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Meet STEM Children’s Books Author Dr. Rajani LaRocca [ep.71]

Meet STEM Children's Books Author Dr. Rajani LaRocca [ep.71]

STEM children's books

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Episode Summary

In today’s episode, I chat with STEM children’s book author Dr. Rajani LaRocca. Dr. Rajani practices medicine and writes award-winning children’s books that cover a span of topics, many of which include STEM-related topics. During this interview, you’ll hear about her passion for the STEM world, how she incorporates STEM into her children’s books, and so much more.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Dr. Rajani’s journey to becoming a STEM children’s books author
  • Her thoughts on the impact children’s literature will have on STEM education
  • Types of stories and book genres that can impact children’s STEM education
  • STEM children’s books recommendations
  • What inspired her to write her STEM children’s books

Meet Dr. Rajani LaRocca:

Rajani LaRocca was born in India, raised in Kentucky, and now lives in the Boston area, where she practices medicine and writes award-winning books for young readers, including the Newberry Honor-winning middle-grade novel in verse Red, White, and Whole. She’s always been an omnivorous reader, and now she is an omnivorous writer of fiction and nonfiction, novels and picture books, prose, and poetry. She finds inspiration in her family, her childhood, the natural world, math, science, and just about everywhere she looks. Learn more about Rajani and her books at www.RajaniLaRocca.com. She also co-hosts the STEM Women in KidLit Podcast.

Connect with Dr. Rajani:

Resources Mentioned:

Some items are linked to my Amazon Affiliate account. When you purchase through my link, there is no added cost to you, but I receive a small commission in return.

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith  00:00

On today's episode of the podcast, we're going to be hearing from our first-ever children's book author. I had the pleasure to speak with Rajani LaRocca, where not only is she currently practicing medicine but she writes award-winning children's books about amazing topics that all kids should definitely hear about. A lot of STEM topics are included in her books. She is excellent at making connections with the real world and making it relatable to kids in her stories, and even by the way that she speaks. She has so much passion for what she does, and you can definitely hear it in her voice during this interview. We definitely had a great time chatting, and it'll be so much fun for you to listen to. But Rajani LaRocca was born in India, raised in Kentucky, and now lives in the Boston area. She's always been an omnivorous reader, and now she's an omnivorous writer of fiction and nonfiction, novels and picturebooks prose, and poetry. She even wrote a Newberry Award-winning middle-grade novel in verse, Red, White, and Whole. She finds inspiration in her family, her childhood, the natural world, math, science, and just about everywhere she looks. We even talked about how she found inspiration from one of her books when she was walking her dog, which was so funny she said that because I also get a lot of inspiration for this podcast and a lot of products that I create for you guys when I'm also walking my dog. There's a lot of power in walking the dogs in this podcast. Hey, you might even be listening to this podcast while walking your dog. If you don't have a dog, go get one. All the inspiration is there. As I said, I'm really excited for you to listen to this episode. It is definitely a good one. 


Naomi Meredith  01:55

Well, thank you so much, Ragani, for being here! When you popped in on the call, I was admiring your beautiful background, and I thought it was fake because it has this beautiful, symmetrical bookshelf behind you. It's glowing. It's like this aura of STEM and beautifulness and books, and it's just so amazing. I love your background so much! I love your energy already. So I know we're gonna have a great time talking together. So thank you again for being here today.


Rajani LaRocca  02:57

Thank you so much for having me.


Naomi Meredith  02:59

So if you wouldn't mind telling us about yourself, your background, and then your experience, and how those experiences have led you into children's STEM literature. I think you're gonna be such a great guest for our teacher audience out there. We all love books. So I'm just really excited about you sharing about yourself.


Rajani LaRocca  03:16

Excellent. I'm Rajani LaRocca, and STEM topics were actually my first love. I fell in love with math and science. As a little kid, I read a book called Ouch, which is all about cuts and other hurts, when I was very young. It was kind of like a two-colored, slightly illustrated book about all the stuff that happens in our bodies when we get like a little scratch or a little burn, that kind of thing. I remember being fascinated by it, and I thought at the time that if I was this interested in what happens in our bodies that maybe I should go on to become a doctor. So from a very young age, I wanted to go to medical school or at least try, and that is what I ended up doing. So I'm an internal medicine doctor. I take care of adults. I've been a primary care doctor for about a little over 20 years now. And I love it. Along with the science part of it, I also loved math when I was a kid. I was one of those kids who would always be asking my parents to tell me more, kind of like math riddles or puzzles. I had an uncle in India, my dad's younger brother, who was like the only unmarried uncle, so he used to hang out with math riddles and puzzles. One of the kinds of logic puzzles he told us one time turned into my first picture book. I thought, yeah, I thought of that puzzle, and I thought about what kind of character would need to solve that puzzle and how would a kid know how to solve that puzzle. It turned into Seven Golden Rings: A Tale of Music and Math. It involves binary numbers, which was so much fun. 


