FAIRMONT FIVE: boldly go! … fostering girls’ interest in STEM

There are many fun ways to inspire a girl’s interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Educational experts have identified the need for more girls to be engaged in STEM related studies especially in the junior high and high school years. Besides developing a stronger sense of scientific inquiry, STEM provides a solid foundation for problem-solving and ingenuity that can apply to all walks of life.

A study of 4th graders showed that 66 percent of girls and 68 percent of boys take an interest in science. However, these numbers change significantly in the teenage years. According to author Susan Gibbs Goetz, an achievement gap between girls and boys appears during these years in science related areas. By the age of seventeen, girls achieve at a notably lower level than boys.

Here are a few creative and fun ideas that will help foster your daughter’s interest in STEM related subjects:

1. Find ways to encourage curiosity—Raise questions about how plants grow, why stars sparkle in the evening sky, how a computer uses data, and what makes an engine work. You do not need to know these answers right off the bat. Seek out the answers together. These and many other questions will go a long way to inspire life-long learning.

2. Activities involving STEM abound around the home from gardening and construction to cooking and plumbing. With parental supervision, the kitchen and the backyard offer perfect settings for exercising the basics of scientific research: predicting, measuring, observing, and analyzing. Offer telescopes, computers, robotic kits, microscopes, and other tools to inspire adventurous exploration filled with fun and excitement! Visit Fairmont’s Pinterest pages for ideas on conducting safe science experiments in the home.

3. Enroll in a hands-on afterschool STEM program—Fairmont offers a variety of robotics, science, and other related programs on all three campuses. Visit the MY FAIRMONT pages for Anaheim Hills, North Tustin, and Historic Anaheim Campuses to learn more about our afterschool programs.

4. Seek out local STEM professionals who would be interested in becoming mentors for girls—Meeting engineers, doctors, computer scientists, professors, pharmacists, and others will inspire dreams and learning paths leading to exciting career opportunities.

5. Encourage your daughter to consider STEM related topics as "interesting" rather than “too hard or complicated”—Take fun, small steps to become more familiar and confident with STEM subjects. Some of history’s greatest discoveries were the result of a big mess or mistake. STEM offers important lessons on persistence by teaching that mistakes are expected along the journey of scientific inquiry.

Visit SciGirls for more ideas for encouraging girls in STEM.

Contributed by Doug Fleischli, Fairmont Private Schools

Image by Yorkregion

FRIDAY FOLDER: july 24

Highlights of the Week:

 North Tustin campers have a great week with dancing, bingo, and bottled tornadoes!

Anaheim Hills campers show off their crazy hair and silly sunglasses!

Historic Anaheim campers play a live board game created by Counselors-In-Training!

What an exciting week of summer camp! During week seven, campers made Rice Krispy sculptures, enjoyed Swim Day, created sand art pictures, and traveled to Raging Waters theme park in San Dimas!

Next week will bring a whole host of new activities, including Turtle Roll Techies, Wipe Out Nachos, Nerd Day, an offshore talent show, and a field trip to Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park!

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools 

FRIDAY FOLDER: july 17

Highlights of the Week:

 

Campers and counselors play games during free time!

Preschoolers visit with Captain Karl and his sea creatures!

 

Campers enjoy a pirate show at Pirate's Dinner Adventure!

 

As week six comes to a close, it's time to look back at the fun and high adventure of Fairmont Summer Programs! This week campers made their own doughnuts and dressed up in their best pirate regalia! Campers also took a special trip to Pirate's Dinner Adventure in Buena Park for a scrumptious lunch and an adventure on the high seas!

 

Get ready for week seven as campers will take a trip to Raging Waters theme park of San Dimas and dress up for Crazy Hair and Sunglasses Day!

 

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools  

CHALKTALK practicing academic skills during the summer

During brief intervals of summer fun and rest, it is wise to devote some time for your child to practice their academic skills. The benefit will be apparent when they return in the fall refreshed and rested without losing a beat when it comes to reading, math, and writing. Here are some helpful tips to keep your children sharp in the educational essentials. Please note, adding some fun to these activities helps motivate initiative!

Reading:
Children should be encouraged to set time during the week for reading their favorite books. For young children, not yet able to read on their own, parents are encouraged to read aloud to their children every night before bedtime.  

Math:
For retaining and refining math skills, children should be offered opportunities to practice their grade-appropriate math facts. Effective tools to help exercise these valuable skills include flash cards, computer-based games, apps, and practicing math facts out loud.

Writing:
Summer is a great time for children to practice their writing skills. They can dabble in creative writing styles such as poetry and short stories. They can also keep a summer journal to record their adventures during vacation. Children also make excellent scribes or reporters for documenting activities while traveling and visiting relatives. 

Practicing these academic skills will help children pass the time productively while traveling.

