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GetsomeSTEAMinafterschoolactivities GetHands-onwithSTEAMPrograms After School This Fall In Marin Lefttoright:MVCodeClubinMillValleyhasprovensopopularthey'vebranchedoutto Greenbrae, San Francisco, the East Bay and the Peninsula; At the southern end of Marin, The Bay Area Discovery Museum is home to Fab Lab. –Photocreditslefttoright:MarinMommies,BayAreaDiscoveryMuseum President and Publisher | Rob Devincenzi Ad Manager | Lori Pearce Advertising Operations | Diane Sartarelli This Back to School Special Section is produced in its entirety by the Advertising Department of the Marin Independent Journal and did not involve the editing or reporting staff of the Marin IJ's newsroom. The Marin Independent Journal is located at 4000 Civic Center Drive, Suite 301 in San Rafael, Calif. 94903. ByPamelaFox, Marin Mommies Special to the Marin IJ T his fall, the learning begins again when Bay Area kids head back to the classroom. While most kids would probably disagree that they need to experience even more learning outside school, parents know that extra-curricular enrichment, especially in the area of popular STEAM fields, can be an important part of an education. And it can be fun, too! (Shhhh… don't tell the kids.) What is STEAM? For those not in the know, STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics and encompasses activities as varying as computer programming, electronics, building robots and simple machines, 3D-printing, crafting, virtual reality, and physics and chemistry experiments. Simply put, STEAM is the future, and engaging in STEAM activities help kids learn problem solving, creative thinking, patience, resourcefulness, curiosity and more. While many schools are jumping on the STEAM bandwagon, most children will probably experience STEAM activities in an after-school or weekend extracurricular setting, most often in a "makerspace"— a place that's a science lab, art studio and workshop all rolled into one, usually boasting the latest in cool technology like 3D printers, laser cutters, computers, power tools, and soldering irons. And, even more importantly, makerspaces are staffed by responsible adult mentors who can show kids how to safely work on and complete their projects. Fortunately in Marin we have some fantastic STEAM enrichment resources right in our own back 4 July22,2018 BacktoSchool AMarketingSupplementoftheMarinIndependentJournal | marinij.com