Project History

The original concept for this project emerged from a discussion between Heather Greenwood, a UHM CTAHR Extension Associate Agent, and Maui Head Start administrators approximately 15 years ago. Head Start observed that their families were expected to participate in evening financial and nutrition training sessions, but few did so. Inspired by this observation, Heather proposed an alternative approach: a program where students would take home children’s books about finances, nutrition, and activity books. This way, parents could learn these topics alongside their children. When implementing this program years ago, many families actively participated in the learning activities, enabling them to acquire the knowledge they would have gained in the evening classes.

While at UH Maui College, Chad Junkermeier, a UHM Physics Instructor, began developing what would eventually become the Physics & Engineering curriculum in S.T.E.A.M. on the Bookshelf. Initially, the program was created and piloted with funding provided by Chancellor Lui Hokoana. He piloted the original materials with families from UHMC Nā Pua No’eau and faculty and staff members in the summer of 2022. The families were delighted with the materials and were astounded by their children’s ability to comprehend complex concepts.

In 2023, Heather Greenwood received funding from the Maui County Department of Agriculture to create S.T.E.A.M. on the Bookshelf. This funding enabled her to modify the Physics & Engineering curriculum and develop the Agriculture & Gardening curriculum.

We piloted both curricula with 213 families in 15 preschool classrooms during the 2023-2024 school year. The families were amazed that their children could comprehend the concepts, and the parents felt more confident in discussing them. 

The team has sought faculty members with other areas of expertise. One such faculty member, Prof. Sladjana Prisic, a microbiologist in the School of Life Sciences, is interested in developing a microbiology curriculum to be integrated into S.T.E.A.M. on the Bookshelf.

During the summer of 2025, the UHM UROP program will fund two undergraduate students to develop an expansion of the Physics & Engineering curriculum into three separate curricula: Physics, Astronomy, and Engineering. The students will gain insights into education research in teaching young children science. They will also be responsible for choosing some of the books that will be used in the curriculum and developing learning activities, such as experiments, art projects, and games, that children can engage in with their families.