Stem girl gifts9/11/2023 That crossover, from clever toys nudging informal learning to curriculum-focused products catering to formal education, is reshaping the kind of STEM kit on offer and making lots of stuff in the category feel, well, more serious. The upshot is a feeling there’s a bit less fun and excitement to go around than in years past, furthered as more STEM startups pivoted to selling to the formal educational market (not so much to home buyers). The vertical had relatively few wholly new product launches for 2022, as players focused on shifting existing inventory instead. Supply issues may also be further decelerating innovation in what had already become a less experimental market compared to earlier, investor-fuelled boom years. The latter told us recently it’s been managing ongoing shortages of Raspberry Pi hardware by rejigging featured products to mesh with available inventory. ‘Out of stock’ labels also remain a regular sight on STEM-focused marketplaces that range maker hardware, such as AdaFruit and Pimoroni. One category-adjacent example: Sphero’s RVR+, a (mostly) school and makerspace focused programmable robot, was listed as unavailable for supply reasons when we started compiling the guide earlier this fall - but at the time of writing the website reports it’s back in stock “just in time for the holidays.” Said crunch appears to be having some impact on product choice and availability. We’re also encouraged to see increasing attention to diversity in STEM.Ī few other trends are evident this year - most notably around supply issues linked to the pandemic-triggered (and still lingering) global supply chain crunch. How much learning actually gets done is still a bit of an open questio but ideas in the category have generally converged around a few approaches - so there’s a stronger sense of ‘tried & tested’ out there now. Products in the STEM learning category typically promise to give kids a head-start on learning core coding and/or electronics concepts while they play. This year’s guide is packed with more than 20 ideas to engage toddlers, excite tweens and inspire teens to get under the hood of the tech world through play. All aboard the learn-to-code train! As another holiday season looms and kids everywhere start clamouring for shiny stuff, we’ve got you covered with a bumper edition of our annual STEM gift guide.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |