This week's STE(A)M project was building a bridge for an elephant (a little toy elephant). The kids had a blast working with cardstock and index cards. They were surprised at what they could do! We also learned some engineering vocabulary to go along with our project. We used the 21 Elephants as our story frame to get started. (details below)
To go along with our Reading STEM project tree, the kids will get additional "STEM Bucks," which is the currency of the classroom, when they read and report on a book. After we made our bridges in our STEAM class, I gave the students this list of the best bridges picture books (with building, engineering and architecture).
Books about Bridges
An asterisk* indicates either a shorter book or a book with an easier reading level. (Amazon Affiliate links below.)
Cross a Bridge by Ryan Ann Hunter, illustrated by Edward Miller (Holiday House, 1998).
An asterisk* indicates either a shorter book or a book with an easier reading level. These books cover more ideas on engineering and building. (Amazon Affiliate links below.)
*The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires. A girl is determined to create a solution for her problem.
*If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen. Lots of fun!
*Papa’s Mechanical Fish by Candace Fleming. A father is trying to create a marvelous invention.
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