By Valeria Alvarez, Bilingual Children's Library Associate, Martin Regional Library
Almost everyone has heard of the acronym “STEM”, but what does it actually mean? STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. STEM activities can range from building a rocket from a soda bottle and baking soda to building a tower from a deck of cards, or even completing a simple math worksheet.
STEM activities are designed to help kids learn about the world through hands-on experiences. What’s more fun? Learning about chemical reactions from a video or learning about chemical reactions from a real in-person experiment such as the Elephant's Toothpaste experiment! STEM learning begins with playing. Kids come up with ideas, test them out, and learn from their observations. Here are some favorite picture books that show why STEM-focused learning is a fun way to explore the world!
Libby Loves Science by Kimberly Derting and Shelli R. Johannes illustrates how a young girl and her science class run several experiments at the school fair to show that science is fun. This book is one of a nine-part series, and each book has instructions for different experiments to do at home. Libby Loves Science has five experimental instructions, including a recipe for fluffy slime!
The Biggest Smallest Thing by Sara de Waal focuses on Mo, a young boy trying to come up with the best experiment for his class competition. The competition is simple: turn something small into something big. This book explains that science comes in many different forms, from baking a lemon meringue pie to making music! It even has a recipe for making a volcano using simple home ingredients.
Marsha is Magnetic by Beth Ferryis about a girl whose birthday party is coming up. The problem? She has no friends to invite! To solve that problem, Marsha uses the scientific method to make friends. This humorous and cute book shows an interesting use of the scientific method.
