Steam in preschool: Why You Need to Plan STEAM Activities for Preschool

Why You Need to Plan STEAM Activities for Preschool

STEAM become a hot topic in the world of education and in the business community, but what does STEAM have to do with your preschooler? What does STEAM mean and why is it important to plan STEAM activities for preschool?

What is STEAM?

STEAM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, art, and math, and all of these are important to include in a preschooler’s education. In some ways they seem developmentally inappropriate, but be assured, they certainly are. Young children, even as young as toddlers, not only have a natural curiosity for STEAM activities, but they are also good at them too! This is because STEAM activities encourage and challenge a preschooler’s natural sense of curiosity.

Preschoolers need time and exposure to science, technology, engineering, art, and math to develop a strong foundation for future learning by exploring STEAM skills and concepts through play and discussion. And then applying those skills through more play.

What’s the Difference Between STEM and STEAM?

Simply put, art. STEM activities omit the art component, thus making the acronym STEM instead of STEAM?

In 2011, President Obama called on all United States educators to ramp up their teaching game in reference to STEM related learning in the classroom. Referring to it as “…our generation’s Sputnik moment,” it was driven by the hopes that increased STEM activities would make the United States more competitive in the everlasting battle of science and technological innovation with other countries.

Only a few short years later, John Maeda, former president of the Rhode Island School of Design, spearheaded a movement to include art in STEM by arguing that innovation will not and cannot happen without design thinking and creativity. Adding the arts transformed STEM into STEAM. (Source)

This addition has been advantageous, especially when considering the benefits of art for young children and preschoolers.

Important Facts About Preschool STEAM Education

STEAM activities encourage important learning characteristics and qualities for preschoolers.

• Science requires preschoolers to not only answer but also to ask questions. Science powers curiosity, investigation, and problem solving, often involving experimentation and exploration.
• Technology refers to applying the scientific knowledge a preschooler gains. They do this by using the most basic tools like crayons and rulers, as well as more complex technological inventions like microscopes and computers.
• Engineering activities in preschool are concerned with the design and building. It is testing structures and designs, as well as discovering and testing posisble solutions.
• Art encourages creativity and process development, as well as allows children to illustrate concepts they are learning.
• Mathematics isn’t limited to just number sense for preschoolers. It also includes the ability to see and create patterns, shapes, as well as organizational skills like graphing and sorting.

STEAM Activities for Preschool

There are so many amazing STEAM activities that are absolutely appropriate for preschoolers. Check out these ideas:

Science, Technology and Engineering Activities for Preschoolers

Art Activities for Preschoolers

Math Activities for Preschoolers

Why should young children learn STEAM subjects?

STEAM isn’t just the next buzz word in early childhood education. It’s a term that will stay, as our modern world requires the general population to know more in the STEAM fields.

And STEAM teaches children skills that are not related to core content, such as working with others, perseverance and diligence, creativity, and ingenuity.

What you should know about STEAM skills:

They can be learned. 

Children have the ability to learn foundational concepts in these subjects even as preschoolers. Developmentally appropriate in science, engineering, technology, art and math nurture STEAM skills and concepts early on. They should be built upon through ongoing opportunities within guided play and small group instructon.

They are useful. 

Perhaps one of the most beneficial aspects of STEAM education for preschoolers is that the skills learned in STEAM activities are cross-curricular. This means that they are transferable and useful across multiple content areas and many aspects of their lives. For example, process skills, whether learned in art, science or math, are basic skills that can be used in any subject area and in everyday life.

They are in increasingly high demand.

Jobs in STEAM are already in high demand, so imagine what options your preschoolers will have in 14 years when they become adults. As STEM professional fields continue to advance and. develop, so does the need to teach young children through STEAM activities. One thing is certain, skills in science, technology, engineering, and math will be increasingly important.

What are some of your favorite STEAM activities for preschool?

Understanding STEM in Preschool Classrooms – Primrose Schools

Lately, everyone seems to be talking about STEM. It’s a hot topic in the world of education and in the business community, but what does STEM have to do with your preschooler?

What is STEM?

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. You may think some of these subjects seem lofty for young children to grasp. In some ways, that’s true. Young children may not be ready to understand multiplication or how computers work. But, they can build a strong foundation for future learning by exploring STEM preschool skills and concepts through play and discussion, then applying those skills through more play.

For young children:

• Science encourages investigation and answering questions, often involving experimentation.
• Technology refers to using simple tools like crayons and rulers, as well as more complex ones like microscopes and computers.
• Engineering refers to recognizing problems and testing solutions.
• Mathematics deals with numbers, but also patterns, shapes, organizational skills and much more.

