Hands-on STEAM program for Maui keiki expands with new funding

By University of Hawaiʻi News

A hands-on learning initiative designed to introduce Hawaiʻi preschool keiki and their ʻohana to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, agriculture and mathematics) concepts is expanding, thanks to funding from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.

The S.T.E.A.M. on the Bookshelf program, developed in collaboration with UH Mānoa’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience (CTAHR) Cooperative Extension faculty with initial funding from the Maui County Department of Agriculture, has already engaged over 200 ʻohana on Maui. Designed to support parent-child learning, the program provides preschoolers with themed books, interactive activities and family workbooks aimed at making STEAMcurriculum accessible in a home-based setting.

“Parents state that their children love completing the learning activities and often request the books as bedtime stories,” UH Mānoa Department of Physics and Astronomy Instructor Chad Junkermeier said. “We’ve heard from parents that were in the program that their children are now reading the books to younger siblings.”

Bringing learning home

The initiative builds on an idea first proposed nearly 15 years ago by Heather Greenwood, a UH CTAHR associate extension agent based on Maui. Recognizing that many Head Start ʻohana struggled to attend evening financial and nutrition training sessions, she helped develop a model where young children brought home books and activities covering these topics, effectively engaging parents through their children’s learning experiences. This project built on the initial model, enhancing it to incorporate more parent-child interaction and hands-on learning.

The initial age-appropriate physics and engineering curriculum was piloted with UH Maui College Nā Pua Noʻeau families and UH Maui College faculty and staff in 2021. With additional funding from the Maui County Department of Agriculture in 2023–24, the project expanded to include an agriculture and gardening curriculum, reaching 213 ʻohana across 15 preschool classrooms that school year.

Of the physics and engineering curriculum, one of the preschool parents stated, “They are learning advanced concepts in an easy to [understand] format.”

With support from UH Mānoa’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program’s Mentoring Grant, two undergraduate students will work with the team to refine and expand the physics and engineering curriculum into three tracks: physics, astronomy and engineering. The funding, totaling $10,000, will allow the team to develop engaging learning activities tailored for young children.

As the program grows, efforts are also underway to incorporate new subject areas. UH Mānoa School of Life Sciences Associate Professor Sladjana Prišić has joined the project to develop a microbiology curriculum, further broadening the educational scope of S.T.E.A.M. on the Bookshelf.

The program’s success is gaining academic recognition, with its first peer-reviewed manuscript recently accepted for publication in the Journal of Extension. The study highlights the effectiveness of the home-based model in fostering early STEAM learning and strengthening family engagement.

The Department of Physics and Astronomy and the School of Life Sciences are housed in UH Mānoa’s College of Natural Sciences.