STEM me a fun Storytime

Introducing children to procedural literature will benefit their following direction skills and entice reluctant readers to see the interest and adventure in literature. Procedural literature is what it sounds like, books that have a process to follow. In Big Book of Animals, LEGO gives details of animals and utilizes LEGO characters to capture a child's interest, the "hook" of a story. A lot of procedural literature requires the reader to follow the steps in order to obtain the desired results. I would recommend the genre for the hands on learners. Those who have a fascination with a topic but are too antsy to sit through a book or story. A child can learn facts while building. 

Title: Big Book of Animals 

Series: LEGO Nonfiction

Author: Penelope Arlon

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Publication Date: 2017

ISBN: 978-1338130072

Age Range: 4-8

Big Book of Animals is a “LEGO adventure in the real world.” It contains information on 50 animals that roam all over the earth. Beautiful photographs and information boxes with the use of LEGO characters create a fun and adventurous atmosphere for learning. The title also includes mini comic strips, jokes, and building ideas throughout the book. 

                   

 

Children will be captivated by the graphics and the humorous characters. Reluctant children of story time while enjoy that each page presents a new story, a different animal, and more building possibilities. Hands on learning and crafts help a child experience and build upon their learning, bringing education to life. 

                   

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) projects are a great way for a child to learn through a hands on approach, which most procedural nonfiction books are STEM related. STEM projects allows a child to explore and experience the world, utilizing their hands as the think through a problem. Not only are STEM books that help children learn, but STEM toys and subscription boxes are another great way to encourage your little to explore. 

Fractus Learning: 

This is an article by Fractus Learning in which they have collected research on the top STEM toys for every age group. A subscription box is a box that will be delivered to your chosen address containing a new project for you child to explore and learn in the area of math, science, engineering, and/or technology. This website is a great way to find the best STEM subscription box for you and your child(ren). 

https://www.fractuslearning.com/best-stem-science-tech-engineering-learning-toys/ 

Read-a-Like: 

125 Cute Animals by National Geographic Kids

 A beautiful book full of photographs, anecdotes, and interesting facts!

STEM Friday book blog: a blog that features wonderful books that focus on STEM ideas and learn. Great for family read-aloud or any story time session

http://asuen.com/stemfriday/

EiE blog: a blog that gives creative ideas for STEM activities. This particular article suggests 5 wonderful storybooks relating to STEM. 

https://blog.eie.org/5-awesome-stem-storybooks-for-preschoolers

Round up your little monsters - its party time!

Its that crazy fun time when all the children ask you “What are you going to be for Halloween?” no matter your age. Young children love to be scared or make monsters silly so they wont be scared. Monsters and Halloween are popular topics with preschool aged children. “Trick-Or-Treat: A Happy Haunter’s Halloween” is a perfect book to capture the interest of your own little monsters. 

Title: Trick-or-Treat: A Happy Haunter’s Halloween

Author: Debbie Leppanen

Illustrator: Tad Carpenter

Publisher: Beach Lane Books

Publication Date: August 2013

ISBN: 978-1442433984

Age Range: 4-8 

Leppanen creates a tale through poetry of monsters ready to party on halloween. The rhyming words and the bold, dark, and silly illustrations create a spook-taculare story. Leppanen helps young readers learn about rhyming words through her simply poetry and vivid imagery. 

            “The wind is howling,

             the leaves are blowing.

             A sliver of moon

             is barely showing.”

There are so many activities and ways to go about utilizing this delightful poetry book. It would make a perfect read aloud that shares a form of poetry, as a part of a poetry study. Another idea would be to use this book in a collection of poetry books sharing poetry in other cultures. Finally this book could be used as a part of a study on the theme of halloween or it would be just a fun holiday read aloud. 

“Who Said Boo” is a book of poetry that follows children on their adventures of putting on costumes, visiting houses, and bobbing for apples. These twelve delightful poems about halloween would make a wonderful read-a-like for “Trick-or-Treat.”

“Make Yourself a Monster” is a book of crafts to create at home or at school, encouraging children to use their imagination and their hands to create their own “scary” monsters. 

Mecklenburg public library created a list of poetry books that reflect diversity:

https://cmlibrary.bibliocommons.com/list/share/114258501_schoolcorps3/875684668_multcolib_assignments_poetry_reflecting_diversity,_grade_k,_1 

Fall into a Barrel of Apples

As the fall season approaches there are many exciting changes that happen all around. Delicious food scents the air, leaves change color, and the air become cool and crisp. 

Preschoolers love any type of hands on learning. Apples provide an excellent educational opportunity. Study the science of growing and picking apples, taste the variety of apple types, cook (encouraging children to follow directions and measure i.e. math) different recipes with apples as the main ingredient, build towers with apple pieces and marshmallows (engineering), or paint with apples creating a star shape. 

Title: I Eat Apples
Author: Mary Lindeen
Publisher: Lernerclassroom
Copyright: 2016
ISBN: 978-1512412116
Age range: 3-8

I Eat Apples in Fall by Mary Lindeen is a delightful non-fiction book that explains the basic concepts of size, shape, and color of apples found in an orchid. This simple and easy to understand book about apples is an excellent choice for children learning to read or as a read aloud to a group of 2-4 year olds learning about apples. Children will be drawn into the colorful visuals and simple but inviting text. 

Non-fiction reading incorporates a different aspect of learning then fiction. Glossaries, index, information boxes, and further reading lists are all tools of learning. Children will learn through simple text and the rudimentary layout of a nonfiction title in I Eat Apples. Introducing young children to information literacy and to encourage children to explore the world around them. 

A similar title that would be an excellent pair along entitled I See Fall Leaves by Mari Schuh explores color and shape of fall leaves. 

So many fun STEM apple activities, so little time! These two websites are full of fun STEM activities involving apples that preschool aged children will discover that learning is fun!

https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/apple-stem-activities-fall-engineering/

https://theeducatorsspinonit.com/apple-theme-stem-activity-preschoolers/