Why should young children learn STEM subjects?

They can be learned. Children have the ability to learn foundational concepts in these subjects at a young age. Preschools and other child care providers should nurture STEM skills and concepts early on and build on them through ongoing opportunities for play and discussion.

They are useful. The skills children learn when engaging with STEM concepts in preschool are transferable and useful across many aspects of their lives. For example, process skills, which include making observations, hypothesizing and critical thinking, are basic skills for math and science but are also valuable skills for learning any subject.

They are in demand. Have you ever thought about what your child’s life might be like in 20 years? In some ways it is hard to imagine what career options children might have as adults. One thing is certain;, skills in science, technology, engineering and math will be increasingly important. For early education providers like Primrose, part of our responsibility to children is preparing them for the realities they’ll face later in life.

What should STEM look like for young children?

An important part of our approach at Primrose is introducing children to the right activities at the right times. We introduce children to new skills and concepts when they are developmentally ready, making learning fun and natural.

Science, technology, engineering, and math are part of daily life. So, it makes sense that children should explore these subjects in an integrated way every day through books, discussions, experiments, art projects, educational games and more. This method is far more effective than limiting instruction of STEM subjects or any subject to only certain times of the day or week.

FIND A SCHOOL NEAR YOU

How can STEM be nurtured at home?

Look for ways STEM concepts arise in everyday life and point them out to your child. Talk about how the seasons change while walking outdoors, where fruits and vegetables come from while grocery shopping, or the different colors that make up pictures in a book you read together. Asking questions is a great way to encourage foundational STEM skills. “Why do you think…?” questions spark investigation and critical thinking, which are both crucial in grasping each element of STEM. Fostering creativity through art or experimenting with fun science activities for children are great ways to incorporate STEM learning at home.

STEM Boat Race Activity (Ages 3 and up)

You also can encourage STEM learning through exploratory play at home! Children can channel their inner engineer with the boat race Home Learning Fun activity below.

Materials Needed

• Cork
• Aluminum foil
• Tape (different types)
• Craft sticks
• Plastic straws
• Empty plastic yogurt cups and water bottles
• Old swim noodle
• Other recyclables

Instructions

• Work together as a family to gather recyclable materials like those listed above and design and build a few small boats out of the recyclables. It is also important to think about where you might host your boat race — kitchen sink, pan full of water, bath tub at bath time, etc.
• Think about which items may float, what you may need to hold the boat(s) together, etc. Ask questions of each other to make your material selections.
• Once the boats are built, have each family member, place the boats in a tub or pan full of water. Have them blow ‘wind’ toward the boats to see how fast the creations travel.
• Challenge each family member to build a faster boat and race two of them by each blowing and/or pushing on different boats at the same time. Discuss which boat is faster and why.

As children engage with science, technology, engineering, and math, they are also building a strong foundation for learning in all subjects. With a little guidance from you and your child’s teachers, your young explorer will develop a love of STEM and learning for life. Visit a Primrose school to see more ways STEM preschool concepts can be incorporated in your little one’s daily routine.

Find a Primrose School Near You

Inspire a lifelong love of learning. Contact your local Primrose to schedule a tour.

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Summary of joint activities with children “Steam is also water” | Plan-summary of the lesson (senior group):

MUNICIPAL BUDGET PRESCHOOL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION

KINDERGARTEN OF THE COMBINED TYPE No. 3 “FIREFLY”

(MBDO No. 3) 900 03

155043, Ivanovo region, Teykovo, Molodezhnaya street, d .12A,

tel. 8(4932)-92-96-64, 8-963-152-96-64, email: [email protected]

TIN 3704002708 KPP 370401001

Abstract

JOINT ACTIVITIES

on the topic:

“Steam is also water”

in the senior group.

Developed by teacher:

Skaraeva A.Z.

Teikovo

2020

Summary of joint activities “Steam is also water”

Purpose: to introduce children to the water cycle in nature.

Tasks:

1. To consolidate knowledge about the conditions under which water evaporates.

2. Get acquainted with the properties of steam: transparent, colorless, invisible like air, it cannot be kept in a dish, it quickly diverges in all directions.

3. To cultivate a feeling of love, tenderness, joy for nature, to promote the development of the emotional sphere of the child.

Stroke.

1. organizational moment.

– Good morning guys! This morning I came to the kindergarten and drew attention to the sky. It was covered with large gray clouds (clouds) that hung low above the ground. What season is it now? (Autumn) And what signs do you know?

