As a parent with a child who attends a STEAM school, I am excited to share some excitement from our friends at Pixar today! 

pixar in a box

If you haven’t heard of STEM, please let me be the first to tell you about the acronym: STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. When you add Art and creativity into the aspect, you get STEAM, respectively.  It’s excitement and fun all tied into one, and children are thriving in the programs, offered at schools, museums and camps everywhere.

pixar in a box

With summer well underway, I am on a mission to keep my children interested in the program, so when I found out about free lessons from Pixar In A Box, I had to know more.

Pixar in a Box is a behind-the-scenes look at Pixar Animation Studios’ creative process. It’s a Free online curriculum that shows how Pixar filmmakers use science, technology, engineering, art and math to create movie magic.

I learned that the elements of STEAM are required to produce some of our favorite films, such as Toy Story and Finding Dory.  They are so successful because of the animation in complex scenes appearing on your screen. Pixarinabox.org shows children of all ages how their studio uses the elements – creating a great online resource for students, teachers and parents alike.

Take a look:

With Pixar In A Box Free Online STEAM Curriculum, a series of video lessons, interactive exercises, and hands-on activities, will enable students to discover how the academic concepts they learn in school enable Pixar filmmakers to create new worlds, animate unique characters and tell stories through animation. Although designed especially for students in middle and high school, these resources are available to learners of all ages, completely free of charge.

Tony DeRose, Senior Scientist and Research Group Lead at Pixar, told us “Many students start to lose interest in academics in middle and high school, partly because they don’t see how academic concepts relate to things they care about. Pixar in a Box aims to address this disconnect by showing how Pixar filmmakers use these concepts for creative benefit in their everyday work.”

New Pixar in a Box lessons are released on a regular basis, and lucky for us, the Finding Dory lesson came out a few days ago!  My son, who is in middle school, is so excited about this one!  He is understanding how effects come into play, when animating a film.  He is gaining energy points left and right, and now knows more about physics than his mom ever did!  I love how the videos explain the “how” and “why”!

Pixarinabox.org is an amazing way to help children learn with the help of the animation experts. I love that the curriculum is free, and paving the way for future interests.  Make sure you check out the Finding Dory lesson this summer!

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