STEM with The Questioneers: Iggy, Rosie & Ada

*Note: this post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Any purchases made via the links provided go to support our literacy efforts.

     During self-isolation you no doubt have become an educational maven but in spending so much time with your child on a daily basis, you may also have observed that they gravitate toward particular interests and have their own passions. I remember when my brother was little, it was all about trains and LEGO Technic sets. As he got older, he graduated to taking things apart and making new power sources from old microwave transformers. My parents fed his passion and today my brother is an electrical engineer. Looking back, I can see that the engineer was in him from a young age. Though my mother tried to get him to read for pleasure, his pleasurable reading consisted of the non-fiction How Stuff Works and various DK books. My passion was reading (even while walking to school) and literature and I followed that to my degree in Children’s Literature and now my literacy business. I have a friend who is an amazing artist who didn’t follow her passion and today regrets her decision. That is why I feel that while you should introduce your child to the many options there are in the world, you still need to be aware of their natural talents and passions and help them to fully explore the opportunities available to them.

     Therefore, this week we have chosen to feature some books that celebrate individual gifts, curiosity, perseverance and self-expression. Iggy Peck, Architect, Rosie Revere, Engineer and Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty help children see that pursuing one’s passion can lead to achieving that big dream. Again, if you don’t have the books, they are available as a read aloud on YouTube. Also, look for activity ideas online at TheQuestioneers.com and once life gets back to normal, look for the chapter books in this series as well.

While you explore this series, offer your child age appropriate activities such as:

• LEGO bricks, magnetic tiles, building blocks and even any household items that they can build with such as cardboard boxes and tubes, straws, egg cartons, plastic bottles and caps. Think anything from the recycling bin. Help them to plan their creations or set them free to use their imagination and see what they can come up with (think along the lines of setting up a Makerspace).
  

• Erector sets and LEGO Technic sets are wonderful for the budding engineer or you can offer old household appliances and other contraptions that your child can safely take apart to learn from and to create something new. Make certain your child understands that safety comes first especially if electricity is involved.
  

• Fun with science such as growing your own crystals or making your own slime (search for how-tos online.) There are quite a few kitchen science experiments online as well and remember that baking itself is a science when you understand the chemical forces at play. So, go ahead and bake with your child and then enjoy the fruits of your labors.

     This series is also wonderful for children of all ages for career exploration. Take architecture, engineering and science as a basis to explore all the various jobs and opportunities within each field. Feed their passion and their life will be full!

Happy reading!

-Kate @ BTBL

---

Author

We are three generations that seek a way to get back to basics. It’s not that we eschew technology, but sometimes simpler is better, especially in raising our children. Mom was a reading teacher, Amanda is an early childhood educator and Kate a children’s literature specialist and former school librarian along with the latest additions, a daughter (now 4) for Kate, and two sons (now 1 and a newborn) for Amanda. We advocate reading aloud, the simple toys that use imagination and encourage creativity and learning in the kitchen, which can be a fun mess but also teaches life skills. Join us in raising healthy, happy, inquisitive and intelligent children.