Get Your Child’s Brain in Gear with ChickTech’s Soft Circuit Kits

August has arrived. By now, kids are getting ready to go back school, but their brains may be a little groggy from all the summer excitement. They’ve been laughing, having fun, and forming summer memories that they’ll carry with them for many years to come. Parents, however, are likely counting down the days to September. When their kids go back to school, structure will be brought back into daily routines. Teachers take over to shape students’ minds, encourage their passions, and help them grow their skills.

With school days quickly approaching, parents should know there’s an easy way to help their kids get their brains ready for the classroom. ChickTech’s Soft Circuits Kits, for instance, are designed with a fun combination of electronics, software, and art to help your child get in touch with their inner engineer.

Women are still underrepresented in many STEM fields, and the most significant disparities are in engineering, computer science, and physical science, according to the National Science Board. The kits are meant to encourage a love for STEM and to get young girls passionate about these areas of study at an early age.

Each kit is hand-packed by a ChickTech volunteer whose goal is to help your child succeed. Using the materials in the kit, your child can learn the basics of electronics and coding, all while making their own LED bracelet and personal tote bag.

While ChickTech made sure to provide detailed instructions every step of the way, the end goal is to get young girls thinking creatively so they can produce something they’re truly proud of. ChickTech wants girls who purchase the kits to know that they used their own two hands to bring something new into the world.

I took the challenge, and even as a grown adult, I felt excited when I successfully made an LED light up and coded my LilyPad Arduino mini-computer board so that it played a sound. When I finally put on my LED bracelet and IT WORKED, I was on cloud nine.

I never considered myself a “technical” person, but I found the step-by-step instructions very helpful and was surprised that I could figure it out. I can only imagine the pure joy a young girl would feel when she sees her LED bracelet light up for the first time, and the smile her mom, dad, sister, brother (or whomever) would have across their face knowing that they helped her reach a new milestone.