Contributed by Doug Fleischli, Fairmont Private Schools
Image by PBS 

FAIRMONT FIVE introducing young children to the wonders of nature

Summer break offers excellent opportunities to be outdoors, whether it’s visiting the beach, mountains, deserts, or even your backyard. Breathing fresh air, getting exercise, satisfying curiosity, and feeling a warm breeze on your face are a few of the many joys of exploring the wonders of nature.

Under the caring guidance of parents, young children can gain an amazing perspective of the world around them, from engaging in a backyard safari to spending a week at a national park. We live on a beautiful planet, and it’s worth exploring!

Here are five simple steps for parents to expand their children’s appreciation for nature:

Ecosystem outside your back door— A patch of weeds, flower garden, a green belt, and community park yield an abundance of tiny discoveries for young explorers. Children can record their observations by drawing pictures. Here’s an opportunity to teach the importance of examining and appreciating plants and bugs only with their eyes and not with their hands.

Digging in the dirt – For a small child, a small hole in the back yard is a portal to an amazing journey where imagination and science intertwine. Pick out a spot where your child can use a kid-appropriate shovel and bucket to find worms, bugs, rocks, plant roots, and more. To enhance the experience, plant some plastic dinosaurs to recreate a paleontological dig!

Exploring with your ears – Encourage your child to sit quietly on a bench. After a few minutes, your little one will easily pick up bird songs and the sound of wind blowing through the trees. The child can pretend to be a creature silently hiding.  This will engage their imagination while experiencing the simplistic beauty of the natural world.  This activity definitely fosters the value of patience and reinforces the discipline of learning to sit quietly and listen attentively.

Nature scavenger hunt – This is a fun way for children to pay attention to their surroundings, as well as seasons of the year. While in the yard or on a short hike, children can pick-up leaves, seashells, and small rocks as a reminder of the places they explored. Each item can be linked to a story in pictures about the outdoor experience. (Please note public park rules in regards to collecting items.)

Let’s talk about it – Discuss the experience of being outdoors with your child. Parents can follow-up with questions and observations to determine the child’s favorite part of being outdoors and what they would like to do on their next adventure in nature.

Contributed by Doug Fleischli, Fairmont Private Schools
Image by Extension

FRIDAY FOLDER: july 3

Highlights of the Week:

 

 Campers enjoy Mrs. Baham's ice cream created from liquid nitrogen! 

Campers bounce off the walls during the Sky High Trampoline Park field trip!

Week four of summer camp has come to a close but our campers enjoyed an abundance of new activities this week! Between Quidditch matches, a visit to the trampoline park, and dressing up in red, white, and blue, campers stayed busy and engaged with peers and counselors! One of this week's highlights was the ice cream experiment conducted by Fairmont's Mrs. Kathy Baham! During the presentation, Mrs. Baham explained how liquid nitrogen aids in the making of ice cream! After concluding the experiment, campers sampled the delicious results!

Next week will bring more excitement as campers head to the Corona del Mar beach and dress up like their favorite animal!

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

FRIDAY FOLDER: june 26

Highlights of the Week:

Watch as Josiah G. announces "Play ball!" before Wednesday's Angels game!

Watch Activities Director Jonna Powell throw out the first pitch!

This week our campers enjoyed watching the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim beat the Houston Astros 2-1 at Angel Stadium! Every year, campers attend one Angels game, but this year's game was particularly special because the opening honorary traditions of throwing the first pitch and announcing "Play ball" were conducted by Fairmont camper Josiah G., and North Tustin Activities Director Jonna Powell! Campers cheered from the stands as Josiah and Mrs. Powell represented Fairmont on the field!

Next week, campers will travel to the Sky Zone and Sky High trampoline parks, as well as enjoy the weekly Swim Day, and show their patriotism with Red, White, and Blue Thursday Theme Day! As a reminder, there will be no summer school or camp on Friday, July 3rd due to the Fourth of July holiday!

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools 

FRIDAY FOLDER: june 19

Highlights of the Week:

 Students tie-dye camp t-shirts

This week campers enjoyed tie-dyeing white camp t-shirts and taking a Friday field trip to Camelot Theme Park! Moving into the third week of summer camp, students will travel to Angels Stadium to watch the Angels of Anaheim take on the Houston Astros! Campers will also have the opportunity to participate in Thursday Theme Day by dressing up in their favorite sports fan gear! To conclude the week, campers will visit the Long Beach Aquarium!

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

FRIDAY FOLDER: june 12

Weekly Highlights:

 Swim Day with North Tustin

 Swim Day with Historic Anaheim

Swim Day with Anaheim Hills

With the first week of summer camp completed, campers had a great time swimming, dressing up in surfer attire, and playing together during the beach party hosted by the Anaheim Hills campus! Next week campers will enjoy a whole host of new activities such as surfboard canvas art, tie-dye camp shirts, and a Friday field trip to the Camelot Theme Park in Anaheim! 

Visit the Fairmont Summer Programs' Facebook page or Fairmont Flickr for more summer photos!

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools