Posts Tagged homeschoolers

STEM Tuesday– Math– In the Classroom

By on May 12, 2026   /   Math, STEM Tuesday   /   Leave a comment

 

You might not realize it, but we use math every day! We use math when playing games, sharing snacks, telling time, shopping, and building things. In these books, readers can practice mathematical tips and strategies, solve logic puzzles, learn about inspirational mathematicians, and more. They make a great starting point for classroom discussion and activities!

 

Cover of the book Calculating Chimpanzees, Brainy Bees, and Other Animals with Mind-Blowing Mathematical Abilities Calculating Chimpanzees, Brainy Bees, and Other Animals with Mind-Blowing Mathematical Abilities by Stephanie Gibeault and illustrated by Jaclyn Sinquett

This book explores the remarkable mathematical abilities of five animals: guppies, hyenas, African grey parrots, chimpanzees, and honeybees. This 2025 Mathical Honor Book provides a window into how scientists study animal behavior and number skills. Readers are sure to be fascinated that fish can distinguish between large and small quantities; African grey parrots can represent numbers with symbols; chimpanzees can add; honeybees understand the concept of zero; and hyenas count.

Classroom Activity – Animal Math Research Posters

Some animals have amazing math skills! To learn more, students can work in small groups to research one animal from the book. Students can take what they learned and create a poster explaining the animal’s math skill, how scientists studied it, and why the discovery is important. Students can include diagrams, number facts, and illustrations in their poster presentation.

 

Cover of the book Show and Tell! Great Graphs and Smart Charts: An Introduction to Infographics Show and Tell! Great Graphs and Smart Charts: An Introduction to Infographics, written by Stuart J. Murphy and illustrated by Teresa Bellón

This book is an excellent introductory guide that shows how to collect and display information using eye-catching, easy-to-interpret line graphs, bar graphs, pictographs, and pie charts. It’s perfect for children interested in surveys, organizing and interpreting data, and visually representing their findings for others.

Classroom Activity – Classroom Infographic Survey Project

After learning about graphs and charts, it’s time for students to make their own! First, have students conduct a class survey on a topic such as favorite snacks, pets, or hobbies. Students organize the data into bar graphs, pie charts, or pictographs and then create colorful infographics to present their findings to the class.

 

Cover of the book Do the Math!: Challenging, Fun Math Puzzles for KidsDo the Math!: Challenging, Fun Math Puzzles for Kids, by Steven and Jessica Clontz

This book offers a plethora of puzzles for readers to complete while working on core math skills. Through clear instructions and a variety of activities, the reader develops logical thinking skills as they solve different types of puzzles one chapter at a time.

 

Cover of the Logic Workbook for Gritty Kids Logic Workbook for Gritty Kids series

Choose different levels of fun puzzles and games to develop spatial reasoning, math skills, and focus in the Logic Workbook for Gritty Kids series. In each book, the puzzles increase in difficulty to maintain motivation.

 

Cover of the book Perfectly Logical!: Challenging Fun Brain Teasers and Logic Puzzles for Smart Kids Perfectly Logical!: Challenging Fun Brain Teasers and Logic Puzzles for Smart Kids by Jenn Larson

This book of logic puzzles and games focuses on developing skills such as abstract reasoning and processing speed.

 

 

Classroom Activity – Logic Puzzle Stations

Create rotating stations using different types of logic puzzles, inspired by Do the Math!, Perfectly Logical!, and the Logic Workbook for Gritty Kids series. Each station focuses on a different skill, such as spatial reasoning, number patterns, riddles, or deductive thinking. Students work individually or in pairs to solve the puzzles and explain their reasoning. Finish with a class discussion about different problem-solving strategies.

 

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Carla Mooney loves to explore the world around us and discover the details about how it works. An award-winning author of numerous nonfiction science books for kids and teens, she hopes to spark a healthy curiosity and love of science in today’s young people. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, three kids, and dog. Find her at http://www.carlamooney.com, on Facebook @carlamooneyauthor, or on Instagram @moonwriter25

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STEM Tuesday– Chemistry– In the Classroom

By on February 10, 2026   /   Chemistry, STEM Tuesday  

Cover of How Do Molecules Stay Together?How Do Molecules Stay Together?
by Madeline J. Hayes, illustrated by Srimalie Bassani

How Do Molecules Stay Together? is a picture book that introduces readers to some basic chemistry concepts. This could be a good read-aloud as an introduction to chemistry, although I suspect older students may find the call-and-response phrases a little too childish for their liking.

