Here’s a fun paper toy that can help you pick a future job. Have a go with our STEM career chatterbox! There are no wrong answers, only positive role models.
You will need
- STEM chatterbox file (download here)
- Colour printer
- Scissors
What to do
Download the STEM chatterbox file and print it out double sided and in colour.
Use scissors to cut along the dotted pink line, removing the “How to Fold Your STEM Chatterbox” flap.
Flip the square piece of paper over to the side with blue and orange lines. Fold and unfold the paper along the 2 diagonal blue lines.
Unfold the paper, then fold over the orange lines so that the corners touch the centre.
Flip your paper over and then fold the triangular flaps to cover up the images.
Fold your paper in half.
Put your fingers inside the square flaps to open up the chatterbox.
Show your chatterbox to a friend and ask them to pick one of the 4 words written on the outside of the chatterbox.
Spell out the word by opening and closing the chatterbox for each letter. When you are done spelling, ask your friend to choose one of the 4 words visible inside the chatterbox.
Open the flap to reveal a STEM career! (You can do steps 8-10 on your own if you want.)
What’s happening?
What do you want to do when you grow up? In Australia, jobs in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) will grow by 14% in the next 5 years. That’s twice as fast as non-STEM jobs!
But “STEM” is a big umbrella, and it includes everything from astronaut to zoologist. There is a ton of diversity in STEM jobs – far too much to showcase in a little chatterbox. So we attempted to highlight a wide variety.
Did you know that you can combine STEM fields with Art fields? Jobs like these are sometimes known as STEAM (the A stands for Arts). You could become a medical illustrator and help share scientific knowledge. Many STEM jobs directly help people, such as food scientists or virologists. Many STEM jobs push the boundaries of knowledge about ourselves and our universe – like primatologists or astronauts.
You don’t need to study at university to work in STEM. A TAFE or VET degree can help you become an electrician and work putting technology together. Speaking of technology, you can also design robots or AI as an engineer.
Which path or paths appeal to you?
Enjoy playing with your chatterbox and share it with a friend!
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