I highly recommend taking a few minutes to read his article, especially his “nine story points” on page 4.  I’d love to hear your thoughts when you’re done!

I spent an hour searching our local libraries online database the other evening.  I was searching for books about spies for my 8-year-old son.  I went online certain to find many books – after all, spy books with all their action, adventure and intrigue seem like the perfect fit for “boy books.”  What I found was not at all what I thought I would find….

I was amazed by the number of spy books for girls.  At least in the database I was searching, I found more “girl books” in the spy category than “boy books.”  I commented something to this effect to my husband who wondered aloud how I knew they were “girl books?”

“By the pink covers or the title font or the cutesy girls on the front cover,” I replied.  “Oh” came his reply – which I understood to mean, “yeah, what boy wants to read a book with a pink cover?”

We both went to bed that evening wondering what books are there for boys?  And I mean really for boys – ones that seem real,  not cutesy.  Ones that are like the plethora of adult action, adventure books, yet toned down for young boys.  Perhaps our boys would have reading scores just as high as our girls, if we actually had books they wanted to read.

Hmmm, maybe a next book for me?!

Would love to hear your thoughts on boy readers and books for boys…

While I wrote my book for young children, ages 4-10, I am delighted with the warm reception my book is receiving from other audiences.

Many young women in high school are attracted to my book.  A high school counselor at an all-girl high school in Cincinnati, Ohio, added ABC’s to his career guidance booklist and we are all surprised by how many times the girls request to read and re-read ABC’s.

Adults, especially ones not related to the engineering field, as well have let me know how much they enjoy the book.  I’ve had a number of octogenarians comment that they learned something new from the book.  “I didn’t know that!” is a proclamation I hear often from adults!  And I love that!  I spent many research hours on my book and learned some very interesting things along the way.  I really wanted to include some of those interesting bits in my book and am so happy other adults are finding them interesting too!

Share with me – what surprising bit did you learn from my book?

With the end of the school year quickly approaching, Engineering the ABC’s makes a wonderful teacher or classroom gift.  And for a limited time, you can purchase personalized copies with FREE Shipping. Just click on either the title or the word “purchase” to reserve your copies today!

Some ways Engineering the ABC’s can be used in the elementary classroom are:

• Colorful, large pictures with independent blocks of text make the book a versatile read-aloud book for Preschool-3rd grade

• “Let’s Discover” math/history questions & cultural trivia bits extend the learning beyond English &Language Arts

• Math/History questions & cultural trivia bits offer text to self and text to world connections

• Wide range of topics makes ABC’s well suited for further reading and deeper research projects

• Powerful text to world/self connections when used in combination with hands-on engineering activities

I was not born an engineer, I was inspired – by a movie when I was 14.  I had not a trace  of consideration for engineering before seeing that movie.  I had 9 years of school and over 4500 days of living -plenty of opportunities to be inspired – before seeing that movie.

My 6 year old daughter was not born an engineer.  In fact, most people look at her older brother and say he has “engineer” written all over him.  My daughter is the creative one and my son is the analytical one, yet my daughter is inspired by our comments – “you are a very creative paper engineer.”

What are some ways you can inspire the engineer within your child?

Please share this post with the elementary educators you know and help empower them to try something new.

I’m pleased to announce a recent addition to my website with the NEW Educator’s Resource Center!

I have been and will continue compiling information helpful to teaching engineering in the elementary classroom with links for engineering related books, websites, videos and activities.  All my links are classroom budget and time friendly – I welcome you to visit my website today for innovative ideas for your elementary classroom!

In addition to the website, I also offer assistance through email/phone coaching as well as professional development seminars, tele-seminars and/or webinars.  Contact me today to help you on your way!

Photo courtesy of Society of Women Engineers

A few weeks ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Inkster Public Schools for their Literacy Night.  I was asked to say a few words and I ended my brief 5 minute speech with “Engineering is for Everybody and Anybody.”

After my speech, two 4th grade girls came over to see me.  They said “We liked what you said in your speech, your words were very inspiring.”

I replied enthusiastically, “you did?! I’m so happy!  Was there one part in particular that you liked the most?”

And one of the girls replied, “the part at the end where you said ‘Engineering is for everybody and anybody.’  Did you mean that?”

Deeply moved, I replied quietly, “oh yes!” and went on to show these some of the items engineers work on.

Six words – sometimes that’s all it takes to inspire a whole new path in a young person’s life.

How about you?  Were you aware that engineering is for everybody and anybody?

At the beginning of April, eSchoolNews.com featured an article I wrote in their online news service.  If you are an elementary teacher searching for simple ways to begin teaching engineering in your classroom, I encourage you to read on…

Engineering in your Lesson Plans

After you’re done reading the article, please leave me a comment on eSchool News or my blog – would love for you to share you thoughts, concerns, comments, etc.  If engineering in your elementary classroom is new to you, then let’s get the discussion going!

Yes, because of a blog entry.  I’ve been thinking about writing this post for some time, but wanted to be careful crafting my words.  I want my message to be heard and the title could cause some teachers to immediately dismiss anything more I have to say.

But this post needs to be written because teachers do have such a profound impact on their students.  And because they are such caring, nurturing humans.  And because they may actually want to hear what I have to say.  And because they may not realize the results of their subconscious actions.

I celebrate the elementary teacher who brings engineering into the elementary classroom.  However, I have observed many more elementary teachers shy away from bringing engineering into their classroom.  Why is that?  Especially when presented with a colorful book about engineering – reading the book and giving students ample opportunity to browse the book at their leisure sounds fairly easy to me.

I’ve observed many a teacher purchase armloads of children’s books – many with pink covers and cute little girls on the front or all types of animal books.  How many animal books does 1 classroom truly need?  What I did not see in these bagfuls were children’s engineering books.

Granted, there aren’t many elementary engineering books widely available, but these bags of books were being purchased at a Reading conference I attended this weekend where my children’s engineering book was available.

“Oh, just an author cranky about book sales,” you may dismiss, but for me it is about so much more than book sales.

For me, it is about creating awareness of the engineer’s impact on our everyday world.  For me, it is about starting very young creating that awareness.  For me, it is about working with elementary teachers to expand their classroom book collections – bringing the world to their students.

Bringing awareness of engineering into the elementary classroom can be achieved with fairly minimal effort, then why isn’t it happening more?