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26 January 2018

Getting Girls Pretty Curious About STEM



I've always encouraged the Mini Mes to follow their dreams and they've always known that I will be right behind them, to support them, along any path they wish to take throughout their lives. Moomin is now in year 9, how she became a teenager already I'll never know, and she has made quite a lot of big decisions during the past few weeks at school. We had discussions together in relation to her GCSE subjects but ultimately the choice was hers to make so I stepped back and gave her space to pick what was right to help towards her career, as well as opting for classes she will enjoy, both of which may impact her own future greatly.


I must admit when she told me she was opting for languages, home economics and triple science, a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subject I was very pleased. She has always been very creative, imaginative and hands on with an urge to learn how things are made and how they work and she is also very bright in this area. Ever since she was very young we've had great fun doing experiments and making things from scratch like perfume and lip balms, something that still excites her now, so I really feel she has chosen wisely.





STEM Careers have been dominated by men with just 1 in 4 people in core STEM roles within the UK being female, a statistic that I found quite shocking in today's more diverse world. EDF Energy want to raise awareness of this and change the statistics with their Pretty Curious campaign which helps to inspire girls' interest in STEM subjects at school and encourages them into pursuing STEM when beginning their careers. It has already proved successful during the first years it has been running - they set an ambition for 30% of its STEM graduate and apprenticeship intake to be women by 2018, a figure that was already exceeded during 2017.


Pretty Curious provides girls with a real sense of what its like to work in STEM careers by offering hands on experiences and digital content, some of which we were happy to put to the test at home.
Moomin was sent a littleBits Droid Inventor Kit to show off her STEM skills and to get her even more enthusiastic about STEM subjects. EDF Energy have recently teamed up with Star Wars: The Last Jedi as not only is it a wonderful movie, it also has strong female lead characters with STEM skills - great role models for young women.





As soon as Moomin saw the 30+ piece kit she was eager to unbox it and begin construction. Firstly she built a circuit then downloaded the app for the rest of the instructions and to later use as the remote. She was already showing her ability to design and use technology all whilst having fun and learning. She seem quite absorbed and didn't even want to pause for dinner which was a first!

It wasn't long until the R2-D2 was created and she was guiding it around the kitchen and lounge. Jambo wanted to have a go and I nearly had to prise it away from her clutches as she was enjoying herself so much. Kits like this get girls interested in STEM and opens up the opportunity to discuss STEM subjects in the process. It's great to see your child get so involved with a project but it's also nice to be available to offer help if required (and have a go yourself too!).







Moomin was also sent a Pretty Curious cardboard headset to watch the 360˚ virtual reality film EDF Energy created, to provide you a real sense of what fascinating industries are available with STEM and keeping options open for the future for all teens. The video shows a structural engineer who helped design London’s tallest building (The Shard), a Research Engineer who works on an off shore windfarm and finally a coder and co-Founder of crowdfunding website 'Mode for Me'. Careers that Moomin knew very little about but quickly sparked an interest.

It's definitely worth taking a peep at the website as it has lots of useful information for parents and teens.





Other Resources from EDF Energy



  • The Future Me avatar and quiz for teens allows your child to discover what job role suits their interests. It's a great way to discover careers they may not even know exist and there is the option to then also create a shareable and personalised Future Me avatar.
  • The Parents’ Quiz helps you to discover which STEM related career best suits your child by answering 10 simple questions on their interests and hobbies. You can then find out possible earnings in a specific role or read questions and answers from someone already in this position.



Our Tips to Encourage Children to Select STEM Subjects for GCSE

  • Children learn from those around them, primarily family and friends in their younger years, so if you know someone in a STEM related career, get them to have a chat with them about their job and the path to get there.
  • As well as the usual arts and crafts at home, try purchasing items relating to Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. Your children may show a real interest and ability from an early age.
  • STEM subjects are often promoted more towards males but you can ensure that your girls get involved - the boys can give baking and predominately female jobs a go too.
  • Show your children strong female role models who already work in STEM job roles for inspiration. It may spark an interest if they see other women in these positions already.







Job roles in science, research engineering and tech are due to rise at double the rate of other occupations before 2023 so getting interested in the area now will help with opening doors into these careers as an adult.


How are you encouraging your child to try STEM subjects?

Purchase your own Droid Inventor Kit Here:




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I’m working with EDF Energy and BritMums to promote the #PrettyCurious programme. 
Visit http://bit.ly/2kVgjP8 for more information and advice. This post contains affiliate links.
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12 comments

  1. That droid is awesome isn't it! I love it so much and so does my daughter - although we have decided not to use the stickers because we both like to see all the workings! :)

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  2. What a great initiative - and brilliant for Moomin to pave the way for women & girls in STEM!

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    1. She really enjoyed being involved with this campaign x

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  3. My daughter loves the Project MC2 series on Netflix, which has been great in raising her interest in STEM activities

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    1. Moomin actually has a few of the dolls from that range! x

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  4. I absolutely love this and I think both of our science loving girls would get on well! My daughter loves everything about STEM and it is certainly a career that is exciting to hear more and more girls getting involved in.

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    1. Take a look at the quiz online, it's great for providing ideas on career choices - especially ones she may not have thought of already x

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    1. I totally agree. Hopefully programmes like this will help x

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  6. We love STEM subjects in this house and my girls especially have a keen interest in them!

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  7. Ooooh this is so interesting! I'll have to look into it more when mine are older!

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