Posts Tagged STEAM

STEM Tuesday– The Science of Art– In the Classroom

By on November 7, 2022   /   STEM Tuesday, The Science of Art  

Art may at first seem in opposition to logical pursuits like mathematics and engineering, but innovation comes from inspiration and creativity. Sometimes art can even help scientists see possibilities that seem absolutely illogical. Integrating art into STEM education opens doorways that allow inspiration and connections to come through. It can just be fun for student too. How can you use STEAM activities in your classroom? Check out some of our STEM Tuesday books for this month and try these activities with your students.

 

The Science and Technology of Leonardo da Vinci by Elizabeth Pagel-Hogan and Micah Rauch

With a mix of invention, experimentation, and art, Leonardo da Vinci, one of the greatest thinkers of all time, gave the world a number of new insights into science, engineering, and much more. With STEM activities and questions to think about, this book encourages children to look at our world in a deeper and more connected way.

 

Activity

DaVinci created a machine to help artists accurately portray perspective in a scene. He called it a Perspectograph. Have students create their own simple Perspectographs (and use them to make art) with this activity!

What you’ll need:

  • acetate sheets
  • tape
  • window
  • eye patch or scarf
  • marker
  • chair
  • white paper
  • pencil
  • paint or colored pencils
  1. Fist tape the acetate sheet to a window. Put a chair in front of the window. Place the back towards the window.
  2. Then cover one eye with an eye patch or scarf. Sit on the chair so that you face the window. Now put your chin on the chair back and keep still.
  3. Trace what you see outside onto the acetate sheet. Do not move your head.
  4. Next, tape a piece of white paper over the acetate. Trace the drawing onto the paper.
  5. Color the picture with paint or colored pencils. Make sure to look outside toes the true colors of distant objects. They are darker than closer objects appear.

 

 

Folding Tech: Using Origami and Nature to Revolutionize Technology by Karen Latchana Kenney

Origami, the ancient art of paper-folding is increasingly being used to stunning effects to solve some of the most pressing problems in the world today. This book takes a look at all those technologies that use folding – proteins, space probes, self-assembling robots, and many more.

 

Activity

There are so many interesting activities available that combine math and origami already, so I thought I’d list a few here for you to try.

 

Inside in: X-Rays of Nature's Hidden World - Schutten, Jan Paul

 

Inside In: X-Rays of Nature’s Hidden World by Jan Paul Schutten and Arie Van ‘t Riet

Who knew X-rays could be so jaw-droppingly beautiful! Using amazing X-ray photographs, this book shows us creatures and their natural habitats in unique ways. This book is a perfect blend of science and art.

 

 

 

Activity

Leaf prints can help you see the engineering inside a leaf. They reveal the structure of its veins and midrib. Try this activity to reveal the insides of a leaf.

What you’ll need:

  • various kinds of leaves
  • paper
  • markers
  • rolling pin
  1. Place the leaf on a table with its back side facing you.
  2. Now color the back side of the leaf.
  3. Carefully turn the leaf over and place it on a piece of paper.
  4. Slowly roll the rolling pin over the leaf one time. Do not let the leaf move.
  5. Remove the leaf to see your print below. Can you identify parts of the leaf’s structure.

 

These are just a few STEAM activities to try in your classroom. Find inspiration for other ideas by reading all of the books on this month’s reading list!

 

Karen Latchana Kenney loves to write books about animals, and looks for them wherever she goes—from leafcutter ants trailing through the Amazon rain forest in Guyana, where she was born, to puffins in cliff-side burrows on the Irish island of Skellig Michael. She especially enjoys creating books about nature, biodiversity, conservation, and groundbreaking scientific discoveries—but also writes about civil rights, astronomy, historical moments, and many other topics. Visit her at https://latchanakenney.wordpress.com.

