STEM for All of Them! (Early Childhood, I'm looking at you!)

It's no secret that the earlier you read to a child, the better. The importance of playing and developing social skills in early childhood are also no-brainers. Yet, many schools and programs neglect our youngest learners when it comes to STEM. When a child is 3, 4, or 5 years old, they are ripe for hands-on exploration, creative thinking, and collaboration! I'm not talking about pushing them toward careers in the STEM fields; I'm talking about exposing them to the kinds of tasks and the the type of thinking that will teach them growth mindset and how to think outside of the box. I'm talking about developing problem solving, answer-seeking, risk takers!

We've all seen that toddler on the playground that eyes up the slide for the very first time with a mix of caution and excitement. The approach is wary, but the descent is thrilling. How about the 3-year-old that clings onto mom's leg when it's time to enter the classroom, but comes out at the end of the day with a giant smile and an air of triumph? As educators, I believe that it is our task to give each day this sense of adventure. We have the power to present our students with something "unknown" and give them the opportunity and the skill to conquer it!

I started my career teaching second and third grade, and spent many years thinking that kindergarten children were "babies." I believed that they pretty much needed to be taught "how to DO school," and that in first grade, the "real" learning began. In fact, if I had to rank teaching kindergarten on my list of "things I'd like to do," it would probably have fallen somewhere between "visit the Mojave Desert in August" and "cut the lawn with a pair of scissors." UNTIL...I was transferred to kindergarten. And. Loved. It.

To be perfectly honest, I don't know how much my students learned that year. Of course, we covered the curriculum and they left with their 60 sight words and basic addition skills. But this I do know...I learned MORE. I learned that these little people have BIG ideas! I learned that their brains are growing incredibly fast and they are SMART! And since leaving the regular classroom to teach GT and STEM, I have had a passion for reaching our littlest learners.

My current position allows me to work with my district's second and third graders (four different schools and more than 1000 students!), but because I"m spread so thin, I never get to see our K/1 kids. I've presented workshops to their teachers in the hopes that by placing the resources in their hands, they might gain the confidence and find it easier to bring STEM to their students. And now I've developed a series called A-Z STEM so that with each letter of the alphabet (which I know is a part of their curriculum!), perhaps they can also sneak in a STEM challenge!

Why, when I'm not responsible for these grades, do I care so much? Because they're worth it. I made the mistake of underestimating our youngest learners once, and I won't do it again.