-If cumulus clouds cover the entire sky and hang low over the earth, it will rain; when white cumulus clouds float high in the sky – good weather.

The teacher puts up reproductions of stories.

– Which clouds portend fine weather and which rainy ones?

-Children determine which clouds (foreshadowing good or rainy weather).

2. Main body.

– Guys, I’ll tell you a fairy tale called “Once upon a time there were two clouds”

“Once upon a time there were two clouds. One is white, the other is black. When they were little, they loved each other. Together they walked in the sky, played hide and seek. And they hid behind large clouds – their mothers.

As time passed, the clouds grew larger and larger. And when they grew up, they began to argue and quarrel with each other very often. Do you know why they argued? The white cloud was very fond of the sun, clear good weather, and the black cloud loved it when thunder rumbled in the sky, lightning flashed, it was raining, and it was dark outside. The black cloud liked to watch from the sky how birds and animals hid from the rain, and people opened colorful umbrellas or ran home. It amused the black cloud.

A white cloud said that the most beautiful thing in the world was the sun. And the black cloud contradicted, arguing: thunder and rain are the most beautiful in the world.

And it always happened like this: when they met, they fought and, finally, they stopped being friends altogether. When a black cloud appeared in the sky, a white cloud gave way to it, declaring: “Let it bring its rainy joy to people, animals, plants.” Then a black cloud freed the sky of sunny joy for all life on earth. So, giving way to each other, they began to live.

-We were talking about clouds. What do you think they are made of?

-Why did you decide that?

№1 Pour half a glass of water into two identical saucers. One saucer was placed in a cold place, and the other in a warm place. Every day they observed how much water remained in the saucers, made sketches; every day it became less and less in the saucer that stood by the battery. The water evaporated and turned into steam. And finally, she disappeared, while in another saucer, standing in the refrigerator, there was still water. This circumstance makes it possible to conclude that on a warm day, the evaporation of water is faster than on a cold day.

№2 Pour the same amount of water into a glass and into a plate. They put them next to the battery. Observed where the water evaporated faster. The water evaporated faster from the plate than from the glass.

-What conclusion can be drawn? The larger the water surface, the faster the evaporation. A shallow and wide puddle will dry out faster than a small but deep one. Even if the water in them will be equally.

– Tell me, is it always necessary to heat the water so that it evaporates. What other observations have we made on the evaporation of water?

-Wetted a handkerchief and hung it outside. The next day, they noticed that the handkerchief was dry, that is, the water had evaporated from it. In winter, people hang washed wet clothes outside to dry. So, in the cold, water also evaporates and turns into steam. They watched how after the rain the streets and roofs of houses became wet, but the sun warmed up, and everything dried up. The water evaporated, turning into invisible steam.

Fizkultminutka “That’s it!”

-How are you? Show both thumbs

– That’s it! upward.

– How are you? Marching.

– That’s it!

– How do you run? Run in place.

– That’s it!

– Do you sleep at night? Put your palms under your cheek.

– That’s it!

– How do you take it? They press their palms to themselves.

– Like this?

– Do you give? Put the palm forward.

– That’s it!

– How are you naughty? They point fingers at each other.

– That’s it!

3. Practical part.

– Water in the river, and in the lake, and in the sea also evaporates. The hotter the sun, the faster the water evaporates. Water evaporates, as you have already observed in very cold weather, but not as fast as in warm weather. In windy weather, water evaporates more than in calm weather. Steam cannot, like water, be kept in an open container – it quickly diverges in all directions. Let’s do another experiment on the evaporation of water. See if the steam has a color and smell.

Experience. Pour into a jar of water. Heat up the water. Small air bubbles will appear on the bottom and walls of the jar. They are made up of steam. The bubbles quickly rise up and burst. Soon the whole jar is filled with steam, but it is not visible.

-Water consists of tiny particles called molecules. They are constantly rushing in different directions: back and forth, up and down – in all directions. Those molecules that are near the surface move upward, often strive to jump out into the air. The higher the temperature of the water, the faster the particles move, and the more often they fly out of it. This is how the water evaporates. Make a conclusion.

– Steam is invisible, like air. It is transparent and colorless.

– Steam, air, although they are invisible, they are also called bodies. Bodies that diverge freely in all directions are called gaseous. During evaporation, water changes from a liquid state to a gaseous (vapor) state. Listen to the poem.

Solid – liquid

If you jump off the tower in winter,

Then, of course, you will fill a bump.

Know that the water was hard,

You will answer without difficulty.

Well, if you jump into the water

In very warm weather.