Naomi Meredith  04:54

Oh, that is so cool. I love how you're actually living out your dream. Not a lot of people can say that I always dreamed of being a teacher, and then I did become a teacher. I never knew I would become a STEM teacher. So that's a whole other journey. I think, like you, I've always enjoyed science and math and hands-on creativity. So it's just really exciting that STEM is something that younger children are being exposed to and interacting with. I mean, in your profession, I'm sure you could see the importance of that and how that's really impactful for kids just giving them that exposure. I like you had a cool uncle. Not everyone has a cool uncle to do math riddles with. 


Rajani LaRocca  05:40

I know, right. That's the best kind of uncle.


Naomi Meredith  05:44

Right? Yeah. I mean, like, I don't think I really hung out with my aunts and uncles when I was younger. Now that I think about it. But anyway, I think that's just so important. I love, like, your primary role isn't a teacher, but you just see that importance with STEM and all of that. So when it comes to math and science in particular, what kind of connections do you see that are making an impact on children, and why those connections are important?


Rajani LaRocca  06:11

Oh, that is such a great question. So to me, I feel like math and science are inherently beautiful. So I think that there is beauty in kind of nature. There's beauty in the way that things are built from, you know, the smallest molecules kind of up to organisms. And I find that endlessly fascinating. I also think that there is beauty, symmetry, and just kind of wonder in math and science. So that's kind of all of the writing that I do for children, and it comes from a place of joy. So I take the things that I find curious or interesting or full of wonder, and I try to put all of those feelings into books about these topics. You know, what's interesting is that I write nonfiction. So I wrote a book called The Secret Code Inside You: All About Your DNA which came out in 2021. Then I have two more science nonfiction books coming out this year. One is called A Vaccine is Like a Memory: All About Vaccines, the history of them, how they work, and why they're important. Then another one is called Your One and Only Heart, and it is about the human heart. It's written in poetry. What was interesting is that The Secret Code Inside You is also written in poetry. That's rhyming poetry. Not easy to do with a nonfiction topic. Only many years after I wrote this book, and it refused to rhyme itself, I've really challenged myself. It was only many years later that I realized that the reason why my brain was rhyming it is that the nucleotide base pairs in DNA always pair up the same way a, b, and g. Then I was like, oh, that's like rhyming lines. So I think to me, I feel like there is poetry in science. That's why the two things come together.


Naomi Meredith  08:04

That's a really cool way of thinking because I can think of so many kids and even teachers that say, I hate math, math isn't for me, it's boring. It's not very exciting. But the way that you describe it, it's how our world works. Everything connects together. Like with any career, especially more careers that are coming up in the future, like more and more STEM anyway, you're going to have to have some STEM skills. So that's a really cool way of thinking about it. Really, with that growth mindset to just reframe the way you think about these complex ideas. It doesn't have to be overly complicated, it is beautiful. Just understanding it from a different lens can be so impactful. I love how, like with your nonfiction topics, you're making it beautiful with poetry because also, those are hard topics to talk about, especially with kids. Those are some hard things, like complex things to think about. It's not impossible, but that's just a really cool way that kids can connect to the story and maybe be like you one day, and oh, this is gonna inspire me to be a doctor, all sorts of different cool things. So that's a really cool perspective to think about the world around us. That's a really neat connection. 


Rajani LaRocca  09:21

Thank you. Earlier this year, I read my picture book to a group of first graders, and one of the first graders had a question that I thought was so great. He asked, how big is an elephant's DNA?


Naomi Meredith  09:37

What's the answer?


Rajani LaRocca  09:39

I said, “Well, how big do you think it is?” He said, “I think it has really big DNA because it's a really big animal.” We had this whole discussion about how the DNA molecules are the same size, no matter whether you're a person or a mouse, or an elephant. And, you know, the number of genes varies. And I said to him, I didn't know the answer to this, but this is another great kind of teaching point that sometimes you don't know the answer, but you can make an educated guess. And then you can go look it up, right, you can go find the place where the answer is. And I said I don't know for sure how many genes elephants have. But I'm pretty sure that we have more than they do. Complicated, right? And he was just like, whoa. And I said, why don't you go and see if you can find out how much DNA an elephant has? But I said the molecules are all the same size. It was so interesting.


