Archives for STEAM at home

STEAM Project: What’s in an Apple?

STEAM Project: What’s in an Apple?

Sometimes a simple activity can teach children a lot about science. For example, dissecting an apple is a hands-on STEAM project that can help young kids understand basic botany. Also, it’s good to use resources that are readily available to you in your home (such as fruit). In addition, you can help your child understand vocabulary words, like seed, core, stem, flesh, and skin. This project will also prepare young children for dissection in biology class. For this STEAM project you will need: An apple (or two) Child-friendly knife and/or scissors A plate Paper Pen, crayons, or markers Procedure: Wash
Read More

June 17, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: STEAM, STEAM activities, STEAM at home, and STEM.

STEAM at Home: Roto Copter

STEAM at Home: Roto Copter

Learn how to build and fly a roto copter. Materials: Paper template Scissors Paper clip Masking tape Rubberband Spindle Instructions: Cut out the template, then cut along the line between boxes 2-3. Fold up along the dashed line over box one. Take a paperclip and slip it over the fold of box one, and tape the top of the paperclip, so that the bottom of the paperclip makes a loop. Next fold boxes 2 and 3 along the dashed line to make a small rectangle with a loop of the paperclip sticking out the bottom. Next cut ¼” below the
Read More

June 15, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: STEAM, STEAM activities, STEAM at home, STEM, and videos.

STEAM at Home: Build-a-Bridge Challenge

STEAM at Home: Build-a-Bridge Challenge

Try to build a bridge using only toothpicks and marshmallows. What if you don’t have toothpicks and/or marshmallows? Improvise! Use spaghetti and clay. Materials: small marshmallows toothpicks two objects that are the same height Getting Started: Set your objects 10”-12” apart. Start thinking about your bridge’s design. What shapes can you create with these materials that will hold a structure together to span the traverse between your objects? Try sketching your design on paper to see what it might look like. Does it look sturdy? Take out your marshmallows (try not to eat them all) and toothpicks and start building.
Read More

June 8, 2020 9:56 am | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: STEAM, STEAM activities, STEAM at home, STEM, and videos.

STEAM at Home: International Dinosaur Day

STEAM at Home: International Dinosaur Day

Dinosaurs roamed the earth sixty five-million years ago and children are fascinated by these ancient creatures. Whether it’s because of their size, movie lore, history or extinction, dinosaurs have always been popular among children. To celebrate International Dinosaur Day (June 1st), I'll guide you through our latest STEAM at Home experiment. One of my favorite STEAM activities is the Frozen Dino Egg experiment. For this experiment, you need a few items: miniature dinosaurs balloons water scissors First, try to stretch the top part of the balloon and place a miniature dinosaur in it. Next place the balloon right at the
Read More

May 27, 2020 2:07 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: International Dinosaur Day, Observances and Celebrations, STEAM, STEAM activities, STEAM at home, and STEM.

STEAM at Home: Storm in a Glass

STEAM at Home: Storm in a Glass

Make a really cool looking storm in a glass, and learn a little about clouds. Materials: Tall Glass Water Shaving Cream Food Coloring Small Bowl Spoon Instructions: Fill the glass half full with water. Add a thick layer of shaving cream on top so that the glass is about ¾ full. Smooth down the top of the shaving cream so that it is nice and flat. Mix the food coloring with a half cup of water in a small bowl. Using a spoon, pour the food coloring and water mixture on top of the shaving cream. Keep going one spoonful
Read More

May 22, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: STEAM, STEAM activities, STEAM at home, STEM, and videos.

STEAM at Home: Magic Milk Art

STEAM at Home: Magic Milk Art

To celebrate International Museum Day (May 18), I decided to experiment with creating magic marble milk using simple household items. Magic Marble Milk is an easy and fun experiment, and the science behind it is really fascinating. If you happen to have watercolor paper, you can cut up the pieces of paper and create little mini portraits of Magic Marble Milk! For this experiment, you’ll need: A deep tray or dish A smaller bowl Milk (whole milk works best) Dish soap Q-tips Food coloring Watercolor paper or regular drawing paper (optional) First, pour a layer of milk into the tray.
Read More

May 18, 2020 2:06 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: International Museum Day, Observances and Celebrations, STEAM, STEAM activities, STEAM at home, and STEM.

STEAM at Home: Creepy Candy

STEAM at Home: Creepy Candy

To celebrate Eat Anything You Want Day and Twilight Zone Day (May 11), I thought it would be fun to experiment with creating some creepy candies: dancing worms, growing gummy bears, and rainbow candy art. I have always been fascinated by creepy crawlies and I have a sweet tooth, so a project that combined experiments with candy sounded like lots of fun. I also love researching STEAM projects and learning the creative science behind the process. As an adult, it’s a really fun way to get in touch with your inner child. And as a parent or caregiver these experiments
Read More

May 11, 2020 1:23 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Observances and Celebrations, STEAM, STEAM activities, STEAM at home, and STEM.

STEAM at Home: Trove Kinetic Sculpture

STEAM at Home: Trove Kinetic Sculpture

I know there are a lot of people out there who are big fans of the kinetic sculpture in the Trove. The sculpture was created by Jeffrey Zachmann, a kinetic sculptor from Minnesota. Interested in knowing more about the creator of the Trove’s kinetic sculpture? Watch this interview where Mr. Zachmann discusses his work. At the end of each week’s What’s the Story? Safe At Home newsletter, I’ve been sharing videos of a variety of really cool kinetic sculptures and marble runs as an homage to the kinetic sculpture in the Trove. Those videos I have shared so far have
Read More

May 6, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Jeffrey Zachmann, STEAM, STEAM activities, STEAM at home, STEM, and Trove Kinetic Sculpture.

