Making and Tinkering with STEM: Teacher Workshop
Nurturing the Inventors, Scientists, and Problem-Solvers of Tomorrow! Join us for an inspiring full-day professional learning experience focused on Making and Tinkering in PreK–3rd grade classrooms.
July 22 at 8:30 am – 3:30 pm
Full Day Summer STEM Bootcamp
Join us for an inspiring full-day professional learning experience focused on Making and Tinkering in PreK–3rd grade classrooms. Led by Cate Heroman, nationally recognized educator and author of Making and Tinkering with STEM, along with Paige Zittrauer, Master Instructor at the LSU Laboratory School, this workshop will engage participants in playful, inquiry-based design challenges that foster learning across developmental domains while encouraging children to think like innovators and problem-solvers. Through hands-on experiences connecting science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics, participants will explore meaningful making and tinkering practices for PreK–3rd grade classrooms.
The session will highlight practical strategies for integrating early STEM concepts into everyday activities through high-tech, low-tech, and no-tech experiences that promote collaboration, communication, creativity, innovation, and problem-solving. Educators will also participate in design challenges inspired by children’s literature—all while having fun!
Workshop Highlights
- Interactive learning experiences
- Collaborative exploration
- Strategies for practical classroom application and curriculum integration
- Connections to Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) and learning standards
- Support for fostering creativity, curiosity, communication, and problem-solving skills
Who: Educators working with children in PreK through 3rd Grade
What: Full-day Summer STEM Bootcamp
When: Wednesday, July 22, 2026, 8:30-3:30|
Where: Greenwell Springs Regional Branch Library
11300 Greenwell Springs Road, Baton Rouge, LA
Cost: $150 includes:
- A signed copy of Making and Tinkering with STEM, Second Edition
- One general admission ticket to Knock Knock Children’s Museum
- Continental breakfast
- Boxed lunch
Your Presenters
Cate Heroman is a nationally recognized leader in early childhood STEM education and the author of Making and Tinkering with STEM. With decades of experience as a teacher, consultant, author, and founder of Knock Knock Children’s Museum, Cate is known for helping educators translate research into practical, developmentally appropriate STEM experiences that truly engage young children. Her work focuses on integrating making, tinkering, engineering, literacy, creativity, and problem-solving into everyday classroom learning using affordable, accessible materials. Teachers and administrators value her ability to provide inspiring, real-world strategies that support hands-on learning, collaboration, critical thinking, and joyful engagement in PreK-3 classrooms.
Paige Zittrauer is a highly respected early childhood educator and Master Instructor at the Louisiana State University Laboratory School with more than 22 years of classroom experience in Kindergarten through 3rd grade. Known for her engaging, inquiry-based approach to teaching, Paige helps educators create meaningful STEM experiences that promote creativity, collaboration, literacy, and problem-solving in young learners. Through her leadership in professional development initiatives, including work with Knock Knock Children’s Museum and the Making Spaces Initiative, she supports teachers in implementing practical, research-based strategies that strengthen student engagement and bring hands-on STEM learning to life in early childhood classrooms.
