Jennifer Landis from Mindfulness Mama.
As we face the end of yet another school year, it's time to face the age old dilemma. School is almost out and you may be asking yourself "What are my kids going to do all summer?" Well we have a few ideas as to things you can do this summer with your SheHeroes and Heroes. Take advantage of the summer break and use this as an opportunity to expose your daughter and son to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and other gender biased areas. Here is a list of things you can do while the kids are on summer vacation to help inspire your daughter and son to break some gender barriers in their own life.
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Call Your Friends – Chances are you know a woman who works in a STEM field. Or put the call out on Facebook and set up a day when you can take your daughter to go visit your friend at work. Nothing inspires a girl more than seeing firsthand a woman working in STEM.
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Talk About the Media – Visit our friends at the Don’t Conform, Transform Blog. Use the tips and exercises in this post whenever you see a commercial, magazine ad, or TV show that poses a gender stereotype about STEM (or and gender bias that you want your kids to understand).
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Summer Camp – Encourage your daughter to give something new a try. Go for Lego Engineering Camp, baseball camp, and cartoon drawing or science lab. Something like a simple summer program can really go a long way in inspiring a young girl to see that she can be good and enjoy some of these subjects that she might associate with boys.
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See a Women’s Sport – Do a little research in your area and find a women’s sporting (it doesn’t have to be Pro) event. Girls Lacrosse, soccer, baseball, softball, etc. If your lucky enough to live near the ocean go check out some women's surfing competitions! Get out there and show both your son and daughter that girls can play sports just as well as boys.
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Visit the Web – Start out by visiting the SheHeroes video library. You can find a number of inspiring interviews with SheHeroes from all fields. Plus lesson plans and discussion questions so you can take the interview and get even more out of it for your daughter or son. Then check out our Facebook page and visit some of our amazing allies for more inspiring stories, women, ideas and activities.
Most of all make a point to spend some extra time with your kids this summer, because that will help inspire and encourage your kids more than anything else!
We'd LOVE to know what ideas would YOU add to this list?
