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STEM Kit: KEVA Architect

Mar 30, 2021 | Kids, STEAM Adventures

Another week, another Children’s Department STEM kit! This week we are featuring a kit that seems very simple. KEVA planks are simple, but because they are so precise, what you can build with them ranges from easy towers to complex, rotating structures (see pictures below!).

This kit contains:

The included guide book is very helpful. It explains what’s special about KEVA planks and gives lots of inspiring ideas. It does NOT give step-by-step directions, but that means building the structures is a fun challenge!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBJOCUbl3-Yu0026amp;feature=youtu.be

Here are a few structures we built in my family. Every one except my youngest (he’s under 2) was involved in building. More than any other STEM kit we’ve tried, this kit really engaged everyone in the family: adults and children. Kids can easily work by themselves, but more difficult builds also provided an opportunity for teamwork.

I was surprised how much I learned about cantilevers from simple planks! This is hands-on physics instruction. The blocks also teach precision, visual discrimination (reading those pictures can be tricky!), and slow and careful movement. It was actually quite meditative to build with them, and the things you make are actually quite beautiful. This spiral (see picture right below) was very tricky, and this was our second attempt. Isn’t it pretty, though?

We have included two books with this kit to help you to think more deeply about building.

Brick By Brick is a sweet father and son story. Papi is a bricklayer, and his son goes to school. Both of them are building the future, brick by brick! Iggy Peck, Architect is about an unappreciated architecture-lover. Then, one day, those architect skills come in useful!

The KEVA Architect STEM kit is available for a 3 week checkout.

Questions? Email Laura at [email protected]

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