Tag: STEM

Blogger Jaime Eastman

Eat Healthier: Nourishing Curiosity with Library Programming

| Jaime Eastman|1 Comment
Orange text reads Eat Healthier. An outline of a pile of fruit is on the left side of the text, with an outline of a bag of vegetables on the right side. Underneath, black text reads nourishing curiosity with library programming.

This year, I’m viewing “traditional” New Year’s resolutions through a library lens. In February, we focused on creating movement-friendly library programs. In March, we explored living life to the fullest with messy play and learning. This month, we’re focusing on the resolution to eat healthier. While libraries may also have opportunities to feed bodies, the work I’m focusing on is feeding minds and growing a child’s natural curiosity.

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Blogger Ariel Barreras

Teach Coding with Scratch!: STEAM Programming for Kids

| Ariel Barreras|Leave a comment

Every program season, I try to incorporate STEAM into my after-school program season, from Codebreakers to STEAM Storytime. I had previously done a coding program for tweens during the pandemic and I decided to give it another shot this year. This Fall, I started a Scratch coding program and so far, it has been quite successful! In this post, I will highlight the format of the program, as well as some resources I have used to teach coding with Scratch at my library.

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Blogger ALSC Membership Committee

Follow Up to Summer Reading Burnout? Try Letting Go!

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I wrote for the ALSC Blog in June about changing our Summer Reading Program to be actual programs rather than a take-home program or a score-keeping program. Here are the results! We hosted parties for the kids based on our sustainability theme of Branching Out. Each party focused on a different biome and featured five major elements that used to be included in our take-home program: We hosted 6 parties, which were themed as Readers’ Reef (Friday @ 10 AM), Planets & Pages (Thursday @ 6 PM), Jungle Journey (Friday @ 11 AM), Arctic Adventure (Tuesday @ 11 AM), Just Deserts (Thursday @ 7 PM), and Backyard Bash (Monday @ 2 PM). We registered patrons in advance for these programs but allowed walk-ins up to a certain number due to supplies. Our largest party was Planets & Pages with 76 kids in attendance and Backyard Bash coming in second with…

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Blogger Kirsten Caldwell

On Leaving and Letting Go: Preparing for a Career Transition

| Kirsten Caldwell|2 Comments

After three years as a youth services librarian in Wisconsin, I’m preparing to say goodbye—to the children who have grown up attending my storytimes, to the families who have trusted me with their kids’ first library experiences, and to the colleagues who have inspired and supported me. I’m moving to Minnesota, where I’ll be teaching preschool. While it’s bittersweet transition, I know that if I’m reading with kids, playing with them, and helping them explore the world, I’ll be happy.

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Blogger Kirsten Caldwell

Gardening STEAM Activities for Toddlers

| Kirsten Caldwell|Leave a comment

In June, I brought back my Tiny STEAM program, a hands-on early learning series I’ve shared about before. This time, the theme was gardening—a perfect fit for the season and a great way to connect science, sensory play, and nature-based learning. Families with young children explored a variety of gardening activities designed to encourage open-ended exploration, fine motor practice, and curiosity about the world around them. Below, I’m excited to share all the stations we offered during this garden-themed session, along with a few tips for setup and engagement.

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Blogger Ariel Barreras

Code Breakers Club!: A STEM Program for Children

| Ariel Barreras|Leave a comment

STEM activities have become a large part of children’s library programming, from coding to incorporating math into storytime. Admittedly, I struggled with STEM concepts in my own childhood, so I always found it to be an intimidating field and I know I am not the only one. In planning STEM programs, I try to make it as adventurous to the kids and low-prep as possible, which is how Code Breakers Club began. In this post, I will highlight what the program is, how each session works, and some resources for you to start your own program at your library!

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ALA Annual 2025

A Smattering of Youth Services Presentations at ALA Annual 

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There’s just a few more weeks until ALA Annual! Are you feeling ready for the conference? As of this moment, there are 1,316 programs listed on its online schedule. While it’s incredible that there are so many different possibilities to explore, navigating and deciding what you want to do and see may present a bit of a challenge. Voila, here are some highlights of the presentations ALSC is sponsoring that caught my attention for your perusal!   Supporting “STEM SMART” Families: Simple Skill-Building Practices to Enhance Programming for Children and Caregivers Saturday, June 28, 2025 at 9:00 AM  Is it me or are caregivers asking for more STEM programming lately? To be honest, that was not taught in the library school I attended. I think that kids can easily tell that I’m not an expert in it even if I do devote time and energy to research a specific topic. Find…

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Blogger Children and Technology Committee

Sustainable S.T.E.A.M. : Thoughts for a new year

| ALSC Children and Technology committee|1 Comment

A favorite S.T.E.A.M.-making activity with school-age kids in my public library space is slime—it is sensory, it is fun, it is dynamic, it is real chemical science, and the kids love it. But each time I host a slime program, I have this little nagging feeling as I look around at all the glue that we’ve used as part of our recipe that will never-the-less be tossed in the waste after the programming hour or class visit is done. We do our best to recycle materials, reuse containers, and limit the amount of supplies used, but at the end of the day, when a ball of slime is thrown into the trash, I know it isn’t going to decompose nicely back into the ground. It may even go on to be harmful to animals and plant life – specifically sea life. (Here is a more eco-friendly alternative to your borax…

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