STEM Tuesday

STEM Tuesday — Spiders– Author Interview
October 27, 2026 by STEM Tuesday

Welcome to October’s STEM Tuesday author interview! This is where you get a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to research and write a STEM book. This week we’re chatting with Penny Parker Klostermann, author of several books including The Spider Lady: Nan Songer and Her Arachnid WWII Army, illustrated by Anne Lambelet. Andi Diehn: I had no idea that spider silk was used for scopes! How did you come across this fact? How did it lead to a full book? Penny Parker Klostermann: For years I visited a website named Wonderopolis (ed note: sadly, Wonderopolis shit down in July 2025). Each day there was a kid’s question or “Wonder of the Day.” It was a great way to learn a little bit about a variety of topics. One particular day, the question was, “How did spiders help the Allies win World War II?” That caught my attention! The article explained that spider silk was used as crosshairs in...
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STEM Tuesday — Spiders– Writing Tips and Resources
October 20, 2026 by STEM Tuesday

Finding a way into a challenging topic: Writing about something scary “Look, there’s a spider!”If someone says that to you, would you jump away? Or lean in closer? Spiders elicit widely varying emotional responses—appealing to some and appalling others—which makes writing about them a fascinating task. With such wide-ranging reactions, how do you reach readers to teach them about these marvellous creatures without scaring them away? Here are some tried and true tricks: Believe it or not, you can apply these questions to your nonfiction writing and research. Let’s take a look at these examples that are as different as they are similar. Jumper: A Day in the Life of a Backyard Jumping Spiderby Jessica Lanan (Roaring Brook Press, 2023) This story uses two key tactics to engage readers. First, it elicits curiosity and empathy by asking “What if?” questions to help readers imagine being a spider and how their...
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STEM Tuesday — Spiders– In the Classroom
October 13, 2026 by STEM Tuesday

I read the following books from this month’s list as the basis of the activities below. The Spider Lady: Nan Songer and Her Arachnid World War II Army by Penny Parker Klostermann, illustrated by Anne Lambelet Have you ever heard of the woman who harvested spider silk to help U.S. efforts during WWII? I hadn’t until I read The Spider Lady. This book explores how Nan Songer developed a fascination of spiders. It then follows her path to delivering spider silk that was used for the crosshairs in many different military devices. The Secret World of Spiderwebs by Jan Beccaloni, illustrated by Namasri Niumim To learn how different spiders use webs, read The Secret World of Spiderwebs. Using impressive illustrations, this book provides detailed descriptions of how spiders spin their webs. This includes both the architecture of the various webs and the biomechanics needed to spin them. The spiders...
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STEM Tuesday — Spiders– Book List
October 6, 2026 by STEM Tuesday

It doesn’t matter where you are, inside or outside, there’s a good chance that a spider is watching you! Unless you are in Antarctica. For the most part, those spiders are perfectly content to go about their day eating garden pests and leaving cobwebby silk strands in the corner of your bathroom. But somehow, spiders get a “spooky” reputation. So, let’s take a closer look at them! Spi-ku: A Clutter of Short Verse on Eight Legs by Leslie Bulion From leafy treetop to forest floor, this book introduces readers to happy spiders, diving spiders, social spiders, and more. Each spread features poems and information about how they kill and digest their prey, engage in foolery – and even how they become prey themselves. Back matter includes hands-on spider activities and how to write your own spider poems. Jumping Spiders (Creepy Crawlers in Action: Augmented Reality...
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