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STEM Tuesday– Chemistry– Writing Tips & Resources

By on February 17, 2026   /   Chemistry, STEM Tuesday   /   Leave a comment

Chemistry Love & The Power of (Word) Attraction

February

Can the month of love be the perfect month for a STEM Tuesday post on chemistry? 

Yes, it can. 

Love = Attraction

Chemistry = Attraction 

Chemistry = Love!

Creating a STEM-themed piece of writing or any other creative endeavor that readers love means creating an attraction, or chemistry, with the reader. Sound simple enough, right? But as we all find out one way or the other, creativity, like relationships, is anything but simple. 

So, how can we use chemistry to become more effective creators? Chemistry, in a nutshell, is the study of matter and how matter interacts. By knowing how our own creative matter interacts, we can create more satisfying work.

 

La Sorbonne. Amphithéâtre de chimie. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Building better bonds

Chemistry is dependent on the bonds formed between atoms. The quantum attractions and repulsions between atoms hold matter together in an almost infinite number of possible configurations. Different atoms form unique substances. The unique substances, for example, sodium and chloride, that react to form table salt, interact to form new substances, themselves unique in their properties.

Writing is a form of chemistry. Letters are our atoms. The way we combine letters in an almost quantum attraction binds the formation of a word. Words combine to form an idea. The ideas become sentences. Sentences become paragraphs. Paragraphs become chapters. Chapters become entire books. The possibilities are infinite!

We become better writers and creators when we learn the best ways to combine words to create the best chemistry with the reader. This is done by practice. It’s done by experimentation. Trying new and different words and combinations, tinkering with the order and meaning to produce the desired chemistry. Just as with the chemist, the process consists of trial and error. Scribbles, brainstorms, and notes become an outline. An outline becomes a draft. The draft is chisled, honed, and polished to a finished piece as we refine the chemical attractions and repulsions of different word combinations.

However, almost every novice or student chemist discovers early on that sometimes (often in my own personal case) the chemistry experiment fails. Sometimes it blows up. Sometimes it yields a stinky mass of goo that clears the laboratory and causes a visit by the local hazmat team. Sometimes it just fizzles out in utter defeat.

Writers experience much of the same with almost every first draft we create. It’s not just a novice creator thing either; it’s part of the process for every piece. And, just as the chemist needs to clean up the mess, analyze what went wrong, and plan for a different (and hopefully more positive) outcome with the next trial, the writer uses the first draft as a springboard to better things. 

The Chemical Attraction!

Writers need to find the chemistry with the reader. They need to create the attraction that keeps the eyes on the page and the reader’s boots on the story world’s ground. One learns how to use the words, sentences, and paragraphs to create an attraction that hooks the reader and then forms a strong bond to keep them reading.

In this STEM Tuesday month of February, use your time to brush up and reboot your writing and creativity by examining the chemistry in your work. Build better results by building better words, sentences, and paragraphs. When a creator uses their words with the right touch of chemistry, they create attraction to their ideas, and they might find they attract new ideas and new readers. 

Be inspired by the month of love and the somewhat questionable holiday of Valentine’s Day to create work where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. 

 

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/life/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 Bluesky under the guise of @mikehays64.bsky.social and @MikeHays64 on Instagram.

 

The O.O.L.F Files

This month on the Out Of Left Field (O.O.L.F.) Files, we dig deeper into the chemistry and writing connection with a dive into chemical bonding, chemical education, technical chemistry writing, and some chemistry jokes, because we all know how funny chemistry can be, right? If you doubt it, take a look at my chemistry grades in school. Now those were funny!

 

  • Atomic Hook-Ups – Types of Chemical Bonds: Crash Course Chemistry #22

 

 

 

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STEM Tuesday– Chemistry– Book List

By on February 3, 2026   /   Chemistry, STEM Tuesday  

 

Chemistry is everywhere! It helps us understand how the world works. Explore many aspects of chemistry with biographies, a cookbook, a graphic novel, a study guide, amazing true tales, and several fascinating informational texts!

Cover of the book Who Was George Washington Carver?

Who Was George Washington Carver? by Jim Gigliotti

This book introduces Carver, a famous American agricultural scientist, educator, and scientist. Born into slavery in 1864, Carver became the first Black student at Iowa State Agricultural College and then its first Black professor. His research with plants which focused largely on peanuts, revolutionized Southern agriculture.

Cover of the book Maria Orosa Freedom Fighter, Scientist and Inventor from the Philippines

Maria Orosa Freedom Fighter: Scientist and Inventor from the Philippines by Norma Olizon-Chikiamco

This book shares the inspiring biography of a remarkable woman who studied chemistry and pharmaceutical science and created super-nutritious foods to save the lives of many people in the Philippines during a time of crisis.

