Pre-K students love wearing safety goggles
In 色窝窝无码一区二区三区鈥檚 pre-K, 4-year-olds are real scientists.
鈥淭hey especially like it when they wear safety goggles,鈥 said Vicky Miller, a pre-K teacher at Dunn Elementary. 鈥淭hey really feel like scientists then.鈥
They feel like it because it鈥檚 true.
Last year, 色窝窝无码一区二区三区 introduced a new innovative pre-K 4 curriculum that features STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and launches little learners on a journey of discovery.
So, what does STEM at the pre-K level look like?
Like an exploding snowman.
That was one of Miller鈥檚 class鈥檚 favorite STEM projects.
It鈥檚 a bag of baking soda. But then they poured vinegar on the baking soda, and it puffed up like a snowman.
鈥淭hey thought that was amazing,鈥 Miller said.
STEM in pre-K comes in a variety of ways, from exploding snowmen and other science experiments and observations in the school鈥檚 STEM labs 鈥 every 色窝窝无码一区二区三区 elementary school has two STEM labs 鈥 to STEM stations in the classroom and a big family project that the kids do with parents at home.
But it all fits squarely into the district鈥檚 play-based curriculum.
鈥淥ur pre-K curriculum allows preschool children many types of play throughout the day,鈥 early childhood director Dr. Jackeline Orsini said. 鈥淥ur daily lesson plans allow children to participate in physical, cognitive, language and social play through structured and non-structured activities.鈥
And STEM is now a big part of that.
STEM in pre-K isn鈥檛 just a list of activities done in a lab with safety glasses though.
It鈥檚 a philosophy about making the lessons relevant to the real-world. It鈥檚 about providing hands-on activities that let kids participate in their own learning. And it鈥檚 about integration. In other words, you don鈥檛 teach each concept in isolation. You combine them in activities that allow students to make real-world connections.
And they are all activities that feel like playing to a 4-year-old.
STEM activities involve touching things, experimenting and seeing how stuff works. They are purposefully designed to spark questions and curiosity and give kids the chance to pursue that curiosity and find answers to their own questions.
And it鈥檚 fun! It鈥檚 often messy fun that brings learning to life. It鈥檚 about exploring and trying new things. And fun is key in getting kids excited to learn.
鈥淎 lot of times we are exploring,鈥 Miller said.
Not as casual observers, she explained, but really studying things, like the properties of matter and chemical reactions.
STEM is incorporated into daily classroom activities, too, with STEM stations. Miller鈥檚 class has STEM buckets full of fun manipulatives like blocks, Legos, dominos, magnets and more. Students get to free-play with these, build, explore and imagine.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of their highlights,鈥 Miller said. 鈥淪ometimes they might rather do STEM buckets than go to recess!鈥
Come explore with us
If in pre-K sounds a little daunting for your future student, don鈥檛 worry. If they love to play with LEGOs, Play-Doh, build things (or take things apart), and have a natural curiosity about everything, they will love STEM.
Plus, it鈥檚 free! 色窝窝无码一区二区三区鈥檚 pre-K for 4-year-olds is open to everyone at no cost. Registration is open online now. Visit聽aisd.net/prek聽to learn more and register.