STEM Tuesday

STEM Tuesday — Robotics and Artificial Intelligence– Book List

 

 

 

 

 

There’s no denying it, we can’t escape the growing fields of robotics and artificial intelligence. Below are book suggestions for readers who wish to learn more about the history of robotics and AI, as well as how to create their own inventions

 

National Geographic Kids Everything Robotics: All the Photos, Facts, and Fun to Make You Race for Robots

by Jen Swanson

Robots don’t simply occupy the space of fiction these days, as they have infiltrated every day life. Robots can fix aircrafts, dance, tell jokes, and even clean your carpet! Swanson gives a great history of robotics and also adds a section of the future of robotics. Fantastic writing along with eye catching visuals.

 

 

Spare Parts book cover

Spare Parts (Young Readers’ Edition): The True Story of Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and an Impossible Dream

By Reyna Grande (Adapter), Joshua Davis (Author)

Spare Parts is a true story based on Joshua Davis’ New York Times bestseller. The narrative chronicles the life of four undocumented Mexican teenagers who join a robotics class. Through that class, a new friendships develops. With their passion and determination, they take on MIT in the National Robotics Nationals Championship.

 

 

Machines That Think!: Big Ideas That Changed the WorldMachines That Think! Big Ideas That Changed the World #2

by Don Brown

Award-winning author Don Brown explores computers and technology in this installment of the Big Ideas that Changed the World series. Brown takes a look at machines throughout history, giving a nod to great minds such as Ada Lovelace and Bill Gates. It’s   written as a graphic novel with punchy illustrations.

 

 

 

Machine Learning for Kids: A Project-Based Introduction to Artificial Intelligence"Machine Learning for Kids" book cover

by Dale Lane

This is a hands-on application-based introduction to machine learning and AI (artificial intelligence). Readers will be able to create AI-powered games and applications using Scratch programming language. Some ideas are a Rock, Paper, Scissors game that recognizes your hand shapes and a movie recommendation app.

 

 

Bots! Robotics Engineering: With Hands-On Makerspace Activities Bots! Robotics Engineering: With Hands-On Makerspace Activities a book by Kathy Ceceri and Lena Chandhok

by Kathy Ceceri and Lena Chandhok

This book explores how robots play a vital role in our world. It details the history and theory of programming and robotics, and includes many hands-on robotics projects that help children learn design, engineering, and coding. It’s beautifully formatted and fun to read

 

 

Robot

by Lucy Rogers

Get up close and personal with more than 100 different robots, from automata to androids. This browseable book from DK is divided into sections based on different jobs the robots perform, like rescuing people after natural disasters, packing food in factories, and taking care of hospital patients. Each spread features captivating, full-color photo illustrations as well as essential statistics and facts about each robot.

 

Maker Comics: Build a RobotMaker Comics: Build a Robot!

by Colleen AF Venable and Kathryn Hudson

A talking toaster? An army of evil robots? A plot to take over the world? Embedded within this outrageously entertaining graphic novel are step-by-step instructions for building robots. Using easy-to-source components and everyday household items, readers can follow along with this “ultimate DIY guide” to make six different working bots.

 

Artificial Intelligence: Thinking Machines and Smart Robots Artificial Intelligence

by Angie Smibert

For kids that want to dive a little deeper into artificial intelligence, this book provides a great primer. It explores the development and implications of emerging AI technology from a variety of perspectives, including sci-fi, computer science, and ethics. Pop-out sections introduce readers to essential vocabulary words and encourage hands-on exploration of concepts.

 

 

Science Comics: Robots and Drones: Past, Present, and FutureScience Comics: Robots and Drones

by Mairghread Scott and Jacob Chabot

A mechanical bird named Pouli leads readers on a whirlwind tour of the history and technology behind robots and drones. Like other volumes in the Science Comics series, this book is packed full of information, and its graphic novel format is sure to keep kids engaged.

 

 

 

Hubots: Real-World Robots Inspired by HumansHubots: Real-World Robots Inspired by Humans

by Helaine Becker and Alex Ries

Humanoid robots, or “hubots,” can walk, talk, think, learn, work, and play. This short book features 10 different hubots, explaining both the human-like features and the superhuman abilities of these incredible machines.

 

 


This month’s STEM Tuesday book list was prepared by:

Author Lydia Lukidis

 

Lydia Lukidis is the author of 50+ trade and educational books for children. Her titles include DANCING THROUGH SPACE: Dr. Mae Jemison Soars to New Heights (Albert Whitman, 2024), DEEP, DEEP, DOWN: The Secret Underwater Poetry of the Mariana Trench (Capstone, 2023) and THE BROKEN BEES’ NEST (Kane Press, 2019) which was nominated for a Cybils Award. A science enthusiast from a young age, she now incorporates her studies in science and her everlasting curiosity into her books. Another passion of hers is fostering a love for children’s literacy through the writing workshops she regularly offers in elementary schools across Quebec with the Culture in the Schools program. For more information, please visit www.lydialukidis.com.

 

 

author Callie Dean

 

Callie Dean is a researcher, writer, and musician living in Shreveport, LA. She writes stories that spark curiosity and encourage kids to explore their world. For more information, please visit https://calliebdean.com.

 

Back to School with STEM Tuesday!!

 

 

 

Hello Amazing teachers, homeschoolers, and parents. We at STEM Tuesday wish you all a wonderful 2023-2024 school year! We want to remind you that we have SIX  YEARS full of STEM/STEAM resources in our “vault”. And it’s all SEARCHABLE!

