Get STEM Story Books For Kids Online

In this tech-oriented, digital age, most parents are keen on introducing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education to their kids as early as possible. While this is great, the way of introduction must be fun and exciting for kids. Kids have a short attention span. So if the first few seconds seem dull, they can get easily distracted. Kids are curious about the natural world around them. Educators can leverage this innate curiosity to organically cultivate kids' interest in STEM. Hands-on experiments, demonstrations, and field observations are great for introducing the basic concepts to kids. Science education can start anywhere, your kitchen, backyard, or garden. Educators need to be competent in identifying the right tool to make learning a fun activity.

Kids love stories. Anyone who has dealt with kids would agree on the magic of how the phrase 'Once upon a time' would grab their attention and make them listen. Studies have reported that the human brain is excited fivefold when listening to stories compared to facts. In short, human brains are hardwired for stories. This makes stories a great tool for teaching STEM concepts. Imagine teaching the life cycle of a butterfly to preschoolers. A teacher can state the lifecycle as a fact that from the egg, a caterpillar comes out, which goes into the pupae stage and then becomes a butterfly. But instead, think of reading the story of "The very hungry caterpillar" by Eric Carle [1].

Carle takes kids through the days-long journey of a caterpillar until it becomes a beautiful butterfly. On an early Sunday morning, "a tiny and ravenous caterpillar" hatches from his egg. He is hungry and searches for something to eat. From Monday to Friday, he eats an increasing quantity of fruit. He eats one apple on Monday, two pears on Tuesday, three plums on Wednesday, four strawberries on Thursday, and five oranges on Friday. But he is still hungry. On Saturday, he feasts, eating a piece of chocolate cake, a strawberry ice cream cone, a pickle, a slice of Swiss cheese, a slice of salami, a lollipop, a part of cherry pie, a sausage, a cupcake, and a piece of watermelon. However, at night he gets a stomach ache from overeating. To recover from Saturday's stomach ache, the hungry caterpillar eats one green leaf on Sunday. He is no longer tiny and hungry; he is now a big and fat caterpillar. He spins a cocoon around himself. He stays inside it for two weeks, after which he nibbles a hole and pushes his way out. Finally, he develops into a large, beautiful, multi-colored butterfly. Which one would be more engaging? That's the power of stories, and no wonder this book has sold 50 million copies worldwide.

'Welcome home Bear'by Il Sing Na tells the story of a bear who gets bored of his home [2]. The bear goes in search of a new place to stay. He visits the birds in the trees, a mole underground, a camel in the hot desert sand, and puffins in the cold arctic snow, only to realize his own home is the perfect place for him after all. The story introduces the concept of habitats and why every animal must stick to a particular habitat. 'Is this Panama' by Jan Thornhill tells the story of a migratory bird, a species of Wilson barber named Sammy [3]. The author explains why certain birds and animals migrate while others do not and how different animals adapt differently to changing weather. 'Baako's Wild Journey' tells the story of a wildebeest calf that makes an adventurous journey through the African Savannas [4]. The Savanna ecosystem and its interactions are on constant display throughout this story. 'The Seabalance' introduces the concept of ecosystems and how the different species interactions are important in maintaining an ecosystem stable [5]. 'Who Wants a Body Polish' is a fun-filled story that tells the story of a cleaner fish. This story introduces cooperative behavior in animals and its importance [6]. These books are solid choices for introducing STEM topics, initiating discussions and activities, and encouraging independent reading in science disciplines.