Relationships January 18, 2017
Via @hiddenfiguresmovie Instagram“Hidden Figures” continues to dominate the box office and the hearts of young girls everywhere.
Not only does the film tell the inspirational story of three brilliant NASA women whose calculations made space travel possible, it also gives girls real role models to look up to. And it turns out that watching the movie has even made many of them want to do more math.
“It made me want to do more math.” Daughter’s review of “Hidden Figures.” Can’t ask for much more than that!
— Christine Heppermann (@cmheppermann) January 11, 2017
Saw Hidden Figures yesterday w/my daughter & her friend (10), and we all loved it. Girls can’t stop quoting it. Wonderful movie.
— Laura Florand (@LauraFlorand) January 15, 2017
But touching as it is to read the enlightened musings of young girls across the nation, it’s even more important to continuously encourage them in their daily lives.
Thankfully, ENTITY has you covered on that end. Here are five ways you can help the girls in your life rock the STEM field, “Hidden Figures” style.
READ MORE: The Women of ‘Hidden Figures’
Private tutors aren’t just to help kids who are struggling in school, they’re also used to encourage and advance skill sets. Such tutors are great because they provide personalized attention, intensive practice and a better use of study time. “For pupils who are already doing well, tutoring can offer scope for fine-tuning exam and revision technique,” writes The Telegraph.
Additionally, private tutoring can help improve an attitude toward a specific subject area. Because the teaching is more individualized, your daughter and her tutor can work together to find strategies and learning methods that are more fun, understandable and engaging for her. And when you put math and science in a positive learning environment, she’s more likely to associate that positive experience with those difficult subjects in the long run.
Aside from math and science clubs on campuses, there are various out-of-school programs you can enroll your daughter in. Popular national clubs like Girl Scouts will encourage your daughter to explore the different aspects of STEM. For example, in the Girl Scouts “It’s Your Planet – Love It” series, girls get exposed to the natural world and learn about different processes such as the water cycle, how to access air quality and how to calculate their “food print.”
Other programs include Girls Who Code, MATHCOUNTS, Boys and Girls Clubs and FIRST Robotics. Overall, getting them involved at an early age helps pique their interest and curiosity for numbers, the world and technology.
READ MORE: ‘Hidden Figures’ Recognizes Black Women’s Contributions to NASA’s Space Race
If you want to start building a foundation in math and science skills, play educational games with your daughter. Games like checkers, chess and cards all have a hint of math in them. And because we’re now in a technologically-driven generation, there are numerous free online resources available. Some popular STEM games include PBSKids engineering games and the Raytheon MATHCOUNTS challenge.
Overall these games are not just fun, but they promote strategic thinking and problem solving. Since they require kids to think quickly, your daughters will learn to utilize logic and strategy to solve problems and win games.
Put your daughters in environments that instill inspiration and curiosity. Science museums are great learning tools because they give children a chance to connect, understand and explore innovative thoughts. Many museums geared toward children also offer interactive exhibits and hands-on play, which allow children to take ownership of their own learning.
“It is so important to introduce children to museums because museums open up a world of imagination and exploration,” Jennifer Peters, Director of Exhibits and Education at Muncie Children’s Museum, tells the National Endowment for the Arts. “It is even more important to introduce children to museums at a young age because our youth is our future and museums broaden our knowledge of the world.”
Some highly-rated national museums to consider taking your daughter to include the Center of Science and Industry in Columbus, the Exploratorium in San Francisco, the California Science Center in Los Angeles, the Museum of Science in Boston and the New York Hall of Science in Queens.
READ MORE: Michelle Obama Celebrates ‘Hidden Figures’ and Calls For ‘Diversity at the Table’
Aside from taking her to watch movies like “Hidden Figures” or having her read biographies about women’s achievements, also introduce her to women who work in STEM. Having personal conversations with mentors teaches women that struggle and eventual success are normal, reports the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). According to a study conducted by the IES, “This knowledge seems to reduce anxiety and boost motivation when the student encounters challenges in work related to science, technology, engineering or mathematics.”
Not only that, but talking to another woman about her experiences conveys to any young girl that hard work in stem and having self-doubts are a normal part of the process. What’s great, however, is that she doesn’t have to go through it alone.
If you have friends, neighbors or colleagues who fit the bill, have your daughter speak to these people. Having successful, intelligent women to look up to and embody plays a big part in rejecting traditional gender roles.
