National STEM/STEAM day featuring Project Mc2 H2o Car
We love a National Awareness day and always try to get involved wherever possible. Some I love more than others, Mothers Day for example (an extra lie in – bonus!!), and some are much closer to my heart – Baby Loss Awareness, World Prematurity and Mental Health to name a few. There are so many weird and wonderful awareness days, ranging from the wacky to the obscure – National Pie day and Chocolate Milkshake day are two that I wouldn’t mind getting involved in either!
But National S.T.E.M/S.T.E.A.M day was one that had completely bypassed me, clearly I was still too engrossed in thinking about those pies, and it was only when I was approached to get involved in Project Mc2 H20 car that I took the time to discover more about this national day. And actually it’s a really important day for our children.
National S.T.E.M/S.T.EA.M day is a day meant to inspire children to explore and pursue their interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths. It’s about working together to achieve a world-leading education for all young people and it’s more important now than ever before.
S.T.E.A.M is all around us and shapes our every day experiences with the predicted ten fastest growing occupations centering around S.T.E.A.M careers. It is so important to encourage our children to forge an interest in S.T.E.A.M from an early age to give them the very best start in life and, as a Mother of two girls, to motivate my daughters to challenge the gender gaps that exist in S.T.E.A.M related careers.
Inspired by the Project Mc² brand, and the series shown on Netflix, the S.T.E.A.M. based franchise features four girls who are part of a super-secret spy organization called NOV8 (that’s “innovate”), stemming from National S.T.E.A.M day on the 8th November. Having recently seen an episode of Project Mc2 I can confirm that these four girls are not only super spies, but super sassy, super smart and actually really good role models for our children.
I always think that at a young age, education should be hands on, simple, and most of all fun. And what better way to introduce them to S.T.E.A.M than with the Project MC2 remote control powered car that is fuelled by water! Whilst Lewis is far too old to have any interest in toys, he was intrigued as to how a car could run off water and although he refused to join in, he did sit and watch from a distance, ever the sceptic, wondering how it was going to work.
The car is a great size, sporty and red, and has some fantastic features such as working headlights, bonnet, fuel tank cover, side mirrors, seat belts and red LED tail lights. It comes with an engine pack, remote control and a fuel tank.
After inserting the batteries into the power pack, it is then connected via wires beneath the bonnet.
Using the fuel tank, the girls then filled the tank with water, again something they were very excited to do!
But the most exciting part for my girls was that it runs forwards and backwards using the remote control. And whilst there was a hell of a lot little squabbling over who got to hold the remote, they soon discovered that being chased by the car was almost as much fun as driving it!
The car fits two Project Mc2 dolls, sold separately, but as we didn’t have any of these dolls we used Anna and Cinderella who fit perfectly. When the car is in motion ‘steam’ is emitted from the tail pipes, much to the children’s amazement.
The children absolutely love their new car but what I was impressed with, as a parent, was that even at three and four the girls were already questioning how it worked, how the steam was made, and even Lewis was interested in the explanation.
So how does it work? Well firstly, adding the water into the car turns it on. The water completes an electrical circuit and allows electricity to flow from the battery to the motor. Secondly, it creates the mist that looks like the car’s exhaust. The mist is made from millions of tiny water droplets. In the same way that splashing around a pool creates lots of large droplets, if you could do this ultra-fast, you would form ultra-tiny water droplets. The same thing happens in this car. A small plate vibrates super-fast to make millions of tiny water droplets that form the car “exhaust”. Amazing, right?
With Lewis aspiring to be an engineer when he is older, a Royal Navy engineer to be precise, S.T.E.A.M will be such an important part of his path. And the youngest three? They could well follow into S.T.E.A.M related careers and yet right now Eva still claims that she wants to be a princess, the same goes for Harry, and Megan? Well Megan wants to be a “real life dolphin” but for now, they are happy chauffeuring Anna and Cinderella about and simply being children.
This is brilliant! I always loved science and as a girl no one really understood that. It is so important to get their curiosity going to make children realise it doesn’t matter what gender you are. If you want to do something you should be able to.
#DreamTeam
You’re so right. It’s so important to encourage our children from a young age isn’t it? I love national days like this, the children loved learning about science too! xx
Here in the states we call it STEM- similar thing but without the art. Definitely need more women in the fields, so awesome you’ve got some tiny scientists roaming around. #TwinklyTuesday
Heather Keet recently posted…Do something great today…
I wondered why it had STEM and STEAM, I wonder why we include art and you don’t? I hope that my girls will venture into STEAM related careers, just depends if we can convince Megan to change her mind about being a dolphin…haha! xx
The car is fab, definitely something we would have bought when our boy was small. Engineering runs through our family so I will look this up for our niece. We had a STEM day at Daresbury labs, it was a great success.
Thanks for linking to #TalkaboutItTuesday
Oh how fab! I had never heard of it before but it’s a really great day for teaching our children about the importance of STEM related subjects! xx
Ooh I love the sound of STEAM, so important to teach our little ones skills like these! #talkaboutit
Definitely! Thank you for reading. xx
That looks fab! I love that it’s fun but really educational too. My toddler would love it!
Alana x
Yes me too, as parents that’s a win win really! xx
Wow, this is amazing, I want one! Maybe I will get my son one next year once he’s a bit older, I’m sure my hubby would love it too. #dreamteam
Louise recently posted…Why I Started Blogging
Haha me too! I would love it if my car was fuelled by water! xx
This is brilliant! My little one would love it – and how cool is that steam from the exhaust?! I’d never heard of this nationa day either – every day is a school day! #twinklytuesday
Jaki recently posted…A Bonfire Night Without The Fright
Wow! I didn’t even know about this day at all. Thanks so much for the informative post, and I just love seeing you share the importance of it 🙂 That car is so cool!
