College of Education duo celebrate the hand-brain connection with new book teaching STEAM crafts

Christine Schnittka’s passion for creating ultimately led her to write her first book. 

“If it can be made, I’ve probably made it,” said Schnittka, the Emily R. and Gerald S. Leischuck Professor for Critical Needs in Education and science education professor in Auburn’s College of Education. 

Her new book, Teaching STEAM Through Hands-on Crafts, is designed to help teachers, parents, home-school families, summer camp instructors and more in teaching Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) through a hands-on approach.

“The hand-brain connection is so uniquely human,” Schnittka said. “Children naturally seek experiences with their bodies and especially their hands. When learning science or history, it helps greatly to have a context, and the context of a hands-on craft is perfect for engaging learners and allowing them to see the science and history come alive right before their eyes, in their very hands.” 

The idea of the book began after Schnittka was awarded professional improvement leave in 2020. She used the time to interview craftspeople nationwide to plan a class she taught in spring 2022 called The Science of Crafts. 

“The materials developed for that class eventually inspired me to write the book and share all that I had learned with others,” she said. 

When her book proposal was accepted, she invited her former student, Amanda Haynes, to work on the project. Haynes was a student of Schnittka’s while pursuing her undergraduate degree and Master of Education in science education. Haynes is currently a middle school STEM teacher in Madison, Alabama.

During the research process, Schnittka interviewed various crafters, including a soap maker, a paper maker, several weavers and spinners, a quilter, a potter, a dyer, a bookbinder, some candle makers, a leather worker, and even a professional bread baker. She then purchased the materials she would need and set to work on establishing the crafts for her book.

“I cooked soap over an open fire; I pounded fibers with a mallet for hours to make paper; I boiled barks and leaves and even grew indigo in my backyard to make natural dyes,” Schnittka said. “Books were checked out from libraries and purchased from bookstores to help me delve into all the science going on in these processes. Then, taking advantage of all my years as a middle school STEM teacher, I created detailed lessons that could be used by teachers, parents, and others.”

The instructions for each craft were refined as they were tested with community groups, friends and family, afterschool groups, and more. Haynes even tried out the crafts in her classroom with her students. 

“I have witnessed how craft-making in my own classroom can inspire new interests and hobbies,” Haynes said. “Students who struggle to get started wind up being the ones who push through the challenging parts and inevitably come back to school the following day with smiles on their faces ready to show me how they overcame the difficulties and now they have mastered a new skill and want to invest in a new hobby.”

In each chapter of the book, the science content is divided into “the basics” and “the details” so “the basics” can be used to teach elementary children, and more details can be added for middle school lessons. Each activity’s instructions include recommendations for adjusting the difficulty according to the participating grade level, and a vast array of teacher materials are available on the book’s website. 

 Schnittka’s and Haynes’ book is available for purchase online.