 

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STEM Tuesday– The Science of Art– Book List

By on November 1, 2022   /   STEM Tuesday, The Science of Art  

 

 

 

Scientists follow a variety of paths as they engage in their work;  some of them may surprise you. Explore the intersection of art and science by looking at the titles below. You won’t be disappointed!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Folding Tech: Using Origami and Nature to Revolutionize Technology by Karen Kenney

Origami, the ancient art of paper-folding is increasingly being used to stunning effects to solve some of the most pressing problems in the world today. This book takes a look at all those technologies that use folding – proteins, space probes, self-assembling robots, and many more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Science and Technology of Leonardo da Vinci by Elizabeth Pagel-Hogan and Micah Rauch

With a mix of invention, experimentation, and art, Leonardo da Vinci, one of the greatest thinkers of all time, gave the world a number of new insights into science, engineering, and much more. With STEM activities and questions to think about, this book encourages children to look at our world in a deeper and more connected way.

 

 

 

 

 

The Science of Fashion (Inquire & Investigate) by Julie Danneberg and  Michelle Simpson

Discover the science behind clothes! Be it sneakers or shirts, clothes and accessories need to be created and arrive on shelves for you to wear. Taking a look at the fashion industry and the science behind it is what this book is all about. Fun and interactive with hands-on projects for readers, you’ll think twice about your clothes after reading this book.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stephen Biesty’s Incredible Cross-Sections of Everything by Richard Platt and Stephen Biesty

Have you ever wondered what it’d be like to have x-ray vision? Wonder no more! Explore what your favorite things look like, and how they are made, by looking inside them. From a doughnut to a spacesuit, you’ll get a view that might surprise you. With the help of Chester the Tester, and his sidekick the Inspector, you’ll learn about how things are made and enjoy every minute.

 

 

 

 

Science Art and Drawing Games for Kids: 35+ Fun Art Projects to Build Amazing Science Skills by Karyn Tripp

If you want to discover how science and art intersect, this is the book for you! With more than 35 hands-on activities, there are plenty of projects to choose from that will give readers engaging insight into the world of science. From paintballs to mazes, this book proves that science can be fun – and artistic too!

 

 

 

 

Mimic Makers: Biomimicry Inventors Inspired by Nature by Kristen Nordstrom and Paul Boston

Nature is the inspiration for many inventors; from engineers to designers. In this engaging book, you’ll meet ten scientists who use plants and animals as the starting point for creating new technology. It’s called biomimicry. What they’ve designed will inspire you to take a closer look at mother nature and perhaps invent something of your own.

 

 

My Crazy Inventions Sketchbook: 50 Awesome Drawing Activities for Young Inventors by Lisa Regan and Andrew Rae. 

If you like to invent, this is the book for you! With inspiration from actual inventions too crazy to be real, this book is designed to get your creativity in gear. There’s a lot to explore in this book, with page after page of ideas and innovations – once you read it you’ll be ready to invent something yourself! 

 

 

 

 

 

From Here to There: Inventions That Changes the Way the World Moves by Vivian Kirkfield and Gilbert Ford

Have you ever wondered where cars and rockets came from? Someone had to invent them. This book takes you back in time to when these everyday objects weren’t invented yet. You’ll meet the men and women who invented new ways to travel, discover what made them curious, and learn how what they created changed the world. 

 

 

 

 

Inside in: X-Rays of Nature's Hidden World - Schutten, Jan Paul

 

Inside In: X-Rays of Nature’s Hidden World by Jan Paul Schutten and Arie Van ‘t Riet

Who knew X-rays could be so jaw-droppingly beautiful! Using amazing X-ray photographs, this book shows us creatures and their natural habitats in unique ways. This book is a perfect blend of science and art.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science

 

The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian’s Art Changed Science by Joyce Sidman

A nonfiction biography of Maria Sibylla Merian, one of the first people to observe and document live insects, and one of the first to observe the life cycle of a butterfly, something we all know and take for granted now. The book has original illustrations by Maria Merian herself! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Susan Summers can be found exploring and trying to identify any plants and animals she comes across. Visit her at her website: https://susan-inez-summers.weebly.com/

 

 

Shruthi Rao is at home among the trees. Her home on the web is https://shruthi-rao.com 

 

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STEM Tuesday– Extinction– Writing Tips & Resources

By on October 18, 2022   /   Extinction, STEM Tuesday  

                                                                                                                                                                         

Extinct. Over. Done with. Gone.

