d encourage you to have a go.
We’ve included puzzles, board games and lectures, and included links to resources for after-school clubs, summer schools and qualifications.
Resources:
- The new puzzle book from GCHQ, called Puzzles for Spies is intended for children, inviting them to solve problems and break codes. Solving puzzles like these require the same skills that GCHQ use to tackle new problems and keep us safe. And yes, they have puzzles aimed at older people too. GCHQ releases Puzzles for Spies – GCHQ.GOV.UK
- The aim of the Royal Institution is to connect as many people as possible with the world of science. One of their initiatives is to present annual lectures for children, but ‘lectures’ sounds boring. These are typically interactive events, and always interesting. This year it will be all about forensic science (using science to solve crimes)—with Professor Dame Sue Black. The ‘lectures’ will be available live on BBC Four around Christmas and New Year, but will be available for streaming too. It’s definitely worth catching up on the archive of Christmas lectures—there’s a lot in there, so you can pick and choose according to interests. CHRISTMAS LECTURES | Royal Institution (rigb.org) Watch the Royal Institution CHRISTMAS LECTURES archive | Royal Institution (rigb.org)
- You may be able to find a STEM-themed summer school either locally, offered by your council, or via a private company. Many universities offer STEM summer schools for sixth-formers as part of their outreach programmes too, though you do need to book early for these, as they are very popular, especially the ones intended for prospective medical students.
- Cyber Explorers is a free government scheme to introduce 30,000 11 to 14-year-olds to a range of cyber security concepts such as; open-source intelligence, digital forensics and social engineering. Suitable for after school clubs or independent learning, it’s worth looking into and will cover some fascinating topics.
- If your child is interested in an after-school coding club, org is a great place to find one near you. These are typically aimed at 7 to 13-year-olds, though each one varies.
- There are lots of games and kits available to encourage learning and problem-solving skills, which are essential in STEM (examples include: Raspberry Pi, littleBits, Lego Mindstorms, GoldieBlox, and much more). Links and resources to all these and more are available at STEM Clubs activity sets | STEM and at uk/resources.
- If your teenager enjoys board games, have a look at Hacker (defend the world from cybercriminals) or Renegade (in which a group of cyberpunk hackers team up to shut down a mind-controlling AI). These are probably most suitable for ages 14+.
- And you can browse the Cyber Security Challenge site: there’s lots to look at, including the chance to register for the CIISec CyberEPQ qualification (for school students over 14). Home Page – Cyber Security Challenge UK – Cyber Security Challenge UK
There’s so much more to explore: everything from astrophysics and astronomy, through computing, engineering, maths and microbiology to physics and zoology. And so many STEM subjects in between.
We hope you find something of interest to explore, no matter how old you are.