Using STEM storytimes to support family engagement in early years

Parental engagement is strongly linked to children’s attainment, particularly in literacy and can also support a settled start to education in Early years. This session will look at two different projects which included STEM storytimes. The first project is Me, You and Science, Too which was a collaboration between NUSTEM and a primary school (funded by SHINE), which developed 8 STEM activity sessions linked to storybooks. The second is Play, Be, C: a resource which supports inclusion of STEM careers in early years settings. There are 10 different STEM storytime sessions for Early Years Educators to use with families in their settings. The session will: •outline the two different projects •explain the principles behind the use of STEM story times and how they were designed by the NUSTEM team •share examples of the storybooks and linked activities Delegates will: •identify key logistical considerations when bringing families into their classroom •be able to use simple resources to support parental engagement in their setting