What is STEM Learning in Early Childhood?

The term STEM learning has been a focus of discussion among educators, and schools across the country have found opportunities to incorporate STEM’s emphasis on hands-on experimentation and exploration into their curricula. There is a broad understanding that incorporating STEM into your curriculum will help set children up for success in elementary school, high school and into adulthood. But what does STEM learning look like in the early learning environment?

What is STEM?

According to Live Science, “STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines — science, technology, engineering, and mathematics — in an interdisciplinary and applied approach. Rather than teach the four disciplines as separate and discrete subjects, STEM integrates them into a cohesive learning paradigm based on real-world applications.” This means that instead of simply teaching each of these subjects to students, lessons are based on children’s own inquiries, similar to the way that we problem-solve in our daily lives.

STEM encourages curiosity and hands-on learning, forming the foundation for skills that children will be able to apply in the real world.

STEM vs. STEAM

The term STEAM adds an additional component, the arts, to STEM learning. Edweek explains that the arts are a way to explore “more diverse learning opportunities and greater access to STEM for all types of learners.”

As educators, we seek to take a “whole child” approach to teaching and learning, including providing children with opportunities to express their creativity. We can incorporate the arts into STEM projects by allowing children to innovate by using  their right-brain artistic creativity in design and planning.

STEM in the Classroom

If you are interested in incorporating STEM activities into your classroom, view our list below for some fun and easy ideas to get started:

• Lemon Volcanoes: Ana of Babble Dabble Do shares how to use a lemon, baking soda, food coloring, and a few other ingredients to make a colorful, fragrant volcano! While the preparation of the lemon will need to be done by an adult, children will be able to help create the volcanic eruption.
• Egg Geodes: Rachelle of Tinkerlab shares that geodes can be made with  eggs, salt, and borax. This project will continue over the course of about 5 days, as children observe and discuss the changes that occur each day.
• Magic Milk: Click here to view a video that shows how Michelle of Crafty Morning uses milk, food coloring, and a q-tip dipped in dish soap to create a colorful work of art.

Another great way to start encouraging children to think about STEM ideas and concepts is to introduce some of these ideas through stories and books. Some of our favorites are listed below:

Rosie Revere, Engineer: This book is a great read for young scientists in preschool and pre-k. If you enjoy this story, you might also enjoy some of the other books in this series, including Ada Twist, Scientist and Iggy Peck, Architect. A free animated read-aloud of Rosie Revere, Engineer is available on Youtube.

What do you do with an Idea? This book’s inspiring story tells about a child who brings an idea into the world. This story about facing challenging problems and finding confidence in our ideas will be enjoyed by children in preschool and pre-k.  You can find a free video read-aloud of What do You do with an Idea? here. 

Pantone Colors: This colorful book provides a way to incorporate art into your STEM curriculum. The book explores the many shades of basic colors, and is available in a board book, so it is a great read for toddlers and young preschoolers.

The Most Magnificent Thing: A story about creativity and perseverance, this story will be enjoyed by preschoolers and might even inspire them to make something magnificent of their own! Click here for a free read-aloud of this cute story.

For more STEM and STEAM ideas, visit Good2Know Network’s Pinterest!