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CHICAGO — With the increased emphasis on incorporating STEM activities in children’s curriculum at ever earlier ages, often neglected are opportunities to explore subjects outside the sciences, or simply to give children the time and space to use their imagination. Christine M. Kirker’s “,” published by 91��ý Editions, will spark their interest in history, geography, events, and landmarks around the world, and nourish their creativity, and collaboration and critical thinking skills. Designed for kids aged 5-10, and flexible enough to use in either storytimes or classroom settings, the projects here:

• use representative picture books as tools for learning about different places and people;
• take kids’ imaginations on journeys to a variety of U.S. landmarks, such as Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska, Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and Lei Day Festival in Hawaii;
• introduce more than a dozen fascinating places, traditions, and cultures from across the world, including the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil, the Day of the Dead in Mexico, the Ziggurat of Ancient Mesopotamia in Iraq, and the San People, formerly known as the Bushmen of South Africa; and
• include hands-on activities for teaching children what makes each topic special, materials lists, programming tips, and additional resources.

Kirker is a library associate with the Carroll County (Maryland) Public Library. Since joining the library staff in 2005, she has developed and presented many programs for children of all ages, including monthly preschool science programs. As coauthor, her books include “Storytime Magic,” “Kindergarten Magic,” and “Multicultural Storytime Magic.” Previously, she spent ten years at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) as a research analyst for the Office of Institutional Research. She presents trainings and programs introducing ways to enhance storytimes through her website .

purchases fund advocacy, awareness and accreditation programs for library professionals worldwide. 91��ý Editions and 91��ý Neal-Schuman publishes resources used worldwide by tens of thousands of library and information professionals to improve programs, build on best practices, develop leadership, and for personal professional development. 91��ý authors and developers are leaders in their fields, and their content is published in a growing range of print and electronic formats. Contact 91��ý Editions at (800) 545-2433 ext. 5052 or editionsmarketing@ala.org.

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