Kits will include supplies for STEM topics in Oak Lawn
In a few months, patrons of the Oak Lawn Public Library will be able to check out robots, drones and bridges, or at least materials that will help them build and learn about those topics.
A $2,000 grant from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a national organization of technology professionals, will help the library buy 14 science kits for young people to check out. The kits will include supplies for topics in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, for patrons ages 3 to 14. The kits are interactive and will include Ozobot robots, which can be programmed to follow patterns, and remote-control Star Wars droids, with iPads for use with both.
Another kit will help preschoolers build a maze and push buttons on a battery-powered mouse to give it directions. There will also be bridge-building kits and electronics kits.
Some of the kits will be basic enough for youngsters but can be used at a more advanced level by older children, allowing them to even learn computer coding.
“STEM activities build critical thinking and problem-solving skills,” said Mary Donovan, youth services librarian. “And since the modern world is suffused with technology, becoming proficient in STEM fields has become just as important as becoming proficient in reading and writing.”
The library already has other STEM programs, including a Super STEAM Saturday program run by Emily Kenny, youth services associate, in conjunction with the Museum of Science and Industry. That program offers hands-on sessions for 2- to 14-year-olds in chemistry, environmental science, biology, physics and engineering.
Another program run by Donovan and librarian Natalie DeJonghe, technology engagement librarian, is Bits & Bots for children ages 5 to 14. That program includes small robots, circuitry kits, video-game building technology and 3-D printers to help young people start learning about computer programming.
Children will be able to check out the new kits for use at home this fall. The kits will also include books and DVDs with relevant material, as well as a little binder with librarians’ suggestions.
“STEM is also something kids like — it’s hands-on, active and participatory,” Donovan said. “Our STEM programs are very popular with children, and parents are very interested in what we’re doing in our sessions.”
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