Storytime in a Box

STEM Storytime in a Box

Idaho Public Television and Idaho Commission for Libraries have partnered together to create a program for library staff and early childhood professionals to increase their early STEM knowledge. With funding provided by STEM Action Center and support from Project Learning Tree and Ready! for Kindergarten, participants will receive resources to integrate early STEM into storytime activities.

Early STEM is foundational to early learning. Recent research suggests that early math skills can be a better predictor of future academic success than early literacy skills. Moreover, there is also evidence that learning computational thinking, especially early coding, has a similar effect on young children as learning a new language. Idaho's youth need access to quality early STEM experiences and learning.

Here's how the program works:

Enroll in two online courses: Countdown to Coding and Early STEM: An Introduction
- Both courses can be found through Idaho Commission for Libraries' Niche Academy and Idaho STARS Rise platform (for credit).
- Each course is designed to take less than 1 hour to complete and can be completed in as many sessions as necessary.
Register to receive a STEM Storytime in a Box kit
- Registration opens November 1.
- One registration per facility.
- Registrations will be processed in the order received and boxes will be mailed out beginning November 15.
Participants agree to host at least one Storytime in their community with the provided STEM materials.
Participants agree to join a monthly, virtual community for practice sessions to learn and connect with peers across the state.
Participants agree to submit a 6-month follow up survey after receiving their box.