Naomi Meredith  10:32

That is such a that's a really deep conversation for first grade. That was amazing. Yeah, anything with animals, though. I mean, I love first-grade content. I don't love first grade as an age, they're my hardest age to teach. But they're very quiet. They have a lot of questions or like their own little things. But yeah, anything you can connect with animals, especially, they just love that. They eat it up.


Rajani LaRocca  10:58

Yeah, and I think the other kind of thing you could think about is like if you were going to design an animal, and you kind of figured out what you wanted the animal to be good at, how would you design them? Then you can kind of look at, you know, animals that already exist and kind of see how they are made up has to do with what they have to do. You can apply that to anything. So now you're gonna make an airplane, how you're going to design your airplane, like what kind of things would be important? It's endlessly fascinating to me.


Naomi Meredith  11:26

Yeah. Oh, that is a great STEM project right there. That is so good. I love that any age could do that, actually. Even think about biomimicry and how we can even look at things that how we can design all the different stuff out there. I was reading a lot about biomimicry, and it's just so interesting. Like, there is a whole wet suit that's designed after Sharkskin because it keeps the germs away in the water. So it's just so fascinating what the world has that we can learn from with our inventing. So the thing I love, as you said, you're a doctor, you're practicing, you write these children's books. So what, like with your experience and with that connection, what type of impact do you think children's literature can have on STEM education? Because oftentimes, people think, oh, you're a STEM teacher, you don't read books to kids. You don't have to read. I know your face. You're like, that's not true. But how do you think those connect together?


Rajani LaRocca  12:28

Oh, my goodness. Okay. So you know, what's really interesting to me is that I'm not an educator, but I have children. Yeah, and I definitely have one child that is all about nonfiction. Just give me the facts, like, just come on. Like, that's his favorite thing to read. Then I have another child who is all about stories. She just loves novels, stories, and all those kinds of things. She just, you know, she loves thinking about different worlds, that kind of thing. So I think the way that literature can help with STEM education is that it can be kind of the gateway if you know if you're interested in stories and in fiction, but there are STEM topics in that fiction. Then it gets kids interested in those topics without having to say, now we're going to learn about this, you know. Similarly, if there are kids who are like, you know, I'm not really interested in reading about a made up thing, I want to know about the real world that we live in and kind of maybe think about potentially future things that might happen. There's a whole wealth of nonfiction titles for kids. And so that's also exciting. That's also literacy. So yeah, I think that they're just kind of many ways to get kids interested. Then the other thing that I haven't mentioned is nonfiction biography. So history and STEM. And it's really cool. And I think, you know, now is a particularly exciting time to be reading these kinds of things and to be teaching these topics because there are so many awesome biographies out now.


Naomi Meredith  13:58

Oh, yeah, I totally agree with you. It's funny, as a kid, I was like your daughter who loved all the fiction reading. I've always loved math and science as I said, but I wasn't really into nonfiction. But now, as an adult, I really enjoy nonfiction. I still love fiction. I read a lot. But they are just so powerful, and you kind of need a balance of both. Because there's importance in both and I absolutely agree. In my classroom, my kids read a lot. They were actually very surprised coming into my room, like, why are we reading? Oh, it's STEM. I know we have to understand the topic so that our projects make sense. We're not just going to randomly create something, we actually have to have some knowledge about the topic and some research because it won't connect together the way that you think it is like that background knowledge is really important. You've probably read a lot in your jobs still, I'm sure.


Rajani LaRocca  14:51

Oh, yes, I have to. Yes, I'm required to, which is good for keeping up on the kind of the latest medical advances. It's good. I won't say that the reading is the most exciting reading. It's important reading. And you know, the other interesting thing is that there's a whole kind of part of medicine, kind of thinking about people's stories, and how important those are in what we do called Narrative Medicine. And that's also really exciting. So that involves reading, but also writing kind of how you feel as a doctor and, like, what it's like to treat people in a situation and also listening and thinking about their stories. Because when people come into your office, they're telling you a story, whether or not they're aware of it, they're telling you their kind of point of view on what is happening. 


