For decades, politicians, businessmen and other leaders have been concerned with the quality of education, including early childhood education, in the United States. While more than 50% of the children between the ages of three and five are enrolled in preschool and kindergarten programs in the United States, no state, federal, or national standards exist for science or technology education in preschool or kindergarten programs. Knowledge about science and technology is an important requirement for all in contemporary society. An increasing number of professions require the use of scientific concepts and technological skills and society as a whole depends on scientific knowledge. Scientific and technological knowledge should be a part of every individual’s education. There are many ways to enhance young children’s scientific thinking and problem-solving skills as well as their technological abilities. The purpose of this volume is to present a critical analysis of reviews of research on science and technology education in early childhood education. The first part of the volume includes contributions by leading scholars in science, while the second part includes contributions by leading scholars in technology.

Bringing together a diverse cohort of experts, STEM in Early Childhood Education explores the ways STEM can be integrated into early childhood curricula, highlighting recent research and innovations in the field, and implications for both practice and policy. Based on the argument that high-quality STEM education needs to start early, this book emphasizes that early childhood education must include science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in developmentally appropriate ways based on the latest research and theories. Experienced chapter authors address the theoretical underpinnings of teaching STEM in the early years, while contextualizing these ideas for the real world using illustrative examples from the classroom. This cutting-edge collection also looks beyond the classroom to how STEM learning can be facilitated in museums, nature-based learning outdoors, and after-school programs. STEM in Early Childhood Education is an excellent resource for aspiring and veteran educators alike, exploring the latest research, providing inspiration, and advancing best practices for teaching STEM in the early years.

"Much of the content in this book is adapted from Teaching Young Children (TYC), NAEYC's award-winning magazine ..."--Page [104]

This book emphasizes the significance of teaching science in early childhood classrooms, reviews the research on what young children are likely to know about science and provides key points on effectively teaching science to young children. Science education, an integral part of national and state standards for early childhood classrooms, encompasses not only content-based instruction but also process skills, creativity, experimentation and problem-solving. By introducing science in developmentally appropriate ways, we can support young children’s sensory explorations of their world and provide them with foundational knowledge and skills for lifelong science learning, as well as an appreciation of nature. This book emphasizes the significance of teaching science in early childhood classrooms, reviews the research on what young children are likely to know about science, and provides key points on effectively teaching young children science. Common research methods used in the reviewed studies are identified, methodological concerns are discussed and methodological and theoretical advances are suggested.

This third edition has been substantially updated to include current research, written by a team of respected science education researchers. It complements the Australian Early Years Learning Framework and the Australian Curriculum: Science. Concepts are brought to life through case studies, practical tasks and activity plans.

Open-ended inquiry activities from a constructionist perspective for young children. Basic processes include: observing, classifying, communicating, measuring, predicting, and inferring,

Encourage early learners to explore the world of science with this 30-book collection! Filled with colorful illustrations and photographs this collection is sure to inspire young children to want to read more! The titles in this collection include: Colors (Wordless); Space (Wordless); Weather (Wordless); Animals (Wordless); Plants (Wordless); My Body (Wordless); Health and Safety (Wordless); Building Things (Wordless); Oceans (Wordless); Five Senses (Wordless); With My Senses; The Itsy Bitsy Spider; Head and Shoulders; Use Your Brain; Little Boy Blue; If I Were a Tree; Oh, to the Ocean; Animal Homes; Baa, Baa, Black Sheep; Miss Molly's Dolly; Ready to Build; Oh, Mr. Sun; I See Colors; What Kind of Weather?; Oats, Peas, Beans, and Barley Grow; Delicious and Nutritious; Into Space; London Bridge; Down by the Bay; and Sing a Song of Sixpence.