Make a Flower Gift for Mother’s Day!

Make a Flower Gift for Mother’s Day!

Mother’s Day will be here soon! If you’d like to make something for your mom(s) or grandma(s), watch the video below as Lina Cavalcanti shows you how to create hand-painted, paper flowers for your special someone(s). Looking for some books to read with your loved ones? Then check out this collection of Mother's Day themed eBooks I recommended. Using a few basic materials, you can create a unique gift – and have fun in the process! In this craft program video you’ll learn how to hand paint the paper, cut out the petals, and embellish your flowers to make something
Read More

May 5, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Mother's Day, Observances and Celebrations, STEAM, STEAM activities, and STEAM at home.

STEAM at Home: Lava Lamp

STEAM at Home: Lava Lamp

Make a Lava Lamp using materials found around your home. Then experiment with it. Materials: Clear glass cup Water Vegetable oil Food dye Alka Seltzer Light – flashlight or lamp Procedure: Fill the glass ¼ full with water. Add some food dye. Fill the rest of the glass with vegetable oil (but not all the way to the top). Break up the Alka Seltzer tablet into 4 pieces. Drop 1 piece of Alka Seltzer into the glass and see what happens. Once it has worked, turn off the rest of the lights in the room and place the glass over
Read More

May 5, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: STEAM, STEAM activities, STEAM at home, and STEM.

STEAM at Home: Phases of the Moon

STEAM at Home: Phases of the Moon

The First Friday in May is National Space Day. To celebrate, you and your family can create a fun activity that is also tasty! For a Phases of the Moon Craft you will need a pencil, strips of paper (to write down the phases of the moon), a marker, paper towel, paper/regular plates and cream filled cookies to twist open. Twist off all the cookies and practice math skills by explaining that you now have eight cookies to create your craft. Start with The New Moon by scraping the cream off. Explain that a New Moon is when the moon
Read More

April 30, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Observances and Celebrations, phases of the moon, Space Day, STEAM activities, and STEAM at home.

STEAM at Home: Origami Yoda

STEAM at Home: Origami Yoda

I had never seen Star Wars until my freshman year in college. My roommate, Elizabeth, decided that we needed a marathon. So it began-my introduction to The Force, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, Obi One Kenobi, Han Solo, Jabba the Hut, R2D2, Darth Vader, Ewoks and many phrases that everyone is familiar with: “Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope.” and “May the Force Be With You.” I also became fascinated with Joseph Cambell’s “The Hero's Journey,” from his seminal work, The Hero With a Thousand Faces, which George Lucas used as inspiration for creating Star Wars. If you’re
Read More

April 29, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: craft, May the 4th Be With You, May the Fourth Be With You, Observances and Celebrations, Origami, Star Wars, STEAM, STEAM at home, and yoda.

STEAM at Home: DIY Lightsabers

STEAM at Home: DIY Lightsabers

May the Fourth Be With You! In this fun project, we will make some DIY Lightsabers, safe for bopping each other with and having duels (of the fates)! Just don’t bop too hard. Materials Needed Pool noodles or long paper tubes (such as wrapping paper tubes or a few paper towel tubes taped together) Duct tape Sharpie/indelible markers Scissors or a utility knife For paper tube lightsabers, you may also want: paint, construction paper, scotch tape and glue in order to make your lightsaber blade have a color My daughter and I made our two lightsabers from one pool noodle
Read More

April 29, 2020 9:36 am | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: May the 4th Be With You, May the Fourth Be With You, Observances and Celebrations, Star Wars, STEAM activities, and STEAM at home.

STEAM at Home: Earth Day

STEAM at Home: Earth Day

Earth Day is here, a day to work collectively to celebrate the planet we call home and improve the environment. Even though we are isolating ourselves, we can recycle, plant and garden, and make sure not to litter (especially masks and gloves!). Now, more than ever, small acts of love and kindness can make the world a better place. We can also spend time with our family and teach them how to become more self-sufficient and sustainable. For example, you can create a fun Earth Day tree STEAM project by using found items such as twigs, lentils, dry beans, rice
Read More

April 22, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: Earth Day, everyday STEAM, Observances and Celebrations, STEAM, STEAM activities, and STEAM at home.

STEAM at Home: Plants from Scraps

STEAM at Home: Plants from Scraps

Today’s Earth Day! There’s a lot of discussion online these days about at home learning. There’s also a lot of discussion online about taking the scraps of vegetables and re-growing them, as a project but also as a way to get more usage out of foods you have purchased. Putting those two discussions together equals one great STEAM at Home project. This is a fun project that promotes sustainability, teaches about gardening, and provides yummy results! It would be great for Earth Day, or any day! What you need: The “ends” of vegetables, such as romaine lettuce, green onions/scallions, etc.
Read More

April 22, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: eNewsletter, Featured, Homepage Kids, Homepage Teens, Kids, Library News, and Teens.
Tags: Earth Day, everyday STEAM, gardening, plants, STEAM activities, and STEAM at home.

Everyday STEAM: Bouncy Egg

Everyday STEAM: Bouncy Egg

Creating a bouncy egg is fun and easy. All you need is white vinegar, an egg, and a jar or a cup. The first part of the experiment has you simply placing the egg gently in the jar and pouring vinegar into the cup. Next, a caregiver can explain that the process of creating a bouncy egg will take twenty four hours. For that reason, it’s good to do this in the morning so that the child can be present for the experiment and experience of a bouncy egg.   After twenty four hours you can carefully take the egg
Read More

April 14, 2020 2:55 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Featured, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: experiment, STEAM, STEAM activities, and STEAM at home.