All you have to do is to go to the TOP of this page, and click on the STEM Tuesday button. That will take you to a page like the one below. Then just click on the SEARCH by TOPIC button and you’ll see all of the great topics we’ve covered for the last SIX years.

STEM Tuesday blog page

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You’ll find….

Book Lists

In the Classroom –> tips for how to use these books in the classroom

Writing Tips and Resources –> Literacy and STEM connections

Interviews with real authors and giveaways of new books (giveaway only available in current month)

We hope you find these resources helpful and useful in your classrooms, whether they be in-person or virtual.

 

 

You can also find STEM Tuesday as a PODCAST through Reading With Your Kids HERE

Reading with your kids podcast

 

 

STEM Tuesday Spin Off

 

Our amazing team even did a bunch of blog posts for MG Book Village called STEM Tuesday SPIN OFF! Find those HERE

 

 

 

 

As you can see, the awesome STEM Tuesday Team LOVES all things STEM/STEAM! As you are planning your author visits this year, please consider checking out our profiles. We all have great presentations that will ENGAGE, EXCITE, and INSPIRE your students.

You can find information about all of us and our websites HERE

 

Finally, we LOVE FEEDBACK!

IF there is a topic that we haven’t covered, that you’d like to see, please let us know below in the comments.
IF you’ve used one of our activities in your classroom and enjoyed it, please let us know
IF you have suggestions for how to improve STEM Tuesday OR you just love it, let us know.
Wishing you all an AMAZING STEM-FILLED year!

 

 

— The STEM Tuesday Team

STEM Tuesday– Food Science — Interview with Author Carla Mooney

The Chemistry of Food book

 

 

Today we have a special interview for you. It’s with one of our own STEM Tuesday crew!!

I get to interview author Carla Mooney about her awesome book, The Chemistry of Food

Carla Mooney           The Chemistry of Food book

 

Meet Carla: 

Carla Mooney loves to explore the world around us and discover the details about how it works. She is an award-winning author of numerous nonfiction and fiction books and magazine articles for children and teens. Carla has her BS in Economics and is a former certified public accountant. Now she loves writing about science and technology, nature and the environment, history, biography, business, current issues, health and medicine, and sports. She is also a regular STEM Tuesday contributor on the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors blog. When not writing, Carla is the Pittsburgh chapter director for Flashes of Hope, a nonprofit organization that provides professional portraits of kids with cancer and other life-threatening conditions and raises money for childhood cancer research.

 

Thanks so much for answering a few questions about your book, Carla!
The chemistry of food — How do you think these two topics go together? 
Chemistry and food. It’s not a pair that you would think go together. But food is matter, like any other matter you study in chemistry class. And what’s really interesting to me is how the chemistry you learned in school can be applied to food to explain what happens when you mix, cook, bake, and more. I had never really thought about food in that way before I researched and wrote this book and it was fascinating to make those connections.

 

What are some fun facts that you learned while writing this book? 
1. When you add baking soda (a base) to cupcake batter, it causes a chemical reaction that produces gas bubbles that make the cupcakes light and airy. (I always thought stirring put the airy bubbles into the batter!)
2. Different flours have different amounts of protein in them. (I always thought all flour was basically the same!)
3. Your nose and mouth work together to perceive flavor and aroma – its not just your nose smells or your tongue tastes.

 

Can you give us three things that you hope kids will learn from your book? 
In general, I hope they learn the “why” of what happens to food in cooking and baking and it will help them become better chefs. (I also hope that it is helping me cook a little better too!)
I also hope this book helps kids realize that chemistry and science and general can be fun and accessible. 
And I want kids to be excited to investigate the world around them and use science to better understand it – from the food they eat, the games they play, and much more!

 

You’ve written a lot of series for different publishers. Do you get to pick the topics in those series or are they assigned?
Most of my books are with educational publishers who come up with a series idea and a list of titles. They send me the list and I usually get to pick which series and titles sound interesting to me. A few times, I’ve suggested a title to a publisher.

 

Can you give any tips to writers who want to break into nonfiction children’s books? Should they start with educational publishers or go straight to trade? 
I think everyone’s path is different, so it depends on what you like to do! For myself, I actually started writing for magazines, newspapers, and an online website. Then, I decided to send in an introductory packet to a few educational publishers and landed my first assignments. I’ve done most of my work with educational publishers. I really like researching and learning about new topics all the time, which is something that I get with educational publishers. I have a few ideas for potential trade books, but they are in the early stages.

 

What are you working on now? 
I have a few projects going on – one that I’m really excited about is also about food in a way – it is looking at how the history of humans and certain staple foods are connected and have influenced each other. So stay tuned!

 

If you could spend the day with any scientist or engineer, who would it be and why? 
There are a lot of choices out there, but I think I’d  like to spend the day with paleontologist Mary Anning. Going on a dinosaur dig with her would be a lot of fun!

 

Thanks for all of your great responses, Carla. I learned something new about food today!
Please check out Carla’s other awesome books at her website https://www.carlamooney.com/

 

The Human Genome Book         Physics Fun book      Climate in Crisis book

 

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Jennifer Swanson is the author of over 45 books for kids, mostly about STEM. She is also the creator and cohost of the award-winning podcast, Solve It! for Kids. You can find Jennifer walking along the beach looking for sea turtles or looking up into the sky watching rockets launch. www.jenniferswansonbooks.com