Girls in STEM: A Snapology Franchise Giveaway!

This giveaway is a partnership with Nakturnal. All opinions mine.

Growing up, my parents never discouraged me from math, science or tech -- educational pursuits typically geared towards boys. In 6th grade, I was selected with a few of my peers to be a Mathlete in district-wide math competition. In high school, I took honors math and chemistry and AP physics, and I was also the Physics Club president my senior year. And when I took the ACT before applying to college, I scored highest in -- you guessed it -- science and math. So, yeah ... no surprise I was into science-related toys as a child. To me, they were just a way of life, and they were fun. They weren't specific to any gender in my eyes.

When my twin brother and I were in elementary school, LEGO® was responsible for quashing the boredom of many summer days for us. My husband Dillon also enjoyed LEGO® toys, K'Nex and other building activities a whole lot as a child and teenager. So naturally, our kids are into the same types of things.

We start them out as babies with Megablocks (basically giant LEGO®-like bricks for the little ones) and work our way up to regular bricks by the time they're in preschool. All three of our children -- yes, even our daughters -- enjoy these engineering-themed toys. And I'm a big fan because there's no better way to learn and understand Newtonian physics than by building something with your own hands.

Over this past summer, I enrolled my two big kids in a week-long summer camp through the City of Mesa where they got to learn about robotics using the LEGO® Mindstorms system. Audrey and Carson both had a blast building AND programming robots with their peers. Yes, they even learned basic coding!

Audrey didn't mind being one of few girls in her age group -- she was actually very excited to team up with the other girls for each of their building activities. Hearing this warmed my heart because I feel it's so important to get our girls involved in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). Why?

According to this CNN article in which a panel of female STEM experts are interviewed, certain toys and games encourage the development of spatial logic and other skills which directly apply to STEM fields. Unfortunately, though, many girls aren't being introduced to these types of toys at a young age like their male peers are, so they are already at a disadvantage by the time they reach school age. They often lose interest in STEM and don't perform as well in those subjects as their male peers as they get older, which means they don't end up majoring in science- or tech-related degrees in college.

This is why it's important for parents to provide these educational opportunities for their daughters. When girls are encouraged to explore subjects typically reserved for boys and men, they will further study them and eventually enter those fields after graduation. And we want more women in science and tech! You know what they say -- two heads are better than one. Gender diversity in every career field makes us all better.

When I heard about the Snapology franchise, I thought it was a great way to get girls involved in STEM on an extracurricular level. Schools are increasingly promoting STEM curriculae these days, but there just isn't the time or resources to provide students with hands-on, interactive experiences -- the kind that most effectively teach STEM concepts.

Some girls enjoying Snapology at their Pittsburgh location. Photo from here.

Snapology ensures kids of all ages get lots of hands-on STEM interaction with LEGO® bricks and K'Nex. They offer these experiences through classes, workshops, camps, field trips, Scouting events and even birthday parties (I'm sure my kids would have a total blast at a robotics-themed birthday). They also have programs for video game design, anti-bullying and team-building, and they accommodate kids with special needs, too. And Snapology is fun for everyone -- boys AND girls alike! I would love to see a Snapology franchise location in my area sometime soon.

As part of this post, I'm giving away one LEGO® set of the Snapology mascot, Sebastian the Gator (for ages 6+)! All you have to do is comment with your favorite STEM subject from when you were in school -- mine was obviously physics. You can also earn an extra entry by tweeting about it! Use the Rafflecopter Widget below as I'll be using it to determine the winner. Giveaway ends August 24!

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