Naomi Meredith  15:39

Oh, that is so good that you said that. That's a huge thing, too, is having that empathy, like thinking through that lens of other people, like, we're not just creating just to like, oh, we just made something. But what is the human experience? That's the whole goal, we're trying to help people with all these things. That's what we're really hoping kids to do, to be empathetic and think of others. That's hard. That's hard for a little person. My kindergarteners are trying to have them not pee their pants like they think about themselves. But, like, that's a big, big deal. But thinking about others like that. So I'm so glad that you said that because that's a huge goal. We want our kids, little kids, to be great humans their whole lives. So I think that's really powerful when you talk about those stories out there. So you talked about those narrative biographies, are there other things that kids should be exposed to and other types of stories you think would be impactful? I know your stories are super great, and they're rooted in nonfiction, but just what types of things should kids be exposed to help them with just where they're at in STEM?


Rajani LaRocca  16:42

So you know, one of the things that's interesting to me is making sure that children get a wide variety of different types of books, not just nonfiction versus fiction, but who is telling the story? Why are they telling the story? What kind of people do we know about from history? What kind of people do we not know about? So the exciting thing about nonfiction right now, at least nonfiction biography, is that a lot of people who make significant contributions to science but happened to be women or happened to be from other parts of the world, not the Western world. We're kind of known for the things people are telling those stories. And that's really exciting because you know what? Science and math were not just invented by men, and it was not just invented by the Western world. There was a lot of knowledge for a long time for 1000s of years before Europe even came into the picture, let alone the United States. So there's a lot of fascinating things to be learned from ancient cultures and from women who didn't always have a clear path to a career in a STEM field, you know, who really had to fight, who many times were just told no. So they just went off and did what they could do while they could do it. So it's, I think those kinds of things are really important too. When I was growing up, basically, what the world was telling me without telling me was that basically, white men invented everything. And that's just not the truth. So that's the other thing that's really exciting is that now we're looking kind of for unsung heroes, unsung scientists, and mathematicians.


Naomi Meredith  18:19

Are there any specific women you can think of like stories that are super amazing?


Rajani LaRocca  18:28

Um, okay, hold on. I just have to tell you, I found that I just read this book called The Fire of Stars. It is an incredible book. It is a nonfiction book about the life of the astronomer Cecilia Payne, and it is told at the same time as the story of the birth of a star. 


Naomi Meredith  18:54

Oh, interesting. 


Rajani LaRocca  18:56

It's amazing. So the art is incredible. So Kristen Larson is the author, and the illustrator is Katherine Roy. So it tells the story of the birth of this kind of wonderful astronomer at a time when there were no female astronomers. She was amazing, and in parallel, it tells the story of how a star, a literal star, is born. 


Naomi Meredith  19:23

That's like, your like, up your alley, like poetry. Like that, like beautifulness of like, the real life and the like beauty of it. That's like, totally like, you're like, oh, this is my kind of book. 


Rajani LaRocca  19:35

Absolutely, absolutely. It's just absolutely beautiful, and the writing is beautiful. The art is beautiful. It is impossible to not be fascinated by it, and there are so many layers. I read it. I mean, it is a picture book. I read it like three times, and then I was like, now I'm going to put this aside. I'm going to think about it for a while, and then I'm gonna read it again. There are just so many different layers. It's amazing.


Naomi Meredith  19:56

When you have the books that you've written, you have a whole variety of topics, how have you found your inspiration for those? Like, what made you think that “Oh, this would make a great book for kids!” What helped you be inspired?


Rajani LaRocca  20:08

Yeah. So I mean, a lot of times, the inspiration comes from my own life, right? So there was that math puzzle that my uncle told me and that he told it to me when I was like eight or nine, and I never forgot it. And it was like, Ooh, how do I set a story in ancient India about a kid who knows a lot about music. And he saw parallels between music and this kind of puzzle that he had to solve. And it was really fun. The DNA book came to me because I was walking my dog. I was walking along, and I thought, like, “look at that little guy. He's so cute and fuzzy, and he is not at all like me.” And then I was like, isn't that interesting? And then this kind of line came in, slid into my head saying, there's a secret code inside you, a code called DNA. And I was like, “oh, okay, I think that's something.” And so then I wrote a whole book about that. And it starts with why animals are who they are, and why we are who we are, and so on from there. It's so much fun. And then the vaccine book. I mean, it was inspired because I got my first COVID vaccine as a doctor I got in January of 2021. And I was so grateful. I live with elderly parents, and I was like, “Oh, my goodness, thank goodness.” And then it got me thinking about, well, how did like I mean, I've been giving vaccines and getting vaccines my entire life. But how did they? How did they first get discovered? And I went and did a bunch of research. It was fascinating to me. Do you know why we call them vaccines?


