STEAM & the Makerspace: A Presentation for Montana

I was in Montana this morning to give a workshop titled "STEAM & the Makerspace" through the Montana State Library. I talked about lots of programs and activities in the workshop, and this blog post shall serve as the landing page for finding links to everything I talked about. Thank you, Montana, for inviting me to visit your beautiful state. I very much enjoyed the excellent conversations I had with your library staff!

Without further ado, the resources.

STEAM for Preschoolers

• Observation Skills & measuring activities
• Weather Science
• Three Little Pigs science activity
• Picture book app in storytime (Peek-a-Zoo)
• Sink or Float? boat activity in Water Science
• Building Name Game in Chemistry Science
• Painting with Forces
• Color Science

STEAM for School-Age

• Airplane Science
• Science of Slimy Things
• MaKey MaKey & Scratch video games
• Egg Drop
• Marble Run Mania
• LEGO Club
• Art Aliens
• Camouflage
• Light Painting - program by Brad Jones, formerly of Skokie Public Library
• Constellation Books
• Art Market
• Life-Size Chutes & Ladders
• Tangram Challenge - take-home activity by Abby Johnson, Abby the Librarian

Maker Activities

• Mobile Makerspaces - from Karen Jensen, Teen Librarian Toolbox
• Gingerbread Houses
• LEGO Club
• Marshmallow Towers
• Mini Mazes - from Anne Clark, so tomorrow
• Paper City: Paris - by Made by Joel
• Art Bots
• Bristle Bots - from Anne Clark, so tomorrow

Go-To Blogs

• Library Makers
• Abby the Librarian
• Read Sing Play
• Library Bonanza
• Never Shushed
• Teach Preschool
• PreKinders
• so tomorrow
• Teen Librarian Toolbox
• Gadgets, Gizmos, & Goo (G3): The Mad Scientists Club
• The Show Me Librarian: All Things STEAM

Go-To Websites

• Steve Spangler Science
• Little eLit
• Family Engineering
• Start With a Book
• Wonderopolis
• Mixing in Math
• Bedtime Math
• Make It @ Your Library
• TinkerLab
• Pinterest
• Saroj Ghoting's Preschool Science and Math info

Funding Resources

• LSTA Grants
• Other grants via LEGO Education "Sources of Funding"

Further Reading

• "Every Child Is Born a Scientist" from Marcelo Gleiser on NPR 13.7 Cosmos and Culture
• "From STEM to STEAM: Science and Art Go Hand-in-Hand" from Steven Ross Pomeroy on Scientific American
• "Full STEAM Ahead: Injecting Art and Creativity into STEM" from Amy Koester on School Library Journal
• Improving STEM Curriculum and Instruction: Engaging Students and Raising Standards, Successful STEM Education Initiative, a National Research Council report funded by the National Science Foundation
• "What does STEM look like in preschool and what is STEM anyway?" from Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed., on Teach Preschool
• "Why Kids Need to Tinker to Learn" from Katrina Schwartz, on Mind/Shift

Steam & the Makerspace from Amy Koester