STEM Ideas from the Lunar and Planetary Institute

The Lunar and Planetary Institute is a really cool place. They are the swell folks that lend out their planetarium. I got to go to a training there last month to try out some STEM ideas with their education coordinator. Here are some cool things from LPI that you could do at your library for STEM programs, including Star Parties!

UV Kid
Mess level: 1
Materials needed: Chenille stems, UV beads, regular pony beads, assorted scraps of tissue paper, aluminum foil, etc (optional: sunscreen)
Basics: Make a person/animal/creature out of chenille stems, decorating with UV beads and regular beads. Take your creation into the light and watch the UV beads change colors. Then create some sort of sun protection out of the scrap materials. Then take your creation back out into the sunlight and see how well you did.

Oreo Moon Phases
Mess level: 4
Materials needed: 6 oreos per kid, paper towels, plastic cutlery, printed calendar
Basics: Subtract frosting from oreos to model moon phases. Place them on a calendar of the current month to show when the phases will be visible.
Note: Here is the PDF of the calendar we used. You’ll have to make your own or do some editing since it’s for December 2017.

Make a comet

Mess level: 10
Materials needed: 5 pounds of dry ice (purchased the day of or the day before the activity and stored well-wrapped in a freezer before use), Mallet, Eye protection, Thick work gloves or insulated rubber gloves, Plastic bowl (large), Paper or cloth grocery bag, 13 gallon garbage bag, Pie pan or flat tray, 1 cup of sand or soil, Dash of ammonia, Dash of organic materials, such as rubbing alcohol or corn syrup, Strong flashlight, (Optional) a printed image of a comet, (Optional) tools for making additional observations, such as magnifying glasses, cameras, scales, an ear thermometer, or infrared thermal cameras that work with smartphones and tablets (such as a Seek Thermal Compact camera).
Basics: Make a comet by mixing fragments of dry ice with sand and water. This is definitely the most involved activity. If you have a larger group, I would recommend having several staff on hand helping to make the comets. Dry ice is something that we have to be really careful with, so please take every safety precaution in the directions. You could also do this as a demonstration.

- Angela @ COL

STEM Program Ideas

Want to run a STEM program during ASZ or on the weekend, but forgot to request a kit in time? Want to include a STEM activity in storytime? Here's a STEM resource that I've added to the Kids, Tweens, and Teen pages: STEM In Libraries. I do love that you can filter for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, or just look at all the ideas they offer.

What project do you want to try at your location? Let us know in the comments by November 1st , don't forget to include your name and location in your comment, and get a prize from the treasure chest at the next youth meeting!

Amazing Art Resources!

If you are looking for ideas for art programs that you might want to do at your location, either for March programming or for any general time, check out the Art Lab books! They are available as ebooks (some through Hoopla!) and as physical books. What I especially like is that most of them feature 52 lessons, so you could, in theory, do a unique program every week for an entire year. Check them out!

Share your ideas for incorporating art into your library programs in the comments!

I'm So Hot

Check out this video that was shared at the STEAM in Preschool Storytime training! If you're looking to incorporate videos into your storytime, the Storybots are a great way to do it. In 2 minutes, you/kids in your storytime can learn a lot about the sun by watching this video. Let me know what you think in the comments!

Día! Diversity in Action

What do you know about Día?

From the Día website:
El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day), commonly known as Día, is a celebration every day of children, families, and reading that culminates yearly on April 30. The celebration emphasizes the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

Día is a nationally recognized initiative that emphasizes the importance of literacy for all children from all backgrounds. It is a daily commitment to linking children and their families to diverse books, languages and cultures. The common goals of all Día programming are to:

• Celebrate children and connect them to the world of learning through books, stories and libraries. 
• Nurture cognitive and literacy development in ways that honor and embrace a child’s home language and culture. 
• Introduce families to community resources that provide opportunities for learning through multiple literacies. 
• Recognize and respect culture, heritage and language as powerful tools for strengthening families and communities. 

Here's a toolkit for some great activities for Día, including some great STEAM activities that could work any time (not just on Día).:

http://dia.ala.org/sites/default/files/resources/150817_BuildingSteamWithDiaToolkit_pages_1.pdf


What are you going to do for Día? Or, what have you done in the past to celebrate Día? Post your ideas in the comments!