Last week, The Toy Association’s Ken Seiter, executive vice president of marketing communications, led a fireside chat at CES that explored how STEM/STEAM toys can be incorporated in play in new and engaging ways. This topic will be followed up at Toy Fair New York in the Creative Factor session “Discover New Opportunities with STEM and STEAM.”
“Utilizing The Toy Association’s own in-depth STEM/STEM toy research as a reference, coupled with the collaborative work done with STEM/STEAM education and play experts, this session will explore immediate steps we can take over the next two years to seize upon unexplored STEM/STEAM opportunities in play,” says Seiter.
Seiter and Ted Curtin, chief innovation officer at ProdigyWorks, will examine new data on how companies can improve on the promise of STEM/STEAM. The session will share ideas based on the latest STEM-related research that can help in the development of career-building skills, screentime alternatives, improved Internet of Things (IoT) integration, and more.
Seiter and Curtin will chat with Michael Herbst, one of the experts who participated in the research study. Herbst, a high school science and STEM teacher, created new augmented reality tools for teaching geology and will discuss how he incorporates STEM knowledge into life in and outside the classroom.
“We hope these talks inspire attendees and future thought for the industry,” adds Seiter.
This session is part of a series of engaging seminars delivered by Creative Factor at Toy Fair, an educational program that aims to support and foster growth within the global toy inventor and designer community. The Toy Association continues to enhance Toy Fair’s Creative Factor programming, guided by its advisory board of innovators and experts across a range of creative fields. All Toy Fair registrants are welcome to participate in a full schedule of roundtables, presentations, workshops, and panels focused on the interests and goals of inventors, designers, and others in the creative community. Sessions will be held throughout the four days in the Creative Factor Theater (the lobby outside Hall 1D).
In addition, toy manufacturers are invited to hear product pitches from select inventors and designers during The Toy Association’s “CF@TF Inventor Day,” taking place on Friday, Feb. 21. The deadline for designers and inventors to submit their ideas to be considered is Friday, Jan. 17. For more information, contact The Toy Association’s Marian Bossard.
Toy Fair New York will take place Feb. 22-25 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Visit toyfairny.com or download the free Toy Fair app from Apple iTunes or Google Play for the full list of Creative Factor programming and other informative educational sessions taking place only at Toy Fair.