Cover of the book The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Elements The Powers, Uses, and Histories of Every Atom in the Universe

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Elements: The Powers, Uses, and Histories of Every Atom in the Universe by Lisa Congdon

Learn about all 118 elements in this book for children age 10 and up. The book includes images that take the reader on a periodic table journey. Along the way it also includes infographics and information about scientists.

Cover of the book Science Comics The Periodic Table of Elements Understanding the Building Blocks of Everything

Science Comics: The Periodic Table of Elements: Understanding the Building Blocks of Everything by Jon Chad

Mel, an anxious chemistry student, dreams of the land of the elements in this graphic novel. Readers learn about the elements and periodic table as Mel and Hydrogen battle against their evil nemesis Elemancer. The book’s imaginative and interesting story are likely to appeal to older elementary and middle school students and provide a fresh approach to understanding the periodic table.   

Cover of the book Chemistry for Curious Kids

Chemistry for Curious Kids: An Illustrated Introduction to Atoms, Elements, Chemical Reactions, and More! by Lynn Huggins-Cooper

This book provides clear, easy to follow explanations that support understanding of the states of matter, chemical building blocks, the periodic table, and scientific tools. Illustrations, questions, and thoughtful arrangement of key ideas make complex chemistry content accessible.  Other titles in this STEM series focus on biology and science and math.

 

Cover of the book The Complete Cookbook for Young Scientists

The Complete Cookbook for Young Scientists: Good Science Makes Great Food: 70+ Recipes, Experiments, & Activities (Young Chefs Series) America’s Test Kitchen

This book explains everyday cooking phenomena and helps children understand the “why” in food preparation. It’s full of hands-on experiments that explain how chemical interactions transform food. It will encourage young chefs to ask questions, observe, measure with precision, collect data, analyze, and answer the food science questions they find intriguing.

Cover of the book The Radium Girls

The Radium Girls: Young Readers’ Edition: The Scary but True Story of the Poison that Made People Glow in the Dark by Kate Moore

This book is the true and shocking story of hundreds of girls who worked in factories, painting watch dials with radium. With each new dial, they licked the paintbrush to create the finest possible tip. At first the fact that they glowed was a marvel but the novelty turned controversial and horrifying as radium poisoning overtook them. Their heroic courage and resolve led to advances in laboratory regulations and research.

Cover of the book Our World in Pictures The Elements Book

The Elements Book: A Visual Encyclopedia of the Periodic Table (DK Our World in Pictures)

With remarkable pictures and text, this book offers a fascinating tour of the elements, substances that cannot be broken up into smaller ingredients. It looks at the unique and sometimes surprising properties of the elements and explains where they come from, what they can do, and how they can be used.

Everything You Need to Ace Chemistry in One Big Fat Notebook by Jennifer Swanson

This book uses diagrams, graphics, mnemonic devices, and compelling characters to delve into atoms. elements, compounds, mixtures, the Periodic Table, chemical reactions, chemical calculations, and so much more. It’s a great companion for students studying for a chemistry exam.

Cover of How Do Molecules Stay Together?

How Do Molecules Stay Together?: A Book About Chemistry by Madeline J. Hayes

This book uses a question-and-answer format to explain a variety of chemistry concepts: atoms, elements, compounds, states of matter, and chemical reactions. It includes a simple and effective explanation of condensation, evaporation, freezing, and melting. The book is part of the How Do Series.

Cover of the book the Disappearing Spoon

The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean

This book is full of fun and fascinating chemistry stories. Anecdotes of adventure, conflict, drama, and obsessions reveal how elements influenced our world. First published in 2011, this book continues to bring the history of chemistry alive.

Cover of the book Marie Curie for Kids

Marie Curie for Kids: Her Life and Scientific Discoveries, with 21 Activities and Experiments by Amy M. O’Quinn

Learn about Marie Curie in this engaging book. Many are familiar with Curie’s brilliance in chemistry and physics as the first woman to win a Nobel Prize through boiling mercury off to reveal pure radium metal. Alongside Curie’s brilliance in atomic physic discoveries, the reader learns about Curie’s role as a mother, her scientific partnership with her husband, inclination to forget sleeping and eating, refusal to monetize her scientific discoveries, and her health concerns. Twenty-one hands-on activities and experiments further the text, along with a list of resources and interesting sidebars.

 

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

New Realeases Nov 2025

Bev Schellenberg is an author (A Prince Among Dragons; A Princess Among Dragons), as well as a writer of creative nonfiction, poetry, and picture books. She’s an advocate of STEM who was a science fair national winner and high school robotics club sponsor, and passionate about young people discovering, following the passion inside them and flourishing. She’s taught grades kindergarten to grade 12 and is currently an academic advisor, careers teacher, and armchair futurist. Learn more about Bev at BevSchellenberg.com.