Naomi Meredith  21:30

I have no idea. I'm learning a lot right now.


Rajani LaRocca  21:34

That comes from the Latin word vaca, which means cow because one of the first vaccines that were developed as they realized that if they gave people cowpox, which is a very mild illness, they couldn't get smallpox. So they take cowpox sores and inject them into people. And they got cowpox which was a very mild illness, and then they never could get smallpox, which was so cool. So that's where that came from.


Naomi Meredith  21:58

That's really good. That's actually really, really that's the ultimate science experiment right there.


Rajani LaRocca  22:04

I know. Little scary for the time, it was better than getting smallpox. Yes. Then, Your One and Only Heart, which is the book about the heart. For years, I wanted to write a book about the heart because I thought it was so cool. It's so interesting, right? Like, it's something that we're kind of aware of all the time. But do we really know how it works? And for years, I wasn't sure how to get all this information into a book. And then one day I literally woke up, and I said, it's poetry. And so there are contrasting poems. So the heart is, you know, it's like singular, and it's cooperative, right? It's part of a team. It's electric and muscular. It's, you know, constantly variable, all these things. So each kind of concept has a poem. And I was like, that's it. To me, science is poetry. So there you go. Yeah, and then my other books that have math and science in them, and I just put them in them because I love them. I love my fiction books that have math and science. I'm like, “Well, I love math and science. So I think the kids in this book should love math and science.”


Naomi Meredith  23:04

I think you're a real teacher at heart. Rajani, you have that passion, you're good at connections like this is what we do all the time. We make connections to real world things like you could totally teach in a classroom, I think you'd be okay. I just love your passion for this.


Rajani LaRocca  23:19

You're very kind. You all do so much more than that, but I do love talking to kids. And I know that for the short amount of time that I'm in front of them. I'm like, this is amazing.


Naomi Meredith  23:30

I'm going to have you come to mine because you're great.  You're willing to learn like, that's the cool thing too. You are willing to research more and how to make that relatable for a kid to understand. We need to hear perspectives from people who aren't just teachers. Like I have one perspective. I'm like the gateway to help kids learn more things. I don't know everything. And I tell them that I don't know everything. Like I'm willing to learn, and we'll Google things together. But I think that it's really cool how you're still learning to help inspire you for these books. I also get tons of ideas walking my dog, too. I totally can relate.


Rajani LaRocca  24:13

Yes, the dogs are very inspiring. 


Naomi Meredith  24:16

It's just those cute little paws. You're like, oh, man, I get all the ideas. Well, you mentioned the books. I'm kind of, and I'll list all of them in the show notes for teachers. I know they'll want these in their classroom. But where can teachers find your books and connect with you to learn more?


Rajani LaRocca  24:36

Yes, you can find all the information about me and my books on my website, www.rajanilarocca.com. So it's Rajani LaRocca, and I'm on Twitter and Instagram as well, but the website is the easiest, and then you can find links to all my books, and they're available everywhere. So yeah, and I love connecting with teachers, teachers are heroes. To me, honestly, yeah.


Naomi Meredith  25:02

Well, right back at you. In the medical field, I feel like we kind of have similar mindsets in a way we're in the business of helping others. And so funny, a side note, my DJ for my wedding coming up, so my fiance is a teacher, and we told my DJ, “Oh, yeah, we're teachers.” He's like, “Oh, this is gonna be a great party because teachers and people in the medical field and nurses know how to party.” So I feel like that's why we're getting along very well.


Rajani LaRocca  25:31

That's excellent. I agree. We do know how to party. Yeah. Lot of dancing. 


Naomi Meredith  25:38

I hope so. Yeah. Oh, absolutely. Well, thank you so much, again, for your time and your expertise, and your passion for STEM and inspiring children around the world. It's just really amazing what you're doing with your passion and just inspiring kids. That was just so amazing. And I can't wait to read more of your upcoming books.


Rajani LaRocca  26:01

Thank you so much for having me. Thank you for teaching kids and for inspiring teachers. This is so wonderful.


Naomi Meredith  26:09

Yeah, definitely. Oh, and one last thing. You have a podcast.


