Celebrate STE(A)M Day at the Library: November 8, 2019

Every year on November 8 we celebrate STE(A)M Day, a day that promotes learning through Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math. By its very nature, STE(A)M activities encourage creativity and help develop your child's problem solving skills and, as we all know, these skills will definitely come in handy when they grow up.

Photo from the Toronto Star Photograph Archive.

Researchers from the University of Nevada's College of Education argue that high quality STEM activities can lead to improved abilities outside of STEM related subjects as well, such as literacy, executive functioning and language learning. Therefore, it is imperative that you start introducing these concepts as soon as possible. They argue that, “During the earliest years, infants and toddlers develop 700 neural connections every second. These biologically driven neurological processes and natural curiosity of how the world works make early childhood an optimal time to introduce children to scientific inquiry.”

So how can you begin introducing STE(A)M concepts to your little one? By coming to the library of course.

Join us on Sundays at select locations for Mini Makers, a specially designed suite of programs that promote wonder, creativity and discovery through hands-on experiments. Young children (ages 4-8) and their families work together to solve STEM related problems and have fun. Can't make it to the library on Sunday? No problem. We also have plenty of other high quality STE(A)M programs for children, from After School Clubs, to LEGO Clubs and so much more. So come check out one of our 100 branches today.

And of course we have books! Books are a great way to introduce STE(A)M related concepts and help spark wonder and creativity in children. Here are some of my favourites: