STEAM Matters aims to foster partnerships between educators, parents and learners in developing 21st century skills. STEAM Matters has been specially designed to stimulate creative and critical thinking skills, expose learners to real-world application, and to instil FUN! Each issue is packed with a broad variety of topics, striking images and stories, as well as interactive activities and quizzes!

Suitable for: Ages 9 -12

Issue 1: In this first ever issue of STEAM Matters: The Living Chronicles, we will explore four themes that connect us with the world. Did you know that there are animals that produce electricity? Set off on your journey of finding out more in The Most Shocking Animal as we show you how the diversity surrounding animals and electricity is instantly coupled with currents powering up everyday encounters; from something as simple as lighting up a room with a flashlight, to something as complex as lighting up the sky with lightning. Make a quick pit stop at our abundant forest, Meet the Titan Arum. Discover a range of interesting flowers found all around the world and what makes them so special. You will even get to see how plants have influenced the technology we use today. Continue your voyage through Polar Bears are Starving, as we investigate climate change and how it affects our furry friends, and other wildlife we share our planet with. Find out how the water cycle is altered by climate change, its impacts on the world, and what we can do to live more sustainably. Finally, join us in I Am Sophia, where we uncover exactly how different robots are from us. We will introduce you to the basics of artificial intelligence, machine learning, coding, and even programming! You will also get to try your hand at coding with a free online programme, Scratch!

Issue 2: Enjoyed the first issue of STEAM Matters? Delve right into our second instalment, The Magnetic Horizons as we dive deep into Earth’s core and discover how our planet’s magnetic field works. The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a technology that helps drivers all over the world to navigate around unfamiliar places. But how do dogs and some birds find their way back home? Find out more about their special magnetic sense called magnetoreception that acts like an in-built GPS in A Dog’s Way Home. Then, unearth metals not just beneath our planet but in our bodies too! Discover why iron is so important to us and how we can eat an iron-rich diet in Are We the Next Iron Man?

Journey forward on the renowned Maglev in The World’s Fastest Train, as we explore how scientists have used magnets to produce an efficient and environmentally friendly mode of transport. Experiment with your own version of the Maglev in our activity section! We conclude with a special feature on technological advancements. I am Watching You covers a range of fun facts, from facial recognition to unlocking your handphone with your fingerprint.

Issue 3: Stars seem to glow in the night sky but have you ever wondered how some animals manage to glow as well? Wonder no more, as STEAM Matters returns with The Twilight Zone! Delve into The Glowing Fireflies to be enlightened on bioluminescence, a natural phenomenon that occurs in some living organisms! Continue learning about the importance of light to us and our world in A Brighter Future, where natural processes such as photosynthesis have initiated technological advancements like solar panels.

Lighten things up in Colours of the Wind, where we discover how colours are formed through light. Learn a thing or two from rainbows and the different types of light there are, as we show you how to make your very own Spectrograph! Lastly, we look into The Future of Transport to find out more about teleportation and time travel. How exciting!

Issue 4: In this issue, STEAM Matters embarks on an evolutionary expedition – The Human Essence. We investigate the miracle of birth by hitching a ride on The Human Odyssey. Beginning from the zygote (fertilised egg), discover the various milestones in the development of a baby and go one step ahead, as we find out how technology can sometimes be of assistance too. The Dodo Bird that Disappeared digs up graves left behind by animals that have been long extinct, unravelling centuries old mysteries. But we will not just be looking back in time. Learn more about what is in store for us in the future as we talk about cloning and genetic engineering!

In the spirit of moving forward, we take on Space by going full throttle into the information highway of rockets, space shuttles, spacecrafts and many more. As residents of The Solar System’s only inhabitable planet, we take an in-depth look at how Earth was formed, interwoven with a multitude of possibilities; including taking a break from our planet and moving to the moon!