Rajani LaRocca  26:12

I do. It is called the STEM Women in KidLet Podcast. So it is all about women who have a background in the STEM field, who then went on to write and or illustrate books for kids. So it's amazing.


Naomi Meredith  26:27

Yeah. All right. Perfect. All right. Yeah, our audiences will be, that'll be up their alley for sure. Well, thank you so much again, and we will definitely chat soon. 


Rajani LaRocca  26:37

Thank you. Take care.

STEM children's books

 

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More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a former classroom teacher turned current K-5 STEM teacher and coach. Her role not only includes teaching over 500 students in her school, but also leading professional development and co-teaching with teachers to help them integrate STEM & Technology.

With over a decade of experience along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM certificate, she helps teachers navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM & Technology in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!

Force-and-motion-books-kindergarten

10 Force and Motion Books for Kindergarten

10 Force and Motion Books for Kindergarten

Force-and-motion-books-kindergarten

This list of force and motion books for Kindergarten is a great way to encourage STEM concepts in your classroom. By integrating STEM and literacy, this is another avenue to bring these concepts to life for young learners.

When planning out units for the primary students in my K-5 STEM classroom, I use a three part structure: Mini Project, STEM Stations and STEM & Stories. This model integrates standards and exposes students to a variety of experiences that relate to the content.

In fact, I go in depth with this model in my K-2 STEM Virtual Planning Workshop, which you can join HERE.

 

Some items are linked to my Amazon Affiliate account. When you purchase through my link, there is no added cost to you, but I receive a small commission in return.

Force and Motion Books for Kindergarten: Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee

Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee

Description from Amazon.com “This exhilarating amusement park visit begins with a line of prospective riders, eagerly awaiting their turn . . . with at least one person who has never done this before. Zooming, swerving, dipping, and diving, this delightful story featuring a breathtaking ride and a hilarious range of reactions, will help readers lose their roller coaster anxiety. Marla Frazee’s witty narrative and slyly building of tension delivers an experience unlike any other and will have readers begging to take another ride.”

 

Force and Motion Books for Kindergarten: What Do Wheels Do All Day? by April Jones Prince


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What Do Wheels Do All Day? by April Jones Prince

Description from Amazon.com “Yeah, what do wheels do all day? Well . . . they push . . . race . . . stroll . . . fly . . . whiz . . . and spin . . . all day long! Simple, direct text, combined with brilliant cut-paper relief illustrations, captures kids’ fascination with “things that go” and opens their minds to the wide variety of wheels and what they do.”

Force and Motion Books for Kindergarten: How Do You Lift a Lion? by Robert E. Wells

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How Do You Lift a Lion?” by Robert E. Wells

From Amazon.com “How do you lift a lion? With a machine that's big and powerful with clanking metal parts? There are machines like that. But others have only a few moving parts. In fact, some machines are so simple that they don't seem like machines at all―like the wheel, the lever, and the pulley. These machines can make work easy―even if you're trying to lift a lion!”

Force and Motion Books for Kindergarten: Ricky, the Rock That Couldn't Roll by Mr. Jay

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Ricky, the Rock That Couldn't Roll by Mr. Jay

From Amazon.com “From zippy little pebbles to big strong boulders, the rock friends get together to play and roll around their favorite hill, only to find that one of their friends, Ricky, can't roll with them. Unlike all of the other rocks, who are all round, Ricky can't roll because he's flat on one side. Determined not to leave their friend behind, the rocks set out to help Ricky roll – one way or another.”

Force and Motion Books for Kindergarten: The Racecar Alphabet by Brian Floca

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The Racecar Alphabet by Brian Floca

With beautiful illustrations, this story goes through the entire alphabet with different racecar elements shown throughout. This can spark a great discussion about engineering and components and contribute to car movement.

Force and Motion Books for Kindergarten: If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen

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“If I Built a Car” by Chris Van Dusen

From Amazon.com “Jack has designed the ultimate fantasy car. Inspired by zeppelins and trains, Cadillacs and old planes, with brilliant colors and lots of shiny chrome, this far-out vision is ready to cruise! there's a fireplace, a pool, and even a snack bar! After a tour of the ritzy interior, Robert the robot starts up the motor . . . and Jack and his dad set off on the wildest test drive ever!”

Force and Motion Books for Kindergarten: Oscar and the Cricket: A Book About Moving and Rolling by Geoff Waring

Oscar and the Cricket: A Book About Moving and Rolling by Geoff Waring

From Amazon.com “One day Oscar sees a ball in the grass. “Try pushing it!” says Cricket. Oscar learns that the ball rolls slowly in grass and faster on a path, until it bounces off a tree and changes direction. Some things need a push to move, and others use their muscles to move themselves — and to move plenty of other things, too.”

