STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)–you’ve heard of it and about how important it is, and hopefully you have thought about some simple ways to support the development of STEM skills in your library.

Lego Programs are a natural tie-in.  Many libraries in the IFLS region take advantage of this easy, popular and creative program.  If you are thinking about starting a program like this and need some ideas or inspiration, let me know.  I can tell you about a dozen librarians in the area who can help you get started.  Jenna from Fall Creek had a blog post recently about some great things she overheard at Lego programs.  Here’s my favorite:  “I love LEGOS. More than pizza. No. Yes. Well, more than hamburgers.”

At a recent idea swap, Julie from Cumberland told us about a multi-age camouflage storytime.  She read some nonfiction books about the topic, and then the kids created critter with googly eyes (anything with googly eyes is a hit, she says), and then hid them in new-fallen leaves she had collected before the program.

On the googly eye theme, I found a fun idea for working on math and googly-eyed monsters on the No Time for Flashcards blog, and another Halloween math idea, too.

The ALSC blog had a recent post about very popular science programs for the storytime crowd.

What are you doing in this area??