#The wirecutter stem toys software

We tried out a number of games, toys, and kits in The Makery ourselves and learned which ones have been most successful-and fun-for the students. We spoke with Mike Matthews, the director of curriculum and program innovation at Burke's, and Jenny Howland, the K–4 technology teacher, to find out what they think makes a good learning toy for school and home.

#The wirecutter stem toys software

Students go to the lab to design, experiment, and create any number of projects, from robots and software to furniture and clothing. A few years ago, Burke's built a large learning lab, dubbed it ' The Makery,' and filled it with toys, games, computers, electronics, tools, building materials, and craft supplies. To identify toys and games for this guide, we visited Katherine Delmar Burke School, an all-girls K–8 school in San Francisco. Photo courtesy of Katherine Delmar Burke School.

Students at Katherine Delmar Burke School in San Francisco build, code, craft, and play in the Makery, the school's tinkering lab. Mostly we like these toys-and think the kids in your life will like them too-because they are open-ended, adaptive, flexible, provocative, and, most important, fun. We're not saying these toys will make kids into future inventors, programmers, or poets. But we prefer the term 'learning toys,' because, as the educators we spoke to told us, these toys and games promote aptitudes that are relevant in all types of learning.

The toys featured in this guide are often called 'STEM' toys because they can help develop skills that would be useful in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. And, of course, we spent some time playing with our picks at home with our own kids. To choose from the hundreds of toys available, we spent more than 30 hours trying 35 recommendations from experts, educators, and parents, including a reporting trip to the Katherine Delmar Burke School's tinkering and technology lab in San Francisco. For this kid-oriented gift guide, we focused on open-ended games, kits, toys, and crafts that promote lifelong skills like critical thinking, problem solving, logic, and even coding. We don't think there's a right or wrong way for kids to play. When readers choose to buy The Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that supports its work. This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer's guide to the best technology.