Review of Ethan's STEM Adventures: I Can Be a Scientist! by Louis J. Desforges

 Welcome to the book tour for Ethan's Stem Adventures by Louis J. Desforges! Today I'm sharing with you an excerpt and my thoughts on the book. Then the author tells us about creating an environment that invites curiosity, which is something this educator loves! Be sure to also check out the rest of the tour and enter the great giveaway!

Like the infinite-shade of colors, the richness of life is enhanced by our natural inclination, as creative beings, to hold distinct perspectives on just about any subject. Collectively, however, I believe we all appreciate the profound significance of all the things that influenced and molded us from an early age—the moments and events that are weaved intricately into our memories.

Who amongst us cannot recall a story, no matter what artistic form used to bring it to life: a book, a show, a play, a comic, a song, a movie, or even a real-life character (that family member, teacher, coach, or friend) who shaped the lens with which we view the world then, now, and always.

For this very reason, I believe children should see themselves represented in all areas of human endeavors, cementing deep within their framework the possibilities that await, regardless of prevailing circumstances.

My hope is to bridge the diversity gap in STEM by creating excitement around Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math through diverse representation.

"I see me, therefore I can be."

So it remains, like the infinite shades of color, the richness of life is enhanced by the stories and experiences that holds us.

-Louis J. Desforges

Read an excerpt:

Of all the paths I can explore,
Of all the subjects I adore,
The world of science excites me more.
Science helps us see
What was, what is, and what can be
You’ll get a million questions from me!
I observe, I explore…
I’ll get to the core, that’s for sure.
What will I find...maybe a cure?
Or a giant fossil
Of a DINOSAUR!

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**My thoughts**

This is a fun book that I'd read with children kindergarten and above. Ethan's love of science and exploration really comes alive in all of the illustrations and help to clarify some of the ideas in his rhyming prose. The world of science is much more vast than we sometimes realize, and Ethan pretty much covers them all. It's a great way to start a conversation with kids about what they can explore and learn. Read it at home or put it in the classroom library to invite questions and curiosity.

Thank you to the publisher and Goddess Fish for a requested review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Creating an Environment That Invites Curiosity

I wrote this book not from the perspective of an educator or a child psychologist, as I have no relevant credentials to speak of. But rather I wrote it from the perspective of a parent—a parent wishing to instigate in my son a curiosity for the way the world works, both in STEM and in the nuanced interplay of creativity, trial and error, experience, failure, and ultimately success.

I believe my lived experience as a child affords me at least a partially qualified opinion of how to foster a nutritious environment for the growth of ideas and possibilities. And so, for both my writing and my parenting, it is this inner child I draw upon, to guide my thoughts, words, and my actions so that I can sow small seeds of creative possibility.

Of course, if we are to achieve this ideal as parents, then we need to have actionable steps to take, to champion our children in their pursuit of knowledge and fulfillment.

Suspend judgment

I believe a fundamental practice, albeit extremely difficult, is to try to suspend judgment of our children: of their thoughts, their ideas, and their actions. We, ourselves, come with a set of preconceived ideas of how things should be based upon our own upbringing. However, it is imperative we learn to temper this (except where safety is concerned!) to truly allow them space to foster their own imaginations. And of course, this requires monk-level patience and self-control!

Create space for imperfection

We all know the common mantra “no one is perfect.” However, I believe we still intrinsically expect exactly that of ourselves and our children. And so we want our environments to be perfect (read: our messy lounges that are testament to the existence of happy children), our actions, our thoughts, our parenting, and ultimately our children. However, this simply cannot be, and in fact, is mutually exclusive to learning and creating. We, and our children, must fail to succeed.

And so for us, the action here is to make peace with the “messy,” the “imperfect,” and the “failures.” Because therein lies the key to true deep learning and boundless innovation.

Paint your children’s experiences with diversity

It is natural for humans to gravitate towards the familiar and the easy. After all, this is where our comfort zone keeps us well-insulated from anything remotely “threatening.” And we do this especially when we are tired or busy as the familiar is quicker and easier in the moment. However, I believe it is our duty to instill in our children a love of diversity, a curiosity of the differing minds and thoughts of people around them, and a healthy fascination with cultures and beliefs that contrast with their own.

To do this, we must take the time to study the different cultures that comprise our neighborhoods and our world for ourselves, in order to teach them to our kids. And perhaps the first and most important part of this is teaching them to ask respectful questions and to seek answers in a non-judgmental fashion, so that they may gain an understanding of the beautiful diversity of humans.

I really believe changing the world as we know it starts with changing ourselves and how we parent, what environments we create to support unhindered growth and realization of dreams, and what snippets of humanity we impart to our children in the form of curiosity, imagination, love, respect, and confidence. If we sow these little seeds now, who knows what the resulting forest will look like in its time.

Having endless curiosity, Louis has always been enthralled by the inner workings of everything around him.

With a natural and insatiable drive to build, explore, and understand, one of his fondest childhood memories is harvesting toasters, microwaves, TVs, and other discarded electronics in his Brooklyn neighborhood so he could take apart and rebuild them, or scavenge parts to build his own remote-controlled cars or planes.

He is the first to admit that nothing ever worked as intended, or at all, for that matter, but that never really mattered to him. As long as he was dissecting, constructing, exploring and learning, his cup was always full.

Today, his tinkering looks very different. Louis spends countless hours building and rebuilding Lego sets with his four-year-old son.

With any free time left after work and family life (usually late at night), you can find Louis in his workshop (any available free space with a flat surface) writing, painting, sculpting or toiling over his photography; nonetheless, his deep love for STEM remains, and at its core feeds his endless curiosity and desire to understand the inner workings of everything.

CONNECT WITH LOUIS

WEBSITE: https://louisdesforgesbooks.com/

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/louisdesforgesbooks/

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21739120.Louis_Desforges

Louis J. Desforges will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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