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Stimulate and engage children's thinking as you integrate STEM experiences throughout your early childhood program.More than 85 engaging, developmentally appropriate activities maximize children's learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Each experience combines at least two STEM disciplines and incorporates materials and situations that are interesting and meaningful to children.As researchers and educators increasingly recognize how critical early childhood mathematics and science learning is in laying the foundation for children's later STEM education, this second edition of Teaching STEM in the Early Years is a much-needed resource for every early childhood classroom. It will encourage you to think differently about STEM education, and you will see how easy it is to accommodate curriculum goals and learning standards in math and science activities. This edition provides updated research and references and addsIdeas for incorporating literacy with STEM activities, including children's book recommendationsSTREAM It segments that incorporate reading and art into STEM with art and music extension to activitiesSuggestions for varying the difficulty of activities for a variety of learners

Boost young children's problem-solving skills and set them up for long-term success with the second edition of this practical guidebook! Enhanced with new lessons and timely topics—including equity and the use of makerspaces—this book will help you get all children ready for kindergarten by teaching them basic practices of engineering design and critical thinking skills.Using a clear instructional framework and fun lesson plans tailored for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, you'll guide your “emerging engineers” as they explore big ideas and develop new ways of thinking through engaging and challenging learning experiences. Practical materials include classroom-tested activities that incorporate children's books, self-reflection checklists, practical strategies and modifications, Early Childhood UDL Planning Sheets, and blank Experience Planning Templates.EDUCATORS WILLIntroduce hands-on learning experiences that teach critical thinking skills—curiosity, persistence, flexibility, reflection, and collaborationDemystify and teach key phases of engineering design: think about it, try it, fix it, and share itSupport school readiness by helping children work toward kindergarten standards, including Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science StandardsUse universal design for learning (UDL) principles to ensure that learning experiences work for all children, with and without disabilitiesEncourage language and literacy development with suggestions for weaving reading into problem-solving experiences and using language to prompt children's thinking skillsPromote other skills needed for school success, including social-emotional skills, self-regulation, and executive functioningWHAT'S NEW: Three new themes: computational thinking, makerspaces, and inclusion and equity in STEM | Every lesson plan updated | More lessons based on new children's books | New art/music/drama lesson options for STEAM-focused schools | More coverage of spatial development | Expanded information on assessment | Updated book resources and references

Tap into the Power of Child-Led Math Teaching and Learning Winner of the 2022 EXCEL Silver Award for Technical Book. Everything a child does has mathematical value—these words are at the heart of this completely revised and updated third edition of The Young Child and Mathematics. Grounded in current research, this classic book focuses on how teachers working with children ages 3 to 6 can find and build on the math inherent in children's ideas in ways that are playful and intentional. This resource:Illustrates through detailed vignettes how math concepts can be explored in planned learning experiences as well as informal spaces Highlights in-the-moment instructional decision-making and child–teacher interactions that meaningfully and dynamically support children in making math connections Provides an overview of what children know about counting and operations, spatial relations, measurement and data, and patterns and algebra Offers examples of informal documentation and assessment approaches that are embedded within classroom practice Deepen your understanding of how math is an integral part of your classroom all day, every day. Includes online video!

Men continue to outnumber women in numerous technical STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields such as, engineering and computer science. Prior work demonstrates the importance of introducing girls to STEM content early on, before gender stereotypes are ingrained. However, many parents and teachers are not sure how to do this in a developmentally appropriate and playful way. Breaking the STEM Stereotype: Reaching Girls in Childhood by Dr. Amanda Sullivan, Ph.D. explores the various social, cultural, and psychological reasons behind the persistent gender disparity between men and women in STEM fields. By explaining the powerful role of stereotypes, the media, and experiences with peers and adults during the foundational early childhood years, this book builds the case of early childhood being a critical time in development to reach girls. Breaking the STEM Stereotype is set up in three parts. Part 1 provides the current state of the gender divide in each aspect of STEM and explores why early childhood is a critical time to address this divide. Part 2 explores gender identity development and gender stereotypes as well as the influences of the media, advertising, and adult and peer role models on young children. Finally, Part 3 arms readers with the knowledge they need to dispel gender stereotypes in STEM. It provides suggestions on tools, technologies, and kits that can be used with young girls beginning in pre-kindergarten. It provides materials needed to design effective curricula and activities to engage girls with STEM in