FOR the love for chemistry and motherhood, chemist Daynia Lawrence recently published her very first children’s storybook, The Chemistry Crew and the Missing River, just in time for Christmas. Created to engage young minds from their early childhood years, the book presents chemistry concepts in age-appropriate explanations and illustrations.

The Christmas season is often described as the most wonderful time of the year, and it can be truly magical, especially for children. However, it can also be costly and exhausting as many parents struggle to select the ideal gifts for their kids, which can lead to overspending or last-minute franticness.

Commenting on great gift ideas for kids that help with knowledge development, the mom of two shared, “You want to give a gift that is fun, engaging, cost-effective and lasting. My book achieves this; as even next year this time and in years to come, you can read the same story to your child and they will still find it entertaining. I understand that everyone’s situation is different but generally speaking, I completely support gift-giving for kids during Christmas, especially thoughtful gifts. I’m hoping to continue my tradition where I gift my children, nieces, nephew, and my friends’ children for Christmas, and oftentimes these include books and anything else that supports their interest or talent.”

The storyline of The Chemistry Crew features three friends who love to help the community and are fascinated by learning chemistry. Lora the cow is a scientist; Danny the dog is a photographer; and Mari the frog is an engineer. In the book, Lora, Danny and Mari decided to go to the river to hang out, take some pictures and do some investigations. Upon arrival they notice that the water in the river was missing. So the chemistry crew teams up to try and refill the river with water, but time is against them because the fishes need water to breathe.

In many instances, children aren’t exposed to the concepts of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) until their teenage years or older. However, exposing young minds as early as possible is essential.

“Exposure to STEM/STEAM subjects early on is incredibly advantageous as it encourages creativity and critical thinking. It is best to introduce STEM/STEAM to these young minds early on, especially in an exciting manner like my book does,” Lawrence said.

“A child’s physical and cognitive growth is one of the parenting issues that take on a lot of significance. There are critical times when important developmental milestones are attained, even though no two children develop at the same time frame.

The earliest age of a child’s life is among the most important in terms of development and learning. Children’s growth throughout these years is vital in many ways to their health, happiness, and overall course of their life. Fortunately, there are many things parents may do to support the development of their child,” she continued.

Young children that are exposed to STEM fields thrive academically and acquire early thinking and reasoning abilities. Children learn practical skills that help them become better problem solvers and learners while they study STEM subjects. Therefore, it’s not too early to encourage children’s tremendous intrinsic interest and inquisitiveness.