 

Marie Curie for Kids
by Amy M. O’Quinn

This is a book that’s great for readers who love history and activities. Follow Marie Curie’s life from a bright, young girl in occupied Poland through her Nobel prize winning discoveries. This book is packed from activities that explore a wide range of topics, including geography, culture, and science. I read this book in its e-book version, which had some formatting issues that occasionally made it challenging to absorb. This could be an opportunity to explore those areas with an activity. (See below)

The Radium Girls
by Kate Moore

What happens when people are exposed to light waves emitted from radioactive material? That’s what this book covers, by telling the stories of a group of women who worked with radium. This is not an easy read emotionally, but it tells a very important story. It’s referenced in Marie Curie for Kids, and would be a great follow-on book for that one.

 

Bonus Books:

Werewolf, dressed as an astronaut, standing on a scale. Scale reads: "Matter Meter: 100% Werewolf"Werewolves and States of Matter
by Janet Slingerland, illustrated by Angel Mosquito

For readers who love graphic novels and/or werewolves, this book provides a great introduction to chemistry. It explores the concept of matter, what states it can exist in, and how matter transforms from one state to another.

 

Cartoon character appears to create molecular structure out of sand with the help of another character with a bucket.Explore Atoms and Molecules! (with 25 Great Projects)
by Janet Slingerland, illustrated by Matt Aucoin

If you’re looking for activities that help explore atoms and molecules, be sure to check out this book. It covers lots of different chemistry topics, including atomic structure, the periodic table, and chemical reactions. There’s even a section that introduces readers to Lewis dot diagrams, a great way to visualize how atoms combine.

 

As always, there are lots of different things that can be done with these books. Be sure to check out the activities provided in the books. Some of the books also have educator materials or informative websites associated with them. Here are links to some of them:

There is a website dedicated to The Radium Girls. There is an educator guide linked on this page of the site: https://www.theradiumgirls.com/the-radium-girls-young-readers

The Atoms and Molecules page of my website has some links of interest: http://janetsbooks.com/atoms-and-molecules

There is a classroom guide and a free downloadable activity on the Nomad Press site: https://nomadpress.net/nomadpress-books/explore-atoms-molecules

Some of this month’s books are older, and the web links provided in them no longer work. However, since the authors thought they were worthy of inclusion, exploring them might be a good exercise. If a link no longer works, can you find the same information on another reliable website or page?

Here are some other ideas for activities.

Create a Timeline

As mentioned in the book descriptions, I had some difficulties with the book formatting in Marie Curie for Kids. This was particularly true for the timeline provided in the book. In order to better visualize the timeline, create one of your own. This could be done on a single sheet of paper, or it could be constructed so it wraps around an entire room. This can also be an opportunity to explore the use of technology in presenting a timeline, whether it’s created with a graphic tool like Canva, a slideshow like PowerPoint, or whatever your favorite tool is.

Students can choose what should be placed on the timeline, based on the books they’ve read. Including pictures or illustrations of the events helps everyone visualize the events better. This provides lots of opportunities to practice research skills. This is also an opportunity for students to work together to create it.

Here are some ideas of things that could be included on the timeline:

  • Major life events for the people involved in the science (the Curies, Mendeleev, Bohr, etc.).
  • Important discoveries, including elements, atomic structure, effects of elements, etc.
  • Key dates related to products using chemicals.
  • Major world events like the World Wars.

Get Messy!

Chemistry can be one of the messiest of the scientific disciplines. The books on this month’s book list include lots of experiments that explore chemical reactions. Here are a few popular experiments:

Elephant Toothpaste:

Erupting Soda:

Making slime:

Get Thoughtful

Scientific discoveries often have unintended consequences. The stories of the Curies and the Radium Girls are perfect examples of this. Here is an article from the Society of Physics Studies and the American Institute of Physics that addresses this topic:  https://students.aip.org/radiations/discoveries-unintended-consequences-and-the-values-of-science. After reading it, have some discussions about the topic. Does the scientific process help to address this?