 

 


Carolyn Pfister is a STEM Content Developer, writer/illustrator, and coordinator of the California Early Math Project. She is interested in encouraging family and community STEM opportunities and maintaining 

children’s early love and success with math and science. Carolyn writes a monthly Substack on behalf of the California Early Math Project – https://carolynpfister.substack.com/. Learn more about Carolyn at Carolynpfister.com

 

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STEM Tuesday– Forests/Temperate Trees — Book List

By on January 6, 2026   /   Forests/Temperate Trees, STEM Tuesday  

Take a walk through a number of different forests across the globe and join scientists and naturalists as they discover many amazing secrets of some remarkable trees. And learn how we can all help protect these important guardians of our globe.

Can You Hear the Trees Talking? Discovering the Hidden Life of the Forest by Peter Wohlleben

This book is a walk through the woods in seven chapters. Forest explorers learn how trees work, how they grow, animals that live in and around them, and more. Each spread examines a single question: How do trees drink? Do trees make babies? Can they talk? “Look” sidebars invite readers to notice something, and “Try This” activities provide hands-on STEM activities to explore the forest around you.

Forest Talk: How Trees Communicate by Melissa Koch

An engaging and conversational older middle grade book highlighting various tree scientists and their fascinating and surprising discoveries about the trees’ ability to communicate with each other. Using an underground system of soil fungi and other methods, trees help each other survive and thrive by transferring resources, sending defense signals, and communicating. It also explores our need for the forests and how we can help them.

The Magnificent Book of Trees by Tony Russell

An oversize, browsable book that will have kids not only turning pages, but turning the book to better study the illustrations of three dozen trees from around the world. Intriguing facts reveal the secret lives of each tree, along with a quick “fact file” box.

The Magic and Mystery of Trees (The Magic and Mystery of the Natural World) by Jen Green

This browsable book opens with a map showing where trees live in the world. Five sections explore what a tree is, their flowers, fruits, and seeds, tree habitats, their partnerships with other species, and the complexities of human-tree relationships.

Deep Roots: How Trees Sustain Our Planet (Orca Footprints, 8) by Nikki Tate

‎This book explores forests through their interactions with four essential elements: earth, air, water, and fire all the while celebrating the central role they play in our human lives. Margin notes include “Forest Facts” and “Try This” activities.

A Walk in the Boreal Forest by Rebecca L Johnson

A great evaluation of the largest forest on earth through a fun mix of text, stunning photographs (with lyrical captions), and illustrated ‘notebook’ sidebars. It explores the lives and interactions of the flora and fauna, as well as the unique climate of this forest. Back matter includes a call to action and additional resources.

Forest Ecosystems (Earth’s Ecosystems) by Tammy Gagne

Divided into 12 sections, this book takes a close look at different kinds of forests around the world, as well as the animals living in them. The final two sections outline human impacts on forests and how people care for forests.

Forests in Danger (A True Book: The Earth at Risk) by Jasmine Ting

From the tropics to the poles, this book looks at three forest biomes and what makes each unique. A fourth chapter examines threats to forests, from invasive species and deforestation to fires, and shares ways kids can help with forest conservation. There’s also a great explainer about carbon capture.

The Leaf Detective: How Margaret Lowman Uncovered Secrets in the Rainforest by Heather Lang

Margaret Lowman had been a leaf detective since she was a young girl. Even though most people thought there was no room for a woman in science, she went to university and conducted research in the rainforest. But to study leaves she needed to find a way to get into the treetops. Because, she said, “We had already been to the moon and back and nobody had been to the top of the tree.”

Activity/Field guides:

Ultimate Explorer Field Guide: Trees by Patricia Daniels

Introductory pages include “what is a tree?” and provide lessons for recognizing leaves. Each tree entry includes a photo of the entire tree and a close-up of leaf or needle, flowers, nuts, cones, or fruit. Special features and “fun facts” make this more than just an ordinary field guide.

Treecology, 30 Activities and Observations for Exploring the World of Trees and Forests by Monica Russo

Starting with the basics, this book introduces what a tree is and how scientists have sorted them into plant families. Did you know that apple trees are in the same family as roses? From forest basics to food webs, this book will inspire kids to get to know the trees around them on a deeper level.

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

Sue Heavenrich is an award-winning author, blogger, and bug-watcher. A long line of ants marching across the kitchen counter inspired her first article for kids. When not writing, she’s either in the garden or tromping through the woods. Her books for middle-grade readers include Funky Fungi: 30 Activities for Exploring Molds, Mushrooms, Lichens, and More (with Alisha Gabriel) and Diet for a Changing Climate (with Christy Mihaly). Visit her at www.sueheavenrich.com

Maria is a children’s author, blogger, and poet who is passionate about making nature and reading fun for children. She was a round 2 judge for the 2018 & 2017 Cybils Awards, and a judge for the #50PreciousWords competition since its inception. Two of her poems are published in The Best of Today’s Little Ditty 2016 and 2014-2015 anthologies. When not writing, critiquing, or reading, she bird watches, travels the world, bakes, and hikes. Visit her at www.mariacmarshall.com.

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