S.T.E.A.M. - October

What better way to learn science than with Halloween candy! We had a great time experimenting with ghost peeps, candy corn pumpkins and gummy worms. You can find the experiments on Pinterest by searching:

Exploding Peep Geysers
Dissolving Candy Pumpkins
Dancing Gummy Worms or Electric Eels 

S.T.E.A.M. With Us! September

Expanding on our successful Learning With Lego program from last year, I finally started an official S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) program, even though much of what we have done for years in storytime and in after-school programming has been STEAM-related.

In September, we put on our engineer hats and made homes for the three little pigs built out of toothpicks, straws, and marshmallows. Thanks to Sweet Sounds of Kindergarten for the great Pinterest pin and idea.
First (because yes, this is a library) we read The Three Little Pigs: an Architectural Tale by Steven Guarnaccia, which is a fun retelling of the classic story with illustrations of iconic architecture in homes and designs in furniture.

The kids had a blast creating their homes from a limited number of materials - and the first catch was that a 'pig' had to fit inside. After that, we had to make sure their homes were well built, by blasting them with a hair dryer! Most were successful, and some were ingenious. Here are a few pics with our TAB members helping out.

 

Good Reads for Grades 2-4

Four years ago, Ms Patty and I began the NEXT CHAPTER READING CLUB here at RML. It was designed specifically to expose children in grades 2-4 to books that they might miss when going from easy readers/early chapters to longer works of fiction.
Four years later, we still have a great group of kids for this program! I thought it would be useful to re-post the link to the post with all the titles we've read, although you can always access it under Reading Lists & Other Resources.
We have enjoyed so many great titles, mostly around or under 100 pages by award-winning authors. I am convinced that with so many giant series books that are out today, many of these great titles would be missed. It is my belief that there will always be time to read Harry Potter and Rick Riordan! When you are 7 and 8 years old, there are other things that you don't want to miss!

Kid Lit Library: "Next Chapter" Reading Club Titles

And here's a sneak peek at what we're reading next!