About the Program
- Designed for families with the objective of providing an introduction to STEM concepts in a fun and relaxed setting.
- Recommended for ages 6-12 with caregiver; siblings welcome.
- Enhanced with suggested resources and activities to further explore concepts at home with friends and family.
- Special guest presenters include NSU professors and students, community organizations and NSU's Science Alive! a unique program under the direction of Emily Schmitt Lavin Ph.D., Professor in Biology, Biology Department Chair, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography.
Dig Deeper!
Recommended Books and Educational Games:
Do Not Open This Math Book by Call Number: J 513 MCKELLARISBN: 9781101933985Publication Date: 2018-06-26
Math Mastermind!, 2nd ed. Math - Ages 5-7, Grades K-2Call Number: LPAD 371.337 MATHISBN: 9781987164183Publication Date: 2019
Math Planet! 3rd ed. Math - Ages 8-10, Grades 3-5.Call Number: LPAD 371.337 MATHISBN: 9781987158052Publication Date: 2018
Math World!, 2nd ed. Math - Ages 5-7, Grades K-2.Call Number: LPAD 371.337 MATHISBN: 9781987158069Publication Date: 2018
Math City! Math - Ages 5-7, Grades K-2.Call Number: LPAD 371.337 MATHISBN: 9781987159394Publication Date: 2018
Mission Math!, 3rd ed. Math - Ages 8-10, 3rd Grade.Call Number: LPAD 371.337 MISSIONISBN: 9781987158106Publication Date: 2018
Monster-Sized Math Adventures!, 2nd ed. Math SuperPack - Ages 5-7, Grades K-2.Call Number: LPAD 371.337 MONSTERISBN: 9781987158120Publication Date: 2018
There are many ways to practice math skills in a fun environment, using items such as playing cards and dice!
Try at Home:
- Go Fishing for 10! - Go Fish variation where you look for two cards that add up to 10
- Nifty Fifty - arithmetic race to get to 50!
- Target Number - a version of Nifty Fifty, only using dice determine your target number and then applying Order of Operations
- The Chosen One - add positive and negative integers
Bats are not really vampires, but you may have some "energy vampires" living at home! Check out some of our books on bats and energy to learn more about the benefits bats really have to offer, as well as the appliances you may have at home that can have a negative impact on the environment.
For more information about energy and sustainability, please visit Broward County's Environmental Planning and Community Resilience website.
Recommended Books:
All about Bats by Call Number: J 599.4 JENNERISBN: 9781465457479Publication Date: 2017-01-10Fly through the spectacular, nocturnal world of bats with All About Bats. From leathery wings to echolocation, this nonfiction reader is an exciting look at these creatures of the night, and includes fantastic photography that will amaze kids as they read. Perfect for 3-5 year olds learning to read, Level 1 titles contain short, simple sentences with an emphasis on frequently used words. Crisp photographic images with labels provide visual clues to introduce and reinforce vocabulary.
Bats by Call Number: J 599.4 GEORGEISBN: 9781592966318Publication Date: 2006-08-01An exciting look at the physical characteristics, behavior, habitat, and life cycle of various bat species, as well as numerous interesting factoids on everything from food to babies.
Vampire Bats by Call Number: J 599.4 WELSBACISBN: 073680787XPublication Date: 2001-01-01Describes vampire bats, their habits, where they live, their hunting methods, and how they exist in the world of people.
Bats by Call Number: J 599.4 HEINRICHISBN: 0756505917Publication Date: 2004-01-01Describes different types of bats and their physical characteristics, methods of motion, feeding habits, and life cycles.
Bats by Call Number: J 599.4 GIBBONSISBN: 0823414574Publication Date: 1999-01-01Their amazing abilities and how they fit into the natural world.
The Shocking Truth about Energy by Call Number: J 333.79 LEEDYISBN: 9780823422203Publication Date: 2010-01-15This high-voltage introduction to energy combines physical science and environmental science with fun. Comical characters explain the basics, including the many forms energy can take. Readers can learn how energy changes from one from to another so that the Sun's energy can end up in a lunch box and eventually in people's muscles. Easy-to-follow diagrams show different ways energy can be harnessed. For a green look at the topic, the pros and cons of each form of energy are outline, and tips on how to use energy sensibly are included.
Power Up! by Call Number: J 333.79 PALEJAISBN: 9781554517275Publication Date: 2015-04-01An innovative infographic look at what makes our world light up, work, and run. It's impossible to imagine our lives without energy, but how often do we really think about where it comes from? With Power Up! discovering what you need to know about energy is easy and fun. Each bright, dynamic spread illustrates cool facts about energy use with colorful infographics, including charts, diagrams, and maps. Here's where to find out about: * The pros and cons of the top energy sources, like fossil fuels, nuclear energy, and hydropower; * The straight goods on hot issues like oil sands, fracking, and greenhouse gases; * Where energy of the future will come from: the sun? tides? algae? or something new? * Answers to intriguing questions such as: What's vampire power, and why does it suck?
Learn about nutrition and ways to keep your body healthy!
Links:
- Health for KidsFor more information, please visit Kids.gov, the official kids' portal for the U.S. government.
- Choose MyPlateLearn about eating healthy on Choose MyPlate, from the United States Department of Agriculture.
- Nutrition*Learn about Nutrition through the Gale: Science in Context database.
- Teeth and Dental Health*Discover more about teeth and dental health at Gale's Science in Context database. Log-in required.
Use the resources below to explore more thoroughly the concepts introduced at the Family STEM programs. Some resources require an Alvin Sherman Library card for access (indicated with *).
