Water is a meaningful context for children to engage in inquiry and acquire and use science and engineering practices, such as developing spatial thinking and early concepts of water dynamics. This book shows teachers how to engage children with opportunities to engineer water movement through pouring and filling containers of various kinds and shapes, observing how water interacts with surfaces in large and small amounts, exploring how water can be moved, and using water to move objects. These experiences build a foundation that will support children’s more complex study of this phenomena in later schooling, as well as encourage interest in STEM fields. The text provides guidance for arranging the physical, intellectual, social–emotional, and promotional environments of the early childhood classroom; for integrating literacy learning; and for building essential partnerships with administrators and families to enhance STEM learning for our youngest learners. Book Features: Introduces WaterWorks, an integrative STEM experience developed by young children, their teachers, and early childhood researchers. Describes an approach that engages children in doing science and engineering, rather than teaching children about these fields.Offers children the opportunity to engage in STEM experiences every day in their classrooms alongside literacy learning. Illustrates ways to plan and use over ten types of engineering experiences appropriate for children ages 3–8.Includes guidance for documenting children’s learning over time.Aligns to the Early Learning Outcomes Framework and the Next Generation Science Standards. Contributors: Allison Barness, Shelly L. Counsell, Lawrence Escalada, Judith Finkelstein, Linda Fitzgerald, Sherri Peterson, Jull Uhlenberg, and Wendy Miller. Praise for the STEM for Our Youngest Learners Series: “This series is an important addition to a very limited field of guides for teaching STEM to young learners. While activity books abound, this series, with its basis in constructivism and its use of an inquiry-based teaching model, guides teachers in creating in-depth experiences for children to examine the natural world while building their critical thinking skills and deepening their curiosity about and interest in the world around them.” —Karen Worth, consultant in science education, early childhood and elementary years

Children are intrigued by switches that power a light source and by items that reflect light and sparkle, and they take notice of personal shadows cast on the playground. Many fields in STEM draw upon understanding of light and shadow, such as astronomy, biology, engineering, architecture, and more. This second volume in the STEM for Our Youngest Learners Series shows teachers how to engage children (ages 3–8) with light and shadow in a playful way, building an early foundation for the later, more complex study of this phenomena and possibly piquing the curiosity of children that will ultimately lead to professions within the field of STEM. The text offers guidance for integrating literacy learning and investigations and for building partnerships with administrators. Each volume in this new series includes vignettes showing educators and children engaging in inquiry learning, guidance for selecting materials and arranging the learning environment, modifications and accommodations for diverse learners, establishing adult learning communities to support professional development, and more.

Children are intrigued by switches that power a light source and by items that reflect light and sparkle, and they take notice of personal shadows cast on the playground. An understanding of light and shadow is crucial to many STEM fields, including astronomy, biology, engineering, architecture, and more. This book shows teachers how to engage children (ages 3-8 ) with light and shadow in a playful way, building an early foundation for the later, more complex study of this phenomena and, ultimately, for children's interest in professions within the STEM fields. The text offers guidance for arranging the physical environment of classrooms, integrating literacy learning and investigations, and building partnerships with administrators. Each volume in the STEM for Our Youngest Learners Series includes examples of educators and children engaging in inquiry learning, guidance for selecting materials and arranging the learning environment, modifications and accommodations for diverse learners, support for establishing adult learning communities, and more.

Children are intrigued by moving objects, even more so when they can engineer the movement. This volume in the STEM for Our Youngest Learners Series uses ramps and pathways as a context to provide children ages 3–8 opportunities to engage in STEM every day. Ramps and Pathways is a meaningful and fun way for children to develop engineering habits of mind as they explore concepts in force and motion, properties of objects, and how those properties affect their movement. In the process, children develop spatial thinking that is essential for future careers in STEM. The text also offers guidance for arranging the physical, intellectual, social–emotional, and promotional environments of a classroom to embrace the natural integration of literacy learning. Each volume in this series includes guidance for forming partnerships with families and administrators that support STEM learning, vignettes showing educators and children engaging in inquiry learning, tips for selecting materials, modifications and accommodations for diverse learners, ways to establish adult learning communities that support professional development, and more. Book Features: Alignment with both the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) and the NGSS Science and Engineering Practices, with specific descriptions of how those science and engineering practices in Ramps and Pathways look and feel in Pre-K–2 classrooms.Examples of how to integrate literacy learning in a meaningful way.Descriptions of how the open-ended nature of ramps and pathways aligns with the Universal Design for Learning Framework (UDL). Guidance to help teachers anticipate and plan for all children to become purposeful, motivated, resourceful, knowledgeable, strategic, and goal-directed about learning.Examples of how to stage, introduce, and support children’s designs to develop engineering habits of mind (systems thinking, optimism, creativity, communication, collaboration, attention to ethical considerations).A meaningful and healthy context to grow children’s executive function skills (EFs), including inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. Contributors: Sherri Peterson, Jill Uhlenberg, Linda Fitzgerald, Allison Barness, Rosemary Geiken, Sarah VanderZanden, Brandy Smith, Kimberly Villotti, Shelly Counsell, Lawrence Escalada

Water is a meaningful context for children to engage in inquiry and acquire and use science and engineering practices, such as developing spatial thinking and early concepts of water dynamics. This book shows teachers how to engage children with opportunities to engineer water movement through pouring and filling containers of various kinds and shapes, observing how water interacts with surfaces in large and small amounts, exploring how water can be moved, and using water to move objects. These experiences build a foundation that will support children's more complex study of this phenomena in later schooling, as well as encourage interest in STEM fields. The text provides guidance for arranging the physical, intellectual, social-emotional, and promotional environments of the early childhood classroom; for integrating literacy learning; and for building essential partnerships with administrators and families to enhance STEM learning for our youngest learners. Book Features: Introduces WaterWorks, an integrative STEM experience developed by young children, their teachers, and early childhood researchers. Describes an approach that engages children in doing science and engineering, rather than teaching children about these fields. Offers children the opportunity to engage in STEM experiences every day in their classrooms alongside literacy learning. Illustrates ways to plan and use over ten types of engineering experiences appropriate for children ages 3-8. Includes guidance for documenting children's learning over time. Aligns to the Early Learning Outcomes Framework and the Next Generation Science Standards.