Posts Tagged writing tips

STEM Tuesday– Electricity — Writing Tips and Resources

By on December 16, 2025   /   Electricity, STEM Tuesday  

Writing tips & more!

Electricity

Activities with electricity can be dangerous, of course, but there is the old standby – static electricity. While under some circumstances, static electricity can be extremely hazardous, small amounts are fun for kid activities. Many people will remember rubbing a balloon on your head and then watching your hair stand up straight.

Static Electricity

Static electricity is an imbalance of electric charges within or on the surface of a material. The charge remains until it can move away as an electric current or by electrical discharge. The word “static” is used to differentiate it from current electricity, where an electric charge flows through an electrical conductor. (from Wikipedia)

For youngsters, there is nothing like music to make learning a concept exciting. Composer Sherri Boekweg is a singer/songwriter from Utah, and this video gives a great and catchy explanation.

From the Minnesota Children’s Museum comes Three Fun Static Electricity Experiments to Do at Home. Bending water, separating pepper and salt, and can races are like magic – educational and entertaining.

Three Fun Static Electricity Experiments to Do at Home

Etch-A-Sketch

One toy that has been around for 60 years is based on static electricity. According to the Strong National Museum of Play, it was invented in the 1950s by French electrical technician André Cassagnes. The silvery screen is aluminum particles and plastic beads that are removed by a stylus to make marks. Static charges hold the mixture of aluminum powder and tiny plastic beads to the screen and shaking it erases the lines.

Science journal

I am a huge advocate for science journals for all ages. The journals really bring in the STEAM concepts that can include writing, art, and design. Journal keeping involves planning, observation, communication, research and referencing, and much more, especially if children construct their own journals. I have included book making in past posts.

For older students, The California Academy of Sciences offers a step-by-step guide to setting up a science notebook, including Strategies for Reflection and Notebook Stories. Being flexible with content makes it more meaningful to students. Let them express opinions and observations.

https://www.calacademy.org/educators/setting-up-your-science-notebooks

Teacher Lessons

One of my favorite sites for teachers is Teachers Pay Teachers. Here are some offerings.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Bill-Nye-STATIC-ELECTRICITY-Video-Guide-Quiz-Sub-Plan-Worksheets-Lesson-4397449

Designing an electrical safety poster.

Some rules for designing posters. This page is about designing environmental posters but it has practical information about target audience, visuals, and text.

https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/kids/activities/be-a-scientist/design-a-poster

https://www.twinkl.com/resource/design-an-electrical-safety-poster-activity-t-sc-1711982676

Twinkl is a new site for me. The website says:

Experienced educators, professional graphic designers, and market-leading illustrators creating award-winning K-12 resources for use at school and home.

A basic membership is free but you can subscribe to a Premium Account. I don’t know anyone who is a member so I am not recommending, simply making readers aware of its existence. Like anything online, take care.

Margo Lemieux – is an author, illustrator, former art professor, and, even though retired, still does all those things and more.

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STEM Tuesday– Electricity — In the Classroom

By on December 9, 2025   /   Electricity, STEM Tuesday  

See what kind of spark grows in your students’ minds from these interesting classroom activities about electricity—this month’s theme for STEM Tuesday!

 

Hidden Systems: Water, Electricity, the Internet, and the Secrets Behind the Systems We Use Every Day by Dan Nott

This graphic novel makes incredible use of the comic format to break down complex systems and abstract concepts into bite-sized explanations. Nott not only explains the science behind our electricity, water, and internet systems, but also illuminates how these systems have encoded and perpetuated some of our human biases…sometimes with devastating consequences. This eye-opening book is sure to make you think differently about the technology you use everyday!

Activity

Have students pick one of the systems covered in the book: internet, power grid, or waterworks. Tell them to research a famous inventor who was important to the development of that system. Ask them to create presentations about the inventor, including a basic diagram of what that person invented. Students should explain its importance and other interesting details about its invention, such as how long it took to create and if there were any failures along the way.

 

Science Comics: Electricity: Energy in Action written and illustrated by Andy Hirsch

A dynamic graphic-nonfiction dive into volts, current, and power plants, wrapped in a monster-vs-mech storyline. Vibrant visuals and plenty of detail engage middle-grade readers (ages 9–13), though some heft in the science may require careful reading. A charged mix of education and adventure.

Activity

What’s the atoms’ story? Direct students to pages 7-8 of the book, showing atoms and their electrical fields. Have students make a mini-comic explaining the atoms characters stories.Tell students to have fun with it but keep electricity in the plot.

 

Look Inside an Electric Car by Taylor Fenmore

Part of Lerner’s “Peek Under the Hood” series, this slim volume introduces readers to the basics of electric cars and what makes them run. With large-print text and vibrant color photos, this short book would be a particularly good fit for younger and/or struggling readers.

