Preschool STEM Presentation

Take Home Activities

Planning STEM

Along with the storytime and hands-on activities, we like to include additional take home activities with related projects that participants can do with family members after they leave the library.

There are multiple resources available for STEM planning. Simply stepping into your Juvenile Nonfiction department can help inspire you.

Books

Mother Goose Asks “Why?”

Vermont Center for the Book

Parental Involvement

You Can Count on Mother Goose

Vermont Center for the Book

What’s the BIG Idea?

Making Math and Science Come Alive for Children and Families in Your Library

Vermont Center for the Book

Bridges! : Amazing Structures to Design, Build & Test, by Carol A. Johmann and Elizabeth J. Reith

Since parents are their children’s first educators, we encourage parental involvement as much as possible during our programs, both in the storytime portion of our program and in the hands-on activities.

More Picture-Perfect Science Lessons: Using Children’s Books to Guide Inquiry, K-4 by Karen Ansberry and Emily Morgan

Science Is Simple: Over 250 Activities for Preschoolers, by Peggy Ashbrook

Then, filling in circles . . . What could they be?

The Everything Kids' Easy Science Experiments Book : Explore the World of Science Through Quick and Fun Experiments, by J. Elizabeth Mills

Websites

Reading Rockets “Literacy in the Sciences” Tip Sheets

http://www.readingrockets.org/extras/stem_series/

Activities:

Open-ended

Child-centered

RIF’s STEAM Multicultural Booklist

http://www.rif.org/us/literacy-resources/multicultural/2012-multicultural-booklist.htm

-Going on a circle hunt

The Preschool STEM Program

Our Preschool STEM program is scheduled for 45 minutes. The first 20 -25 minutes is dedicated to the storytime portion of the program. This includes 1) an opening song, 2) a picture book, 3) a song or interactive game, flannel board, or activity, 4) a nonfiction book, and time permitting, 5) another song.

The second half of the program is set aside for hands-on activities.

Hands-on activities allow our participants to put into practice the knowledge that they have gained in the earlier half of the storytime. We make each hands-on activity an extension of the topic we discussed.

YouTube

National Science Teachers Association Blog - The Early Years

http://nstacommunities.org/blog/category/earlyyears/

Nonfiction books convey information in interesting ways. Often, preschool parents don’t use this part of the library – we like to show them that there are great informational books for preschoolers.

Are Trees Alive? by Debbie S. Miller

Picture Books vs. Nonfiction

INK (Interesting Nonfiction for Kids)

http://inkrethink.blogspot.com/

The picture books that we use in our Ready to Read based storytimes often contain facts that can be addressed and discussed.

A Tree is Nice, by Janice Udry

What is STEM?

Interactive Songs,

Nonfiction & Picture Books

Hands on Activities

ODNR Division of Wildlife - Wild Kids

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/ExperienceWildlifeSubHomePage/kidspagesplaceholder/kidsdefault/tabid/6024/Default.aspx

Preschool STEM emphasizes interactivity. The songs, games, flannel boards, books, and hands-on activities that we choose for Preschool STEM are all highly participatory and place a strong emphasis on interaction between the preschoolers and the librarian, as well as with their adults.

Throughout the program, we encourage the preschoolers to make predictions and to provide feedback about our topics. As we read the books, we ask questions and point out pictures and words that will help participants fully understand the material, and then, when the book has ended, we discuss what we have read.

STEM is an acronym that stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

Education.com Preschool Math Activities  

http://www.education.com/activity/preschool/math/

Why Preschool STEM in Libraries?

Knowledge Matters: Public Library Programming for Young Knowledge Seekers

https://kmatters0to6.wordpress.com/

Christina Jones, Children’s Services Librarian, Monroe County Public Library, Bloomington, Indiana

The addition of the Preschool STEM program, both on and offsite, provides libraries with a convenient opportunity to promote the skills necessary to successfully prepare preschoolers for the Common Core State Standards.

