Integrating STEM experiences in early education is a truly pivotal step in preparing young kids for future challenges. STEM in the early years transcends individual subjects and helps create a holistic approach to problem solving and critical thinking. Incorporating hands-on STEM learning in early childhood classrooms sparks curiosity and engages children in the wonders of the natural world. Through these age-appropriate experiments, interactive games, or creative projects, kids can develop a foundation in scientific inquiry and mathematical reasoning. Early exposure to technology and engineering concepts enhances their digital literacy and problem-solving skills, setting the stage for future technological advancements. By nurturing their curiosity and critical thinking skills from an early age, STEM in early education paves the way for a generation of adaptable and innovative thinkers.
Early STEM learning also helps students foster collaboration and teamwork skills by working together to explore, experiment, and find solutions. These collaborative experiences help them build social skills and a collaborative mindset that's increasingly important in the professional world. STEM activities also promote creativity by encouraging children to think outside the box. Designing or building structures, experimenting with basic coding, or exploring physics principles all help kids learn to innovate and imagine. Also, STEAM in early education provides a solid foundation for lifelong learning. It instills a love for discovery and problem solving, ensuring that students enter higher education and the workforce equipped with key skills needed to navigate an ever-evolving, technology-driven world. Find our insights on STEM in EarlyEd below, including suggestions for tech tools.
The Sphero team recently announced that their newest addition, the Sphero indi, is available for pre-order. This versatile and friendly looking robot will serve as their first effort to engage early elementary students in robotics and coding. In the meantime, we thought we’d explore some of its features a bit, including what sets it apart!
With three different levels, students can try block coding, hybrid coding, and text coding while controlling a variety of the Root’s features. There have also been updates to the Root, including new Android and computer or laptop compatibility. We’ll introduce you to the iRobot coding simulator as well and explore its amazing features!
With the 3Doodler Build & Play, inventing is much more accessible for even the youngest children. Its own take on 3Doodler’s classic 3D printing pens, the Build & Play is a simplified machine that kids as young as four can use for creating three-dimensional objects in almost any learning environment. So, head inside to learn about using it with Pre-K
With the 3D Build & Play, students can feed filament into the slot in the back of the device, which is shaped similarly to an electric drill. Once the strand of filament is in place, they can start cranking the lever to work it through the inside and get it ready to mold in their invention as they develop creativity
Plug-and-play accessibility is a pretty common buzzword-like term around the EdTech world. While leaders of almost every company claim to provide solutions that are easy to use right out of the box, not all of them deliver in the ways that the Robo Wunderkind system does. And, that mission starts with an age-appropriate introduction to robotics and STEM in preschool.
One of the most exciting robots for teaching coding in elementary and middle school, the Root is now available in class packs! Educators can more easily bring Root into their classrooms thanks to the additions of classroom packs in sizes of 2, 6, 12, and 30! Root helps teachers cover key CS concepts, like touch interaction, drawing, loops, and more.
For this week’s Eduporium Experiment, we’re playing around with the KEVA Contraptions Set, a pretty big box that’s not high-tech but still offers a high ceiling for STEM learning. KEVA has a few different kits available for students and teachers and the main features of each is the same. Keep reading to learn more about these low-tech STEAM tools.
Engineering is a key part of 21st century education, so introduce your students to wheels, axles, and inclined planes with the K’NEX Simple Machines Kit! Recommended for students aged eight and up and as part of a 1:3 kit-to-student ratio, this kit serves as a great hands-on introduction to engineering and creative thinking.
Essentially, the premise of Marbotic is providing preschool teachers with a technology tool that engages students, allows for physical interaction, introduces letters and numbers, and helps build their foundational tech skills. You can probably see why we’re such big fans of this system and how it allows for tactile learning at such a young age!
Generally, the common belief is that this should start around first, second, or third grade. What if it could start earlier, though? Like even as early as preschool. Those extra couple of years could wind up making a pretty large difference in the development of a child and, who knows, could ultimately help them reach greater heights.
