Hannah Olson and Laron Walker believed that educational STEM kits were too expensive for teachers to implement science, engineering, and math curricula to their classes. For that reason, they founded My STEM Kits, a 3D printable lesson plan to teach students a variety of STEM lesson plans.
After teaming up with the Florida State University’s CPALMS team, Olson and Walker put together a number of kits that make STEM lesson plans as affordable as possible. Now, on Kickstarter, teachers, parents, afterschool programs, and curious kids can order My STEM Kits to put together simple and engaging STEM lessons. The kits are available at Basic and Pro levels, with the Basic kit offering the files to 3D print the kit on a local 3D printer and the Pro including all of the supplies, including the 3D printed parts, to start teaching STEM immediately.
The sheer number of kits that the start-up has put together is really impressive. The Kickstarter lists a Rocket Launch Kit, which includes a pressure gauge and the parts to assemble an air-powered rocket. The DNA Kit can be used to learn about DNA and RNA through the assembly and dis-assembly of 3D printed proteins. And, of course, there is a 3D printed catapult to kick off a lesson plan about physics. These are just a few of the many others being sold by My STEM Kits.
Eventually, the company plans to release the STL files for all of their projects; however, they’ve just included an add-on to their campaign. All backers of the project will now receive the digital files for one Basic kit, along with their chosen reward. Now, all that’s left for My STEM Kits is to throw the “A” in there, for “arts”, and they’ll be cooking with STEAM.