Just as Every Child Ready to Read helps parents prepare their children for kindergarten by instilling in them the necessary skills for reading and writing, Preschool STEM helps parents prepare their children for kindergarten by introducing them to nonfiction science, math, and engineering books and concepts.

Preschool STEM promotes inquiry, curiosity and excitement about learning and offers fact-based learning and fun hands-on experiences.

Blogs

What is Preschool STEM?

Library Makers {hands-on learning for all ages] : Wonderworks

http://librarymakers.blogspot.com/search/label/WonderWorks

Youth Services Librarian, Madison, Wisconsin

The Show Me Librarian: All Things STEAM

http://showmelibrarian.blogspot.com/p/all-things-steam.html

Amy Koester, Children’s Librarian, St. Charles City-County Public Library, Missouri - preschool & school age STEM programs and links to additional resources.

Common Core in Public Education

In 2010, Ohio public schools began using academic standards known as the Common Core. “The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world…” The new Common Core State Standards encourage teachers to focus on skills such as creative thinking, investigation, conversations, and connections outside the classroom.

Celebrate Science

http://celebratescience.blogspot.com/

Nonfiction author Melissa Stewart’s blog.

Preschool STEM is a storytime, geared at preschoolers ages 3-6, which explores Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematical concepts through picture and nonfiction books, games, and related hands-on activities. Technology is utilized in the Preschool STEM program, but it is not as much of a focus as Math, Science, and Engineering. Parents (or adult caregivers) are expected to actively participate with their children throughout the program.

http://www.corestandards.org/

Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal

http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/sibertmedal

For most distinguished informational book for children, administered by ALSC. Most of these are older than preschool audience.

Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children

NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English)

http://www.ncte.org/awards/orbispictus

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12

National Science Teacher’s Association

(in with the Children’s Book Council)

http://www.nsta.org/publications/ostb/

Nonfiction Book Awards & Book Lists

The Cook Prize http://bankstreet.edu/center-childrens-literature/cook-prize/

Bank Street College of Education, for the best STEM picture books for ages 8-10. Begun in 2012.

50 Books about Science and Scientists

http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/books/detailListBooks.asp?idBookLists=76

Books Count! Number Fun for Children

http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/books/detailListBooks.asp?idBookLists=148

Math & Science Booklists for Preschoolers

http://www.mothergooseprograms.org/math_science_book_lists.php

Big Idea Booklists

Topics include: Patterns, Mapping, Weather, Trees, Measurement, Shapes and many more!

http://www.mothergooseprograms.org/Big_idea_book_lists.php

Rocketship Science

Nonfiction book: Liftoff!, by Carmen Bredeson

Song: Rocketship Run, by Laurie Berkner

Picture Book: Oliver Who Would Not Sleep, by Mara Bergman

Video: Launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery

Balloon Rockets

Experiments

Alka Seltzer

Rockets

Questions?

The Engineering of Bridges

Jen Thomas jthomas@westervillelibrary.org

Robin Gibson

rgibson@westervillelibrary.org

Picture Book: Twenty-One Elephants, by Phil Bildner

Song: London Bridge

Non-fiction Powerpoint (with activities from Bridges! Amazing Structures to Design, Build & Test, by Carol A. Johmann and Elizabeth J. Rieth.

Thank you!

Pattern Activities

Bridge Powerpoint

Creating Patterns, using colors, sounds, shapes, and movement

Patterns

Building Bridges

Opening Song: Energy song

Talk about patterns in this song how the chorus repeats

Book: Hop Jump by Ellen Stoll Walsh

Activity: Movement patterns: have shapes in tape on floor, have them follow pattern (x= jumping jack , __ = hop, etc.)

Song: Toe, Leg, Knee, by Jim Gill

Book: Pattern Fish, by Trudy Harris

-Make some pattern fish examples. Ask what comes next?

Activity: Clapping patterns: clap a pattern & have them repeat it (do w/drums? Or with the big drum, let them take turns?)