As a teacher, I wanted a STEAM curriculum that did more than fill an afternoon with a fun project. I wanted lessons that were standards-aligned, taught meaningful skills, and built on one another over time.

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In my own STEAM teaching, I kept running into the same challenge. Students were excited to build, but without a foundation in tools, techniques, and the iterative design process, it was difficult to take projects beyond a one-time activity. I kept coming back to the same conclusion: we needed a bigger-picture plan, and we needed to start with our youngest learners.​

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What I was really searching for was a roadmap. A curriculum with a clear progression, long-term skill development, and projects that had actually been tested with real kids. I wanted to know what came next and how to keep challenging students who were ready to go further.

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While working on curriculum for a classroom setting, I also created a small "STEAM lab" cart at home for my youngest son. He was only four years old, but he quickly became captivated by the tools, the tinkering, and the independence. As he designed, built, tested, and improved his creations, I watched his confidence grow. I provided the tools, supplies, and guiding questions; he did the rest. It wasn't complicated. It was simply the right blend of structure, challenge, and opportunity.

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Those two experiences became the foundation of GenSTEM.

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Working alongside teachers, parents, and administrators, I set out to create the curriculum I wished had existed when I started teaching STEAM: standards-aligned, thoughtfully sequenced, and open-ended enough to encourage creativity and innovation. Every project has been tested with real students, refined through trial and error, and designed to minimize preparation while maximizing engagement.​