Rocking STEAM
The library is part of ALL education. In the library, learners can explore freely across disciplines which makes it the perfect place for learners to find science. Students are using Google and YouTube to find "facts". We all know that these are not always reliable sources. We can assist our students with adding STEAM to our curriculum. How do we do that? Read on...
Lucas Miller
Lucas Miller is the Singing Zoologist. He writes songs that help students learn science in a fun way. He has a YouTube channel that you can follow that allows you to play videos to your students. Students learn vocabulary and concepts. Lucas Miller makes science a whole bunch of fun!! He also has a Pinterest page you can follow that has a ton of amazing ideas and resources for you to use to incorporate science in the library. Lucas Miller is also available to come out to our schools. Splitting the cost among librarians can really help make it more affordable.
Life Cycles in the Library
I don't know about your school, but having butterflies, ladybugs, tadpoles, or anything else to show life cycles just wasn't in the grade level budgets. Because of my book fairs, I had money to order caterpillars and praying mantis egg cases for students to witness first hand the life cycle. Teachers brought their classes to the library and I had books displayed about a variety of life cycles. When it was time to release the butterflies, I invited the school to meet me outside for the release. The students and teachers loved it and the teachers appreciated having butterflies and praying mantises to assist with the curriculum.
Discovery Bottles
Discovery bottles are another great way to add science to the library. Follow my board on Pinterest to see the different ways we can assist with teaching density, magnetism, floating, sinking, etc. It's really cheap and the students enjoy moving the bottles around.
Resources
Amy Koester is the Show Me Librarian. She has a blog and part of her blog connects books with science and she has full lessons for you to use.
Steve Spangler has some wonderful experiments on his website. He also has kits you can purchase with budget money or money raised from your book fairs.
The Texas Park & Wildlife has kits that can be used in the classroom.
PBS Kids has some great experiments on their website. I know science can be a little messy, but who says the experiments have to be done in the library? Talk a walk outside and do it. If you want, lay some plastic down inside the library and that should keep the carpet safe from any exploding liquids.
Many of our communities have master naturalists/gardeners. Many are more than willing to come out and talk to students. They can also help plan a garden to encourage wildlife to visit our schools.
Coding
I think many of us are already using a ton of technology in the library, but have you tried coding? If you haven't done coding before, Hour of Code might be a good place for you to start. Check out their website for some great ideas and how-tos. Code is another great website to get students interested in coding. I've used an app called Kodable and the students LOVE it!