This year’s summer reading theme is science, and YALSA (the Young Adult Library Services Association) has a convenient resource to help you plan science-related teen programming! The YALSA STEM task force has prepared a STEM programming toolkit to help you “Spark a Reaction” with your teens. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math, so it’s a perfect fit for this year’s summer reading theme.
The toolkit walks you through the entire process, including information on getting started, building partnerships, marketing and promotion, and best practices, as well as providing sample programs, ideas, and additional resources. Since teens are a difficult demographic to target, and you may not have a staff member dedicated to teen programming, they also include suggestions for stealth programming.
If you’re looking for book suggestions, YALSA offers a STEM Reads for Teens brochure, and CSLP (the Collaborative Summer Library Program) has a “Spark a Reaction” bibliography available.
What kind of STEM programming are you preparing for teens this summer? Share your ideas in the comments!