{"id":213380,"date":"2025-04-04T15:17:18","date_gmt":"2025-04-05T01:17:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=213380"},"modified":"2025-04-04T15:17:18","modified_gmt":"2025-04-05T01:17:18","slug":"steam-on-the-bookshelf-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/04\/04\/steam-on-the-bookshelf-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Hands-on STEAM<\/abbr> program for Maui keiki expands with new funding"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"spray
Participant families used a spray bottle to study dispersion while creating a rainbow. The children learn where the sun needs to be for them to see the rainbow.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A hands-on learning initiative designed to introduce Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> preschool keiki and their ʻohana<\/span> (families) to STEAM<\/abbr> (science, technology, engineering, agriculture and mathematics) concepts is expanding, thanks to funding from the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa\u2019s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program<\/a> (UROP<\/abbr>).<\/p>\n

\"child
A participant playing with the jumping robot they created as part of the physics and engineering curriculum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The S.T.E.A.M. on the Bookshelf program, developed in collaboration with UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience<\/a> (CTAHR<\/abbr>) Cooperative Extension faculty with initial funding from the Maui County Department of Agriculture, has already engaged over 200 ʻohana<\/span> on Maui. Designed to support parent-child learning, the program provides preschoolers with themed books, interactive activities and family workbooks aimed at making STEAM<\/abbr> curriculum accessible in a home-based setting.<\/p>\n

“Parents state that their children love completing the learning activities and often request the books as bedtime stories,” UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Department of Physics and Astronomy<\/a> Instructor Chad Junkermeier said. “We\u2019ve heard from parents that were in the program that their children are now reading the books to younger siblings.”<\/p>\n

Bringing learning home<\/h2>\n

The initiative builds on an idea first proposed nearly 15 years ago by Heather Greenwood, a UH<\/abbr> CTAHR<\/abbr> associate extension agent based on Maui. Recognizing that many Head Start ʻohana<\/span> struggled to attend evening financial and nutrition training sessions, she helped develop a model where young children brought home books and activities covering these topics, effectively engaging parents through their children\u2019s learning experiences. This project built on the initial model, enhancing it to incorporate more parent-child interaction and hands-on learning.<\/p>\n

The initial age-appropriate physics and engineering curriculum was piloted with UH<\/abbr> Maui College N\u0101 Pua Noʻeau<\/span><\/a> families and UH<\/abbr> Maui College faculty and staff in 2021. With additional funding from the Maui County Department of Agriculture in 2023–24, the project expanded to include an agriculture and gardening curriculum, reaching 213 ʻohana<\/span> across 15 preschool classrooms that school year.<\/p>\n

Of the physics and engineering curriculum, one of the preschool parents stated, “They are learning advanced concepts in an easy to [understand] format.”<\/p>\n

With support from UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program\u2019s Mentoring Grant<\/a>, two undergraduate students will work with the team to refine and expand the physics and engineering curriculum into three tracks: physics, astronomy and engineering. The funding, totaling $10,000, will allow the team to develop engaging learning activities tailored for young children.<\/p>\n

As the program grows, efforts are also underway to incorporate new subject areas. UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa School of Life Sciences<\/a> Associate Professor Sladjana Prišić has joined the project to develop a microbiology curriculum, further broadening the educational scope of S.T.E.A.M. on the Bookshelf.<\/p>\n

The program\u2019s success is gaining academic recognition, with its first peer-reviewed manuscript recently accepted for publication in the Journal of Extension<\/em>. The study highlights the effectiveness of the home-based model in fostering early STEAM<\/abbr> learning and strengthening family engagement.<\/p>\n

The Department of Physics and Astronomy and the School of Life Sciences are housed in UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s College of Natural Sciences<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The S.T.E.A.M. on the Bookshelf program has already engaged over 200 ʻohana<\/span> on Maui.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[308,212,265,1085,1466,568,124,545,1473,313,9,1497],"class_list":["post-213380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-college-of-natural-sciences","tag-college-of-tropical-agriculture-and-human-resilience","tag-cooperative-extension-service","tag-life-science","tag-manoa-enhancing-student-success","tag-natural-science","tag-physics","tag-physics-and-astronomy","tag-school-of-life-sciences","tag-stem","tag-uh-manoa","tag-urop","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t