Toy Association to Moderate STEAM-Focused Panel at CES 2019
The Toy Association’s Ken Seiter, executive vice-president of marketing communications, will moderate the panel STEAM-Powered Play on January 10 at the Kids@Play Family Tech Summit, part of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The panel is part of The Toy Association’s multi-year undertaking to bring more clarity to STEM/STEAM and to help toy companies create better products for the next generation of children that drive interest in science, math, and related fields.
Session presenters will discuss the role of play in helping and encouraging kids to master STEAM learning, including how toys and games can inspire curiosity, hands-on exploration, and encourage experimentation. Panelists include Dr. Knatokie Ford, founder of Fly Sci Enterprise and a former senior advisor at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Silver McDonald, head of LEGO Education North America; and Ted McGuire, president of Thames & Kosmos.
Following the session, the audience will be invited to take a 15-minute play break sponsored by The Genius of Play, The Toy Association’s initiative to raise awareness of the developmental benefits of play. Attendees will compete in The Genius of Play’s Paper Pilot Challenge, a game in which they will create their own paper airplane and see which sails the farthest. The play break will be co-hosted by the creators of Game Night in a Can and Dr. Biscuits’ Radical Road Trip. Winners will be treated to Genius of Play t-shirts, Game Night in a Can activity sets, and medals.
Earlier this year, The Toy Association published an in-depth report, Decoding STEM/STEAM. Assembled and reviewed by The Toy Association’s STEM/STEAM Strategic Leadership Committee, the report clarified the concept of STEM and STEAM and the role of toys and play in building science and math skills in children. The CES panel will share findings from the report and explore additional ways toys and play can foster STEAM learning.