Force and Motion Books for Kindergarten: Motion: Push and Pull, Fast and Slow by Darlene Ruth Stille

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Motion: Push and Pull, Fast and Slow by Darlene Ruth Stille

Colorful illustrations and simple text that explains different force and motion concepts. Uses everyday examples of this vocabulary in action so young learners can make connections with the science that is all around them.

Force and Motion Books for Kindergarten: And Everyone Shouted, “Pull!”: A First Look at Forces and Motion by Claire Llewellyn

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And Everyone Shouted, “Pull!”: A First Look at Forces and Motion by Claire Llewellyn

From Amazon.com “Learn about forces and motion as you join the farm animals on their trip to the market. The wheels on their cart help when they push, pull, and stop on their journey. Great way to get kids interested in science in the classroom or at home!”

Force and Motion Books for Kindergarten: The Day Gravity Goes Loco by Ryan P Maloney

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The Day Gravity Goes Loco by Ryan P Maloney  

From Amazon.com: This story “paints a picture of a weightless world where everything usually anchored down by gravity, has gone crazy. From standing straight up hairstyles, to construction crews taking vacations because of upside down cranes, “Gravity Loco” is an infectious story that will make kids laugh while introducing them to language learning and science concepts.”

 

Need help with your Kindergarten STEM planning?

In this 2-hour, previously recorded workshop, you will walk away with a standards-based unit plan for a primary grade level that will include:

    • Mini Project (40 minutes)
    • STEM Stations (40 minutes)
    • STEM & Stories Lesson (40 minutes)

Create a system for planning K-2 STEM lessons that are robust, standards-based, and engaging.

To help you be successful, lesson planning templates will be provided during the workshop.

  • Standards Ideas
  • Planning Templates for STEM Stations, Mini Project & STEM & Stories
  • Materials Ideas List
  • STEM Station Slides
  • STEM Book List
  • Professional Development Completion Certificate

Related Blog Posts & Podcast Episodes:

More About the author, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a former classroom teacher turned current K-5 STEM teacher and coach. Her role not only includes teaching over 500 students in her school, but also leading professional development and co-teaching with teachers to help them integrate STEM & Technology.

With over a decade of experience along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM certificate, she helps teachers navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM & Technology in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

5 STEM Growth Mindset Books for Kids

5 STEM Growth Mindset Books for Kids [STEM Spotlight #1]

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Check out the full episode on Growth Mindset Books for Kids:  

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

Have a STEM question? Leave a voice message for the podcast!

Episode Summary

Looking for books to promote growth mindset in your STEM classroom. These 5 picks are perfect for all ages of elementary students that should be added to your classroom library. These books are great for teaching specific growth mindset topics throughout the school year. 

Resources Mentioned:

Some items are linked to my Amazon Affiliate account. When you purchase through my link, there is no added cost to you, but I receive a small commission in return.

Episode Transcript: 

Looking for books to promote growth mindset and your STEM classroom. These five picks are perfect for elementary students of all ages, and should be added into your classroom library. The books that I'm going to be sharing are perfect for teaching specific growth mindset skills that you can read at any time of the year. These are all going to be linked down below or in the show notes. So if you don't feel like writing them down now you can grab those when you're ready. So let's jump in.

The first book is “Builder, Brother, Big Plans” by Jonathan and Drew Scott, who are the HGTV Property Brothers. This is a great book that not only teaches the Engineering Design Process, but these two brothers are working on a project and they plan, they build, they fail, they plan some more. And well… you're going to have to read the rest to figure out what happens. I love this one. It's a new one. I found it recently at a Scholastic Book Fair. So definitely keep your eye out for this one.

The next book is “After the Fall” by Dan Santat. It tells a story of Humpty Dumpty, and what he did well, after he fell. It's a great one about growth mindset to figure out if you are really going to keep working towards what you want, or are you just going to give up i love this story. I have a whole STEM and Stories lesson about this one. I love teaching this one at the beginning of the year, or even leaving it for a sub plan. So great pick.