Thank you, I had no clue about it either until I researched it. It should be publicised more shouldn’t it? xx
Goodness I needed this when I was a kid, I had a mental block on all things math/sciencey and I was never really encouraged to get over it.
Completely agree. It’s so good that they can learn through play, even at three and four! xx
This is brilliant! I would love to get this for my little girl when she’s older ☺️
It’s a really fab toy and interesting too to see how it works. Thank you for reading. xx
This is such a cool toy! It’s great that the girls were curious as to how it worked. If only real cars ran off water too! 🙂
Haha yes! I have literally just said the same thing, how amazing would that be! xx
Steam is a great concept and this toy makes learning fun at a young age. How perfect. #BloggerClubUK
Fiona Cambouropoulos recently posted…Let Cley Designs Make Your Perfect Gift
I totally agree, the girls are fascinated by it and love the fact that they get to fill it up with water! Now if only my car did the same! xx
I love this little car. My daughter as got two of the Project MC2 doll and loves doing the experiments that come with them #bloggerclubuk
Natasha Mairs recently posted…Our Review of the Kids Parcel
It’s a fab series isn’t it? I really love that my girls have taken an interest in it and I will encourage that all the way! xx
This is fantastic my boys are really into this at the moment. I would much rather they play with toys like this than on the xbox constantly.
I feel the same, my eldest used to be fascinated by anything like this, making something or designing something, now he prefers to sit on his xbox!!! xx
What a lovely idea, I love toys where the kids are learning without realising it
Kara recently posted…A Curious Treehouse Adventure at Bewilderwood
Me too. It makes me feel better when they spend all day playing with them, at least they might have learned something! Xx
This National Day had passed me by too. This looks great and I love toys that get them thinking and have an educational element to them. Alice is constantly want to learn more and this would hold her interest for longer x #BloggerClubUk
Laura – dear bear and beany recently posted…The Story of Us…Part One
I’m the same. There are so many toys these days that I just think are utterly pointless (that the kids LOVE!) so it was nice to find something we both approved of! Xx
I love this and I know Mia would be really interested in it! I’m a STEM Ambassador so go into a school and teach computer coding to them once a week which I really enjoy. Its so important for children to learn about these things from an early age 🙂
#sharewithme
becca farrelly recently posted…Messy Aprons With Messy Me
Oh what a fab job!! I’ve been learning all about STEM the last couple of weeks and it really is a huge importance for our children. xx
I love this, the removable engine is just so brilliant and I love that it is called Nerdy ha x
Rachel recently posted…Rimmel Only 1 Matte Lipstick Collection
Haha I love that bit too! xx
Great post. I used to work for a large Transport company and we always promoted STEM careers for women. It’s so important for girls to know that they too can have a career in the sciences, engineering, and tech – women / girls have a different perspective and can bring a lot to the table. Well done – my little girl loves cars!
Tooting Mama recently posted…Adoption & trauma: Why are my adopted children so noisy?
What a fab thing to promote, it’s so important isn’t it! I can’t believe I hadn’t even heard of it before! xx
My hubby would have LOVED to have this and explain to our eldest. He loves a bit of science and she is always really keen. Such a great idea for a toy and a fab initiative 🙂 Love the pics of your girls. Thanks for sharing with #bestandworst x
Sarah Howe @runjumpscrap recently posted…My Happy Week #37
Thanks Sarah. It’s fab when they show an interest in things like this, I love how their minds work and the questions they ask! xx
It certainly looks like a very cool car- I love how kids minds work – mine are always taking things apart and putting them back together again. Sarah #FanFridayPost
Sarah Stockley recently posted…7 holiday destinations your kids will simply love
Yes, they are so inquisitive aren’t they? It really is a fab toy! xx
This is so wonderful! I am all for STEAM. My kids would absolutely love this! I like the colour too. 🙂 Evelyn does have her own identity yet – she just follows whatever Ethan likes. Looks like your girls are have a great time with this! Thank you so much for linking up with us on #FabFridayPost xx
How cool is that car! I have seen this advertised and it’s something that is currently on Little Buttons radar. Thank you for sharing with the #dreamteam. I didn’t realise there was a specific stem day.
Annette, 3 Little Buttons recently posted…Top 5 Reasons Why Having A September-Born 4 Year Old Rocks
How cool is that car! I have seen this advertised and it’s something that is currently on Little Buttons radar. Thank you for linking up to the #dreamteam. I didn’t realise there was a specific stem day. Science experiments go down really well in our home. The messier the better 🙂
Annette, 3 Little Buttons recently posted…Top 5 Reasons Why Having A September-Born 4 Year Old Rocks
I didn’t realise either, it’s such a great day but I feel it needs more awareness raised as so many don’t even know about it! xx
This is fantastic! My children would love this – thanks for linking to #sharewithme
Mummy Fever recently posted…Working in comfort
It was FAB! The kids are really enjoying playing with it! xx
I love this whole idea, oh and the car! My niece is sitting her GCSE’s next year and she’s a total brainbox and planning to become an engineer eventually. Her best subjects tend to be maths and science, incredibly proud of her.
Thanks for linking up to #PicknMix
Stevie x
A Cornish Mum recently posted…The New Rafe Spall and Emilia Fox film – Mum’s List
That’s great! It’s so important that we make our daughters especially know that there is nothing they cant do! I hope my girls take the same path! xx
This Car is stylish, and sporty designed doll race car for young girls.
It’s fab, we love it! xx
We are about to run a STEAM week at my school. Any idea where I can get the button badges that I’ve seen on your site?
Oh I’m not sure Lisa but feel free to take the image from my site! xx