Spotlight
Full STEAM Ahead!
You have probably heard teachers and librarians and government officials tossing around the term STEM or, in more recent days, STEAM. It’s an acronym that stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math, and it’s a really big deal.
It seems there is a shortage of students pursuing study in these fields, and it is now a national plan to improve the statistics via the nation’s schools.
You can read much more about the background and details here and here, but I’d like to share with you some ways your library is doing its part to increase interest and encourage educational pursuits.
Programming
Your library makes STEAM unbelievably fun! We host LEGO WeDo Robotics workshops, we offer Minecraft building and recreational events, our Friends of the Library fund our Science Friday activities with the Mad Science of Northern Illinois educational organization.
And coming next Saturday, October 11, our Sixth Annual Family Science Expo will blow your mind. A dozen exhibitors from all over the science, technology, and engineering fields will offer awesome activities and information for all ages. And that’s not all! In this library we tell stories, we make crafts, and generally stack the deck with great STEAM activities for you and your kids. Check out the exhibitor list here.
Collections of materials:
Your library has tons of books, magazines, videos, games, music, and devices that offer genuine opportunities for education and entertainment. If you have not yet registered for a library card, come on in and do it so you may take some of this great stuff home with you and extend your STEAM experience from the library into your living room.
Check these out:
Extreme Engineering. Collection two
Produced by Powderhouse Productions for Discovery Channel.
Do-it-yourself science
Disney Educational Productions. Produced in association with the National Science Foundation.
10 Hardware Hacking Projects For Around Home
Barry Press and Marcia Press.
Complete Idiot's Guide to Crafts with Kids
Georgene Lockwood