Links:
Maggie's Earth Adventures is a great place to find resources related to the earth and our environment! Sign up to receive Weekly Activity Packets that can be used by teachers and home educators to develop lessons about conservation and environmental studies.
- Strawberry PowerLearn how to power a light bulb using fruits and vegetables!
- Pamper your plantMake a seed necklace!
- Newspaper treeReuse your old newspapers to make a newspaper tree.
- Packing noodle sculptureMake a sculpture using eco-friendly packing noodles.
- Types of plasticLearn about the different types of plastics.
Use the resources below to explore more thoroughly the concepts introduced at the Family STEM programs. Some resources require an Alvin Sherman Library card for access (indicated with *).
Links:
Digestion:
- Enzyme Experimentation! * Try these awesome experiments from Gale Science in Context with items easily found at the grocery store.
- William Beaumont did what?! Learn more about this physician and scientist who performed many unusual experiments that furthered scientific knowledge of the human digestive process. *
Cells:
- Learn cell parts and functions with World Book Classroom Science Power and Gale Science in Context! *
Skating! Skiing! Snowboarding! Hockey! Learn more about the science behind winter sports and how athletes such as Olympians use their knowledge of math and physics to go for the gold!
Recommended Books:
Physics by Call Number: J 530 GREENISBN: 9780753466124Publication Date: 2010-12-07Basher Science: Physics, Why Matter Matters! created and illustrated by Simon Basher, Written by Dan Green: Imagine physics as a community full of wacky characters--the building blocks of the universe each with a unique personality. This book throws open the doors and welcomes you into their amazing world. From gravity to the theory of relativity, this unique book provides visual interpretations of complex concepts, designed to make learning physics easier and a whole lot more fun!
The Book of Wildly Spectacular Sports Science by Call Number: J 796.016 CONNOLLYISBN: 9780761189282Publication Date: 2016-11-29Here are 54 all-star experiments that demonstrate the scientific principles powering a wide variety of sports and activities--and offer insights that can help you improve your own athletic skills. Check out the chapter dedicated to winter sports!
High-Tech Olympics by Call Number: J 796.48 HUNTERISBN: 9781410941213Publication Date: 2011-07-01High-Tech Olympics focuses on the new technologies used in sport today and how they are being used to help train world-class athletes. It also includes diagrams to illustrate how technology has been used to develop state-of-the art sports equipment and an Olympic records table to show how Olympic records have changed and some technological reasons why these may have changed.
This Is Figure Skating by Call Number: J 796.91 BLACKSTOISBN: 0805037063Publication Date: 1998-09-15In this playful introduction to the world's most rapidly growing sport, very young children learn about figure skating. From boot, lace, and skate to figure eights and serpentines, preschoolers will experience the thrill of the ice as two skaters spend a fun-filled (and sometimes bumpy) day at the rink.Margaret Blackstone's pithy, declarative sentences, and John O'Brien's bright, happy illustrations will score a winning "Six" with aspiring young figure skaters.
Ice Skating School by Call Number: J 796.91 BRAYMOFAISBN: 075660267XPublication Date: 2004-02-16Follow the progress of a beginner skating class as Lilly and her friends strap on their skates and take to the ice for the first time. They learn to glide forward and backward, listen, and respond to musical accompaniment, and, finally, show off their jumps and spins in a performance for their parents. Packed with inspiring full-color photographs, Ice Skating School transports young readers into the dazzling world of figure skating.
Freeze Frame by Call Number: J 796.98 MACYISBN: 0792278879Publication Date: 2006-01-24This companion volume to the highly acclaimed Swifter, Higher, Stronger: A Photographic History of the Summer Olympics follows the stunning visual format of the first book to capture the heroics of the Winter Olympics. Freeze Frame features spectacular photo galleries in addition to a superb map of Winter Olympic sites, an insight into the coverage of new extreme Olympic sports, and a complete Winter Olympic Almanac, which includes quick reference information on each Olympiad.
All about Hockey by Call Number: J 796.962 DOEDENISBN: 9781491419960Publication Date: 2015-01-01Lots of kids want to know more about hockey, one of the most popular sports in the world. This fun, fan-friendly introduction to the sport will help them skate to goal for a look at what makes this sport so exciting. Readers will learn about the positions, rules, and much more.
Super Hockey Infographics by Call Number: J 796.962 SAVAGEISBN: 9781467752343Publication Date: 2015-04-01Key facts and fun details about the game of hockey come alive through interesting infographics. The data art helps readers to visually take in information about the sport--from game strategies to top players―and offer a foothold on understanding information and statistics.
All about Hockey by Call Number: J 796.962 SULLIVANISBN: 0399231722Publication Date: 1998-11-23Stick handling? Slap shot? Spearing? This is the language of hockey, a sport fast growing in popularity. Here George Sullivan explains not only the game's terms, but its equipment, rules, tactics and skills, in clear, easy-to-follow text and dramatic photographs. This companion to All About Baseball, All About Basketball, and All About Football describes the history of the sport, and the organization of its professional leagues, as well as international hockey competitions, and it profiles six of the greatest players of all time.
Links:
- Science and Engineering of the 2014 Olympic Winter GamesScience of Sports series by the National Science Foundation and NBC Learn
- NBC OlympicsFull coverage of the Olympic Games, including medal count, athlete bios, and video.
Recommended Books:
Space Visual Encyclopedia by Call Number: J 520.3 SPACEISBN: 9781465454720Publication Date: 2016-11-01
National Geographic Kids Ultimate Space Atlas by Call Number: J 550 DECRISTOISBN: 9781426328039Publication Date: 2017-06-06