Activity

What’s your dream electric car? Ask students to think of what they would want in their dream electric car. Have the draw it and label each feature that they want to include. Tell them to be as imaginative as they like!

 

Karen Latchana Kenney is a children’s author and editor who loves creating all kinds of STEM books and classroom content. Find her at https://www.karenlatchanakenney.com/.

 

 

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STEM Tuesday– Transportation– Author Interview

By on November 25, 2025   /   STEM Tuesday, Transportation  

 

 

Welcome to STEM Tuesday: Author Interview, a repeating feature for the last Tuesday of every month. Go Science-Tech-Engineering-Math!

Today we’re interviewing Jennifer Swanson, author of Save the Crash-test Dummies. The book discusses how restoring the balance between the primary predator and prey was instrumental in restoring a U.S. park’s ecosystem.

This book won a Parent’s Choice GOLD Award!!

 

“Attractively designed and engagingly written—sure to appeal to readers with a taste for the scientific and technical.”—Kirkus Reviews

★ “[An] innovative blend of history, technology, and engineering. . . insightful fun. STEM at its best.”—Booklist, Starred Review

 

 

Hi Jennifer,

Thanks so much for joining us today!

 

ST: Tell us a little bit about Save the Crash-test Dummies and the impetus behind writing it?

JS: For an earlier book I was doing, I had to research the self-driving car. At the time, Google was the only one making them. I LOVED the idea of a self-driving car! I mean, I am not a fan of driving. For more than 5 years I spent every afternoon from 3pm to 7pm in the car. That’s the price of  having 3 kids in 3 different sports across town all at the same time. Have a robot drive you? YES! Sign me up! (After all, I had alerady survived 3 teenage drivers).

But I knew I wanted this book to be a trade book, so I had to find the right hook. One night I was walking with my husband and we were talking about an old Crash-test dummy commercial that they had brought back (from the 70’s). I said something like, “Hey, if we have self-driving cars, we won’t need the dummies.” He said, “Yes, that would certainly, save the crash-test dummies life.” OMG! That was it! The hook, the title—everything all in one neat package. Suddenly,  the whole book popped into my head. I sat down to write my book about the history of car safety engineering from the Model T to self-driving cars.  The rest, as they say, is, well history.

 

 

ST: It looks fascinating! Everyone should go buy the book, but can you give us one thing that really surprised you while researching?

JS: It might surprise people to know that engineers were always concerned about safety, but the first group to create seatbelts was an emergency room doctor who saw first-hand the dangers of not having them in your car. He made them for his family.

 

ST: Have you ever been to see an actual crash test in person?

JS: Unfortunately, no. I would love to do so, though! I think it would be cool to see all of the equipment that is hooked up to the dummy. These things may be called “dummies” but they are really smart pieces of equipment, holding thousands of sensors to track every tiny movement and impact. We owe our lives to these “dummies” .

 

ST: Yes, we do. You’ve been very prolific in getting books out. How long does it take you to go from concept to finished product?

JS: Well that all depends on the publisher. I have TONS of ideas. But since I write for middle grade readers, I don’t write the entire manuscript, instead I submit a proposal. Sometimes the proposals are accepted right away. Then I start writing. If that happens, it can be about 3-4 months from idea to first draft. But if it takes longer to sell, it can take a while. In the meantime, though, I’m off and running on my next project and proposal. At any one time I may be working on 4-6 different projects (at various stages of publication) at once. It’s fun, if a bit challenging. But I love my job!

 

ST: What was the first book you wrote?

JS: The first book I ever wrote was in kindergarten. I used to write “books” about my dog, Lucky. I even illustrated them (with stick figures). My first nonfiction book that I wrote was called “Uninvited Guests: Invisible Creatures Lurking Inside Your Home” by Capstone Press. Very cool, but creepy if you don’t like crawly things.

 

ST: Can you tell us about any other books you have out recently and what we might expect to see from you in the future?

JS:  Yes, thanks for asking! My two recent books are:

Atlas Obscura Explorers Guide to Inventing the World

 

The Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide to Inventing the World 

by Dylan Thuras (Author), Jennifer Swanson (Author), Ruby Fresson (Illustrator)

The team behind the bestselling Atlas Obscura presents a kids’ illustrated STEM-oriented exploration of the world’s most interesting technologies, inventions, and scientific discoveries.

 

3 weeks in the rainforest book 3 Weeks in the Rainforest: A Rapid Inventory in the Amazon
by Jennifer Swanson

A women-led team of scientists protect the Amazon rainforest from destruction as readers get a firsthand account of real-life fieldwork in action.  A compelling, nonfiction, photo-illustrated STEM read for 8-12-year-olds who aspire to be future scientists, environmentalists, and conservationists!

 

As for what’s in the future, I have a middle-grade graphic novel about science coming out in 2027. And a book titled, How to Talk to an Alien (Should You Ever Meet One), also in 2027.

 

Thanks so much for having me!

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