This opens up the topic of the scientific process. This website from UC Berkeley has lots of information on this topic: https://undsci.berkeley.edu/understanding-science-101/how-science-works

Explore (Largely Unsung) Scientists

Marie Curie was the first women to achieve many accomplishments. There are other groups of people who have historically faced huge obstacles to achieving things like college degrees and scientific discoveries. Often, discoveries made by women and minorities were attributed to others.

Explore some of the underrepresented people who have made great discoveries related to chemistry.

Each student could explore a different scientist and incorporate it into the timeline from above.

February is Black History Month. Here are a few lists of scientists to explore (there is some overlap between the lists):

March is Women’s History Month. Here are some lists of women scientists to explore:

Woman with short brown hair and glasses, smiling.Janet Slingerland has written over 2 dozen books for young readers, including Werewolves and States of Matter and Explore Atoms and Molecules! (with 25 Great Projects). To find out more about Janet and her books, check out her website: http://janetsbooks.com

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STEM Tuesday– Transportation– In the Classroom

By on November 11, 2025   /   STEM Tuesday, Transportation  


Books Read

From Here to There Inventions That Change The Way the World Moves Book CoverFrom Here to There: Inventions that Changed the Way the World Moves
by Vivian Kirkfield and Gilbert Ford

This book highlights some of the key inventions that changed how people and things move around the world. Rather than explaining the science of these inventions, it contains mini-biographies about the inventors who created these ground-breaking devices. I learned a lot about how and when different modes of transportation came about, in addition to learning about the people who made them happen.

 

Since I didn’t have easy access to many of the books on this month’s list, I chose to read some other books that also fit into this theme. These “bonus” books are:

Great Train Designs (Engineering Wonders of the 21st Century)Engineering Wonders of the 21st Century: Great Train Designs cover
by Sophie Washburne

I’m a big fan of trains, so I was really interested to learn more about them. Great Train Designs focuses on the science and innovations that have improved train travel over the years. It also explores some of the issues surrounding train travel and takes a brief peak into what the future of train travel might include.

Marvels of Technology: Vehicle & Transport Tech Cover

Vehicle & Transportation Tech (Marvels of Technology)
by Anita Loughley and Alex Woolf

Like the first book, this one highlights many different types of transportation. Unlike From Here to There, Vehicle & Transportation Tech takes a closer look at the science and technology behind the different transportation achievements rather than the people who made them.

Whichever books you choose to read, here are some activities you can pair with them.

Explore Transportation Science and Engineering

Pick a type of transportation that interests you. Now think of a specific mechanism or idea that it uses. Find an experiment to conduct or activity to do that explores this topic. Here are a few you might want to try.

Here are some other collections of activities to explore:

Create a Timeline

Did you notice the dates that different inventions were made? Did any of them surprise you? Create a timeline to track when different transportation innovations came about.

Decide if you want to focus on one type of transportation (like automobiles/cars) or if you want to include all different types of transportation on one timeline.

Think about how you can make the timeline easier to understand. Perhaps all car events are shown in red, boat in blue, and plane in green. If you’re focusing on one type of transportation, maybe safety items are red, movement (including engines and tires/tracks) is blue, and comfort is yellow.

You could break up into teams, with each team focusing on one type of transportation or area within that transportation.
Create a giant timeline that goes around the room. Include images and brief text to highlight each point on the timeline.

Once everyone has completed their part of the timeline, present it. Decide who is going to present each item and how much time they have.

Alternatively, create a video that walks viewers through your timeline.

Research Current News

Do some research to see what’s happening in transportation science and technology these days. There are a few sites that are dedicated to reporting on science news. You may want to start there.

Try different search words and parameters to find transportation-related news stories. You may want to focus on a specific type of transportation that interests you. Report on what you have found.

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Janet Slingerland has written over 2 dozen books for young readers, including Superfast Motorcycle Racing. To learn more about Janet and her books, go to janetsbooks.com

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