One of the pleasures of spending time with young children is the opportunity to see the wonders of our world (large and small) through their eyes. We grownups can forget sometimes how amazing our everyday experiences really are, so we’re lucky to have the opportunity to be reminded to look, question and experiment.
The good news is that encouraging children’s curiosity is a terrific way to help them learn. And we don’t even have to have all of the answers to their questions!
Awareness of the importance of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) has grown exponentially in recent years and so there are lots of great resources available. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) offers ten tips to encourage children’s science learning.
And, of course, there are lots of good books too. Check out the list below to get started on your own investigations.
This booklist was created in support of BUZZWORD PGH to encourage imagination, investigation, creation, and reflection. Available to families throughout Allegheny County, BUZZWORD PGH engages young children and their families as they discover the words that are all around them.
You can sign up for a free library card here.
If you are new to our eResources, check out these tutorial videos on how to get started.
If you’re looking for more book suggestions, we’re happy to recommend them to you! Use this Book Recommendation form to send us some information about what you like to read and we’ll curate a list just for you.
If you have any additional questions, you can contact a librarian through Facebook, Instagram or X. You can also call us at 412-622-3114 or email us at info@carnegielibrary.org
A hyper-curious young girl tries a series of wacky experiments, such as seeing if a piece of bologna will fly like a frisbee and determining whether seedlings will grow if watered with expensive perfume, and then must suffer the consequences of experiments gone awry. This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on Libby.
Olivia wants to paint a colorful birdhouse. She ends up with a pattern of stripes on the roof. Teaches young children about patterns. Lin has written several other titles in the Storytelling Math series.
Charlotte, a a serious scientist and a bunny, uses the scientific method to solve her problem: being squished by her many brothers and sisters. This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on Hoopla.
All the fairies in Pixieville believe in magic–except Esther. She believes in science. When a forest tree stops growing, all the fairies are stumped–including Esther. But not for long! Esther knows that science can get to the root of the problem–and its solution!
When the invention hunters, a group of globe-trotting invention collectors, visit a construction site in their flying museum, a boy helps them by explaining how simple machines like levers, pulleys, and cranks work.
Libby and her friends volunteer to run the science booth at their school fair and have some great ideas, but Libby does not always follow directions precisely. Includes a worksheet for each experiment mentioned. This title is also available for checkout as an eAudio on Hoopla.
A little girl has a wonderful idea. With the help of her canine assistant, she is going to make the most magnificent thing! She knows just how it will look. She knows just how it will work. But making the most magnificent thing turns out to be harder than she thinks. This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on Libby and an eBook on Hoopla.
Celebrates the skilled women and men who work to see the plans of architects, engineers, and designers brought to life.