The next book is “Emma Ren, Robot Engineer” by Jenny Lu. This is a great one to help students work through the growth when working with others that aren't always their best friend. Even work through the biases that they may have towards others and who can and can't do STEM. In this story, the main character, she is partnered with another boy in her class. The boy has a lot of biases that girls can't do STEM. So this is a great story to really tackle those subjects that might be tricky to talk about in your classroom. Not only that the students have to work together to create a project and it doesn't always go right the first time again, something that definitely happens in our STEM classrooms. Oh, this is a book definitely you need to add to your bookshelf.

The fourth book is, “The World Needs You Who You Are Made To Be” by Joanna Gaines. I saw this book peeking out on the shelves when I went to Costco one day. Not only are the illustrations beautiful, but it's a great book to highlight the strengths that you have inside of you, but also develop new ones to contribute to the greater good. This is also a great book to tackle where you are discovering talents that you never knew that you had. And that happens all the time in the STEM classroom. What's also really cool about the illustrations is that the characters are all building a hot air balloon together and all their different hot air balloons. So the illustrations again are very beautiful, but highlights a very important message that we need in our classrooms.

And the final pick is “Mae Among the Stars” by Roda Ahmed. I love this story because it connects to the real Mae Jemison, who is an astronaut at NASA. And it tells a story of when she's a little girl and she was dreaming big and really wanting to do something big in her life. There were times when other people didn't believe in her along the way, but she kept pushing towards her dreams. This is a great lifelong skill when it comes to growth mindset there has that great connection to space, but there are kids who are have those dreams and then and there might be people along the way who tell them they can't or can't do that. So this is a great lifelong skill and definitely recommend this book.

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Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

 

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a former classroom teacher turned current K-5 STEM teacher and coach. Her role not only includes teaching over 500 students in her school, but also leading professional development and co-teaching with teachers to help them integrate STEM & Technology.

With over a decade of experience along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM certificate, she helps teachers navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM & Technology in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!

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List of Books about Creativity for Kids

books-about-creativityUse this list of books about creativity for kids to inspire young makers. Read as a class or have these as an collection in your classroom library.

 

This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase through the link, no extra cost to you, but I receive a kickback from purchases. 

 

Interested in more books about STEM & Technology to add to your collection? This list is a small portion from my bigger list of books that you can check out here! 

Books about creativity #1: I'm Not Just a Scribble

Book Title: I'm Not Just a Scribble 

Author: Diane Alber

Sentence Summary: Scribble's life changes when he meets a new kind of drawing, House and their adventures make something beautiful.


Book #2: Scribble Stones

Book Title: Scribble Stones

Author: Diane Alber

Sentence Summary: Plain stones are transformed into works of art to spread creativity and joy.

 

Books about creativity #3: Perfect Square

Book Title: Perfect Square

Author: Michael Hall

Sentence Summary: Paper can be used in many ways than just its typical square shape.

Book #4: Not a Box

Book Title: Not a Box

Author: Antoinette Portis

Sentence Summary: Find new ways to creatively use a box and spark your imagination.

Books about creativity #5: Not a Stick

Book Title: Not a Stick 

Author: Antoinette Portis

Sentence Summary: After being inspired by many uses for a box, try different creations with sticks.

Book #6: Beautiful Oops!

Book Title: Beautiful Oops!

Author: Barney Saltzberg

Sentence Summary: Mistakes can become something great, even more beautiful than you think.

Book #7: The Dot

Book Title: The Dot 

Author: Peter H. Reynolds

Sentence Summary: A simple dot can be transformed into many different creations

Book #8: Harold and the Purple Crayon

Book Title: Harold and the Purple Crayon

Author: Crockett Johnson

Sentence Summary: One color of a crayon can produce many different results.

Books about creativity #9: Ish

Book Title: Ish

Author: Peter H. Reynolds

Sentence Summary: Maybe your original design didn't come out exactly how you wanted, but it might be close enough

Book #10: What does it mean to be an entrepreneur?

Book Title: What does it mean to be an entrepreneur?

Author: Rana DiOrio

Sentence Summary: An entrepreneur is based on an inner drive and creativity to help create the business of their dreams.

 

Connecting literacy and STEM is a great way to book reading comprehension and hands-on learning. Get started with my STEM & Stories Bundle. With 5 ready to go lessons, your students will think creativity when looking at the story in a new way. Check out the bundle in my shop here!

 

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Which books do you already have in your classroom? Which ones do you want to read? Feel free to direct message me on Instagram, @naomimeredith_ and I would love to chat with you!

Want more resources to support Technology & STEM all year long? Grab this FREE downloadable guide that I’ve put together for you!