STEM Resources: Computational Thinking/Inquiry (Coding, Robotics)

Presents and illustrates a way to scale down concepts, including space, time, inventions, resources, humanity, and more.

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Can you imagine a world without numbers?

Over the centuries, people have conceived clever ways to use numbers so that we can understand the world around us better, build cities, find our way home, and much more. In Great Numbers tells the story of this groundbreaking invention.

Numbers are so important in our daily lives. How else would we ask for three scoops of ice cream? Or know whether we’ve got 60 minutes left to play with our friends rather than 60 seconds? Why does a minute have 60 seconds anyway and not 100? Where does zero come from and what language do computers understand?

Numbers are everywhere! In Great Numbers will introduce children to the fascinating world of numbers and explains how they help us in our daily life. - Goodreads

Rafael has looked forward to the Going Places contest and builds his go-cart from a kit in record time, but his neighbor, Maya, has a much more interesting and creative idea for her entry and Rafael decides to help.

A little girl has a wonderful idea. With the help of her canine assistant, she is going to make the most magnificent thing! She knows just how it will look. She knows just how it will work. But making the most magnificent thing turns out to be harder than she thinks.

Esther the fairy doesn't believe in magic. But fairies are all about magic, despite Esther's best efforts to reveal the science of their world. No matter how she and her bird, Albert, explain that rainbows are refracted light rather than a path to gold, or that mist is water evaporating rather than an evil omen, or the importance of the scientific method, her fairymates would rather just do magic. So when the other fairies' solution to helping a dying tree is to do a mystical moonlight dance, Esther decides to take it upon herself to resuscitate the tree . . . with the scientific method, some hypothesizing, a few experiments and the heady conclusion that trees need sunlight to live! But while Esther manages to save the tree, she can't quite change the minds of her misguided fairymates . . . or can she?

Fairy Science, the first in a hilarious new picture book series, introduces a charming, determined heroine as she learns about the world and celebrates the joys of curiosity and exploring science.- Goodreads

This is the story of one brilliant idea and the child who helps bring it into the world.

George's little brothers are real pests and with the help of a cardboard box, George soon manages his escape.

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In Ruby's world anything is possible if you put your mind to it, even fixing her father's broken computer! Join Ruby and her new friend, Mouse, on an imaginative journey through the insides of a computer in search of the missing Cursor. Includes twenty-five activities that introduce computer programming.

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"In Ruby's world anything is possible if you put your mind to it, even building the Internet out of snow! ... Join Ruby and her friends in their quest to build the most amazing Snow Internet ever, while learning real-life facts along the way. Then future kid coders can put their knowledge and imaginations to the test with the fun and creative exercises included in the activity book section"--Back cover.

An introduction to coding, with information on the Internet, computer languages, gaming, and other related topics.

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"Meet Ruby--a small girl with a huge imagination. In Ruby's world, anything is possible if you set your mind to it. As Ruby embarks on her adventure, kids will be introduced through storytelling to the basic concepts of coding"--Back cover

Provides step-by-step instructions for coding projects using Scratch.

A step-by-step guide to writing code in the programming language Python that features projects for graphics, apps, games, and more.

Presents an introduction to the Python programming language with illustrated steps for creating games, including puzzles, quizzes, and strategy games

"Introduces coding using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, providing step-by-step instructions for creating a website and adding photos, embedding videos, and using file transfer programs"--OCLC.

Text and illustrations present a handbook to the video game Minecraft.

A handbook to the video game Minecraft, discussing how to find resources, make a shelter, craft tools and weapons, and protect yourself from monsters, and featuring tips from Minecraft experts.

From the computer science nonprofit Girls Who Code comes this lively and funny story introducing kids to computer coding concepts.

Pearl and her trusty rust-proof robot, Pascal, need to build a sandcastle before summer vacation is over, and they’re going to do it using code. Pearl breaks the big we-need-a-sandcastle problem into smaller steps, then uses conditionals, loops, and other basic coding concepts to tell Pascal exactly what to do. But building a sandcastle isn’t as easy as it sounds when surfboards, mischievous dogs, and coding mishaps get in the way! Just when it looks like the sandcastle might never work, Pearl uses her coding skills to save the day and create something even better: a gorgeous sandcastle kingdom! - Goodreads

Pearl and her trusty robot, Pascal, are in for a treat: a day at the amusement park! They’re excited to play games, eat ice cream, and, of course, ride all the rollercoasters. There’s just one problem: the Python Coaster, the biggest and best ride in the park, also has the longest line. Can Pearl and Pascal use CODE to help them get a seat on the giant coaster? By mastering the use of variables, sequences, loops, conditionals, and more, this duo just might get the ride of their dreams—while having the time of their lives. - Goodreads

Presents a history and description of computer programming, or coding, noting such figures as Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace, and provides a parent guide, tips, and a quiz.

"A collection of simple hands-on activities for young readers related to robots, robotics, coding, and artificial intelligence. Activities included range from building very simpler robots using common household items, to how to create code to make robots learn and perform basic tasks. Also includes a glossary of key terms"--OCLC.

Explores the history of robots, both in science fiction and in science and technology, robot construction, how they are being used in the human body, and other scientific uses of robotic technology.

Charlotte has a talent for anything technological, so when she receives a doll as a present, she upgrades it with a few spare parts and some code to create a new and improved friend.

"Presents the history of robotics, from the world's earliest mechanized robots to modern machines used in the home, in the military, and in space exploration"--OCLC.