You will be wet to the skin –

In summer, ice is liquid.

Here is such a leapfrog:

Here is ice, and then water.

You think and answer:

Liquid river or firmament?

Let’s scoop up water from the river

And heat it on the stove:

Steam will fill our whole house,

But we won’t find water.

Such a leapfrog:

Here is steam, and then water.

Liquid – river or gas?

You will answer us at the same time.

And water, and ice, and steam,

Both young and old will tell us.

It’s still water,

You remember forever. (A. Dietrich)

4. The result of joint activities.

-Guys, you have seen that water can be liquid, or it can be in the form of steam and ice. Get in a circle. Our circle, like water, can change its shape (the circle stretches into an oval). Now imagine that water was poured into a mug and placed on a hot stove, the water began to heat up. Each of you is a particle of water. The water gets hot, you get hot. Your palms are so hot that it hurts to hold each other’s hands. Your hands drop, the heat makes you move more actively and each of you has become a particle of steam. And now they freeze you, you get cold. What do you do in this case? Stand closer to each other, hug each other to make you feel warmer.

-Look, now our group can no longer be stretched, it has acquired its shape, like a piece of ice. Our group is all the same particles of water, but connected in different ways.

-Thank you all for your work in class.

10 fun games for graduation in kindergarten

An obligatory component of graduation in kindergarten is fun games and contests. If you entrust the organization of the holiday to the animators of family active recreation parks , then you won’t have to come up with a graduation script – professionals will take it upon themselves.

But if the parents themselves organize the holiday, then you have to work hard to come up with interesting activities. Joki Joya is in a hurry to help – we offer 10 ideas for unusual and fun entertainment, in which not only children, but also parents will be happy to take part.

Learning to pack a briefcase

Lay out a lot of different items on the table, from which the children should choose those things that will definitely be useful to them at school and put them in a briefcase. On the table should be both obvious items, such as notebooks, textbooks and pens, as well as comic items, such as a vegetable grater, pillow, candle or plate. Divide the children into two teams and give them 2 minutes each to collect their backpacks.

Then, sort out the contents of each backpack and, to make the game more fun, ask the children to explain why they put each item. You’d be surprised what story a five-year-old can come up with about the importance of a vegetable grater in school.

Musical Charade

Print cards with pictures of different musical instruments – piano, guitar, saxophone, harp, drums, violin, flute and so on. Put the cards in a bag and invite the children to take turns pulling out a picture and pretending to play a musical instrument. Other children, parents and educators must guess the instrument. You can’t prompt with words, but you can and should depict sounds

Sweet couple

Print pictures of the most bosom fairy and cartoon couples and separate the characters. Children must pair correctly. For example, it can be Kai and Gerda, Malvina and Pinocchio, the Hare and the Wolf from “Well, you wait!”, Uncle Fyodor and Matroskin the Cat, Alice the Fox and Basilio the Cat, Tom and Jerry and so on.

Cat in a bag

Put different objects in the bag and ask the children to guess by touch what is in the bag. It can be toys, cups, spoons, key chains, keys and any other everyday items. You can put something more complicated, for example, a kitchen rolling pin, a shoehorn or a badminton shuttlecock.

Guess the melody

Give the children flashcards with numbers from 1 to 9 and turn on several songs with numbers in turn. Children should take a step forward every time their number is heard in the song. You’ll have to work hard to find enough songs. Here are a few options: “Three white horses”, “33 cows”, “Today is a holiday for the girls”, “My love is on the fifth floor.” “Cut” in advance those fragments of songs in which numbers appear, so as not to listen to each melody in its entirety.

Fairy tale alphabet

Name any letter of the alphabet and ask the children to remember as many fairy tales and cartoons that begin with that letter. For example, with the letter “b”, children will surely remember Pinocchio, Barmaley and Baba Yaga.

I believe – I don’t believe

Prepare 10-15 interesting facts and ask the children to guess which of them are true and which are not. Start simple – “the earth is round” and gradually complicate the task by adding unusual facts. For example, “it never snowed in the Sahara desert” (not true) or “the spine of a camel is curved in the shape of a hump” (not true). You can make the game more interesting if you accompany each fact with a picture that confirms or refutes it.

Traffic games

Print out some pictures of real traffic signs and have the children guess what each one means. As usual, start with simple signs – a pedestrian crossing, a speed limit sign, or a railroad crossing. Gradually increase the difficulty – invite the children to guess what the sign of an inverted triangle or a crossed out horn means.

Guess the profession

Ask the children to guess the profession of this or that person from one object shown in the picture or in your hands.