Kids Fun

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amazing roller coaster, ask them to explain how the pieces work. Have your child show you they did. Ask your child to construct a building with five or seven random items. When they are done, have your child explain not only what they did, but why it worked.

Tear it apart – Have an old computer, or even an old toaster? How about an old cell phone that’s not worth a cent to trade in? Unplug it, give it to your child and encourage them to explore it. Let your child figure out how to get it apart (maybe a little supervision for safety) and explore the pieces that are inside. For older children, let them research online and see if they can identify some of the pieces and explain to you what they do.

4. Problem solve in everyday situations.

A key component to STEM education is understanding how to solve a problem. Use everyday opportunities to challenge your child to think through how to solve a problem. Challenge them come up with a resolution to the problem.

Engage them with hypotheticals. When you’re at the playground with your child – and they are having a great time on the slide – point out how it’s made. Ask what could make it even better. Ask how they would build it to make it better. When you get home – have your child draw it out on a piece of paper. Encourage imagination!

Engaging with your child and getting them to notice the world around them – how things were built, how they work and why they work, and even encouraging them to think about how to change it or make it better, is what STEM is all about! Simply pointing out some of those things we all take for granted can spark that awareness and peak a STEM interest in our children.

Vanessa Banks is Co-Founder of Kernel Creative Media and the marketing strategist for Sylvan Learning of Clifton Park and Albany. For more information, visit SylvanLearning.com.

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continued from Page 3 improve the terrain, although it is not recommended for those with mobility issues. There will be no on-site parking at Winterlights this year, as guests will park in designated parking spaces on both sides of Town Hall at 50 Main St. and take a short shuttle ride to the property.

Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens is back for 2022 and fresh off interior and exterior renovations. In addition to the stunning outdoor light displays spread out across 91 acres, visitors will also be able to experience the newly renovated home on the property that belonged to Helen Stevens Coolidge and her husband, John Gardner Coolidge – a diplomat descended from Thomas Jefferson and a nephew to Isabella Stewart Gardner.

Sweet and savory holiday-themed delights such as hot cocoa, hot cider, cookies, and cider doughnuts will be offered at all three locations.

Tickets go quickly, so visitors are encouraged to secure passes by visiting thetrustees.org/winterlights.

On Wednesdays and Thursdays, adults pay $22 and children ages 3-13 pay $10. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, cost $27 and $10 for children 3-13. Children 2 and under are free.

Tupper Lake

Wander into an enchanting, illuminated, winter wonderland to explore the sights and sounds of Wild Lights at the Wild Center in Tupper Lake. Thousands of lights will transform the campus into a twinkling, family-friendly experience that is sure to become a holiday tradition for many families.

Wild Lights will be open from 5-8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Feb. 25, and open every day during Winter Week (Dec. 16-23) and Holiday Week (Dec. 26-31).

Enjoy the Forest Music area, where over 130 trees are wrapped in colorful lights that illuminate the forest and will transport you to a winter wonderland. A new musical composition from Whatever Penny creates a magical threedimension dreamy winter soundscape

The Wild Walk will be strung with tens of thousands of lights so you can experience the outdoors like never before. New winter installations provide Instagram-worthy photos and opportunities to create lifelong winter memories.

Also enjoy Patrick Dougherty’s “Hopscotch,” which glows and provides an opportunity for your imagination to run wild.

Warm up inside the center with hot drinks, food, and an opportunity to check out the Living River Trail (otters included!). Interactive light up pieces like an oversized Lite Brite provides fun for kids and a chance for old school nostalgia for adults.

The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for youth. Children 4 and under are free

Just a reminder, The Wild Center does minimal grooming of trails so appropriate footwear during the wintery months is recommended.

Compiled by Kristen Roberts, editor of Capital District Family Now