STEAM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. It’s an educational approach that combines these five areas to encourage learning through creativity, problem-solving, and real-world applications.
STEAM events are a valuable addition to the school calendar. They provide educational enrichment, foster community engagement, and inspire students to explore new areas of interest in a fun and supportive environment. Incorporating a children's book into STEAM events can create a more holistic, engaging, and memorable learning experience for students, enriching their understanding and appreciation of both literacy and STEAM subjects.
I am an elementary art teacher who loves to use children's books to support multi-modal STEAM lessons. I created a story that readily connects to Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math while integrating SEL through literacy. PETER O'METER, an interactive augmented reality children's book about a robot who becomes emotional when his buttons are pushed, does it all! Below is a quick guide to help you extract these lessons using my free resources.
Science Station
PAPER CIRCUITS
The story has a scene where PETER and his robot friends play a game at recess called circuit maker.
Use this part of the story to illustrate how electricity is conducted then print the paper circuit template from the activity packet to give students a chance to light up a robot with conductive tape (or tin foil strips), an LED light, and a button battery. Page 32-37
Technology Station
AUGMENTED REALITY
The book is fully augmented. It is unlike any book you have ever experienced with over 40 pages (see Treasure Hunt page 49) in the book and activity packet that come to life with a free app from Quivervision.
- Set up a station to explore the augmented reality using the Meet the Robots section from the free activity packet, (pages 6-25) and Peter's World (pages 47-48).
- Scan the illustrations in the book from cover to cover and see how they help expand the meaning and message.
- Print out the AR coloring page (page 5) for a 3D interactive experience to press buttons on PETER’s eMotion panel to see, hear, & read what happens when he becomes eMotional.
- Print the 6 Ways to Unwind poster & activity to soothe and fascinate your students (pages 29-31). Hint: This poster is perfect for your calm down corner. It’s available as a poster here.
Engineering Station
DESIGN & MAKE
The illustrations in the book include elevators, ramps, and wide aisles to ensure all robots can participate in school, recess, and easily board the bus.
- Explore the design challenge (page 46) that asks kids to create a space for a robot with universal design in mind.
- There is also a guide for a makerspace challenge to use recyclable material to create your own robot costume. Download the step-by-step guide. Pair it with an AR T-shirt for the full effect.
Art & Animation Station
CREATE & ANIMATE
The book is filled with connections to art and animation since every illustration is also an animation when viewed with the free Quiver app. The activity packet dedicates pages to art as well.
- Explore the augmented reality coloring wheel that connects color to emotion while reinforcing the primary & secondary colors with their placement on the wheel (page 42).
- Play the roll and draw robot activity (pages 27-28) to inspire creativity with the option of sharing to our art gallery padlet.
- Print, color, and scan the interactive 3D AR coloring page (page 5).
- Check out the The Amazing Robot Coloring and Drawing Book based on PETER O'METER with AR pages and drawing guides for each of the robots featured in the story.
- Check out this step-by-step lesson that teaches how to draw PETER and animate him using a free web-based ai program as seen from Heather Brown’s students in the animation below. All the resources and steps for this project can be found here.
Math Station
CALCULATE AND ARRANGE
The book has natural connections to math throughout the story and illustrations.
- Find this Time to Recharge math sheet on page 45. It is based on a robot character that has a battery that doesn't hold a charge very well. They need to plan their day around recharging much like people who have chronic conditions that change the way they manage their days.
- Drawing PETER uses geometry (square, circle, oval, etc.), measuring, & spacial intelligence. Find the step-by-step drawing page at this link (not in packet). The Amazing Robot Coloring and Drawing Book has drawing guides and coloring pages for every robot in the story!
- Explore the Drag and Drop digital game where students can build PETER by arranging his animations. This game and many other digital activities are found in the Back to School Canva document. Download a copy here.
KICK OFF YOUR STEAM EVENT
Virtual Read Aloud: Invite Tricia Fuglestad, the author, illustrator, and animator of PETER O'METER to read her animated interactive version of the book to your class. There are six instances in the book that ask the reader to actively empathize with PETER as they gather clues from the text and illustrations to give advice about which button to press on his eMotion device. These interactive moments keep students engaged while the animated illustrations on every page of the story fascinate them. Schedule extra time for a author Q & A and/or some trivia about the book & its creation.
Want to book a read-aloud?
Email me at fuglefun@gmail.com.
BULK ORDERS
Your STEAM event will likely make parents curious about this truly extraordinary book. Contact TeacherGoals publishing with this form to plan ahead by providing discounted copies.STEAM CONNECTIONS WITH PETER O’METER
Learn more from myself and other education leaders as they discuss even more ways to connect PETER O’METER with STEAM curriculum.
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