There won’t be a whole lot of writing tips and resources in this STEM Tuesday post. I apologize in advance. It is mostly about a bleak outlook brightened by the hope we can use STEM to solve some of our extinction threats.

I recently read a depressing snippet from BirdLife International about the decline in bird species worldwide. 49% of bird species are in decline worldwide. In their last report, released in 2018, that decline was 40% so we’ve gone backward in just four years. It’s a problem everywhere, including a 29% decline in North America and 19% in Europe since 1970, and attributed to losing grasslands and forests to farm use. BirdLife International’s extinction bird species count was reported at 187 species lost since 1500 with the majority of those living on islands.

Being a huge fan of birds, this news hit hard.

Many scientists believe we are in the midst of the sixth great extinction event, the Holocene Extinction. Since 1900, the extinction rates have been over a thousand times greater than the background extinction rate and the rates have spiked over the last few decades. 

Authors of the study: Jacopo Dal Corso, Massimo Bernardi, Yadong Sun, Haijun Song, Leyla J. Seyfullah, Nereo Preto, Piero Gianolla, Alastair Ruffell, Evelyn Kustatscher, Guido Roghi, Agostino Merico, Sönke Hohn, Alexander R. Schmidt, Andrea Marzoli, Robert J. Newton, Paul B. Wignall, Michael J. Benton, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

In their 2019 global diversity assessment report, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystems Services (IPBES) estimated that 1 million of the 8 million species on the planet are threatened. 1 of every 8 species is in trouble!

World Wildlife Federation (WWF) Germany suggested in 2021 that over the next decade, 1 million species could be lost as part of the largest mass extinction since the dinosaurs. 

The culprit?

Human activity.

So if human activity is the culprit, it should be easy to change, right?

Wrong!

It’s hard to get people to even realize the problem let alone make changes to their lifestyle. Change is hard. 

Change is also slow. 

Climate change and subsequent extinction events are slow and often measured on a geological time scale. It’s hard for many people to wrap their heads around something they can’t see happening here and now. Even recovery from a catastrophic extinction event takes a whole lot of time. Estimates from a 2019 University of Texas study clock the time of major extinction event recovery at 10 million years due to what they called an “evolutionary speed limit”. 

Change is slow.

With extinction, it takes time to destroy and it takes time to rebuild. The best path is to avoid going past the point of no return on the cascade toward an extinction event altogether. Some of those one million species traveling down the extinction road don’t have time. They are already in dire straits. They need action.

If you study this month’s STEM Tuesday extinction book list, you will see several cases where a species returned from the brink of extinction with the help of human intervention and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. There’s hope for the future of endangered species flowing through those stories. 

But more needs to be done. Steps must be taken to slow down the descent into full-blown Holocene extinction. The next 50 years are vital toward turning the tide and saving as many of those million species on shaky ground as possible. 

Let’s do this, people!

Every positive change is a win in the long run.

The endangered black-bellied tern. Kandukuru Nagarjun from Bangalore, India, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

 

 

Mike Hays has worked hard from a young age to be a well-rounded individual. A well-rounded, equal-opportunity sports enthusiast, that is. If they keep a score, he’ll either watch it, play it, or coach it. A molecular microbiologist by day, middle-grade author, sports coach, and general good citizen by night, he blogs about sports/training-related topics at  www.coachhays.com and writer stuff at  www.mikehaysbooks.com. Two of his science essays, The Science of Jurassic Park and Zombie Microbiology 101, are included in the Putting the Science in Fiction collection from Writer’s Digest Books. He can be found roaming around the Twitter-sphere under the guise of @coachhays64 and on Instagram at @mikehays64.

 

The O.O.L.F Files

This month’s version of the O.O.L.F.(Out of Left Field) Files explores some of the positive and negative news on extinction.

The Extinction of birds

Reproducing coral in the lab for reef restoration

Evolution imposes ‘speed limit’ on recovery after mass extinctions

PBS’s The Green Planet

The Cornell Ornithology Lab

 

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