One year into the pandemic and over 800 million school students worldwide still face significant disruptions to their education, reveals a recently released UNESCO data. This disturbance has also left most of them struggling to learn STEM subjects, even as they find it enthralling and increasingly pertinent to their lives, suggests new research emphasized at the annual American Educational Research Association conference held in April 2021.

There’s no dearth of online learning resources as we continue education during these uncertain times. But finding the right tools and resources pose a challenge for parents.

The narrative of Arnold Thomas is a case in point.

“My 10-year-old granddaughter had just started showing interest in physics and electronics when they were forced to go online last year. As her parents were juggling work from home and homeschooling her, they couldn’t really pay much heed to her interest. This left her grappling.

When I was visiting them last month, I could see her knack for wiring things. I am an electronics enthusiast and as a child I was fascinated with Radio Shack 160 in One Electronics Project Kit. I wanted to get something similar for her so that she could enjoy working on the projects and at the same time learn hands on.

With a little research, I narrowed down on Mand Labs KIT-1, a DIY electronics kit, designed to teach children the basics of electronics — fiddle with circuits, wires, transistors, capacitors etc. I ordered one for her and I am very impressed with the kit because it is very similar to the Radio Shack kit that I used as a child.

Now she’s fully hooked on to the kit and has already made some interesting projects. She’s also surprised her parents by making an automatic night lamp for them. So glad that I got KIT-1 for her.”

Like Arnold, there are many grandparents/ parents and educators who have bought KIT-1 either to learn or teach their children/grandchildren. Let’s hear from them why they chose KIT-1 and how they are using the kit.

– All Graphics Credit: Sidra Choudhry