1. STEM Storytime Extenders Amy Koester Preschool Services Discussion Group 2013 ALA Annual Conference

2. Why do STEM with preschoolers? STEM activities… promote early literacy skills development engage children’s natural curiosity exercise fine motor skills are FUN

3. STEM Activities in Place of a Craft Build something useful—it’s engineering while still feeling like a craft Set out STEM tools for kids to explore

4. Have a science table for free play Magnifying glasses and specimens, magnet wands and magnetic objects, and a balance scale with objects to weigh make for great hands-on STEM exploration.

5. STEM Activities as the Main Event Build a story time around a STEM concept Spend at least half the program engaged in hands-on experiments and activities

6. Offer hands-on experiments for concept learning There are a plethora of ideas for preschool-friendly STEM experiments and activities in your non-fiction collection (start with Janice Vancleave’s titles), on teacher and librarian blogs, and on Pinterest.

7. STEM Activities To Go Take-home STEM activity sheets “Make it, Take it” stations with STEM projects

8. Invite families to do STEM at home. Write up STEM activity instructions on a handout, or prep basic supplies to distribute in brown paper bags. Make it easy for caregivers to do STEM with their kids at home.

9. Links to more ideas and resources online akoester@stchlibrary.org @amyeileenk http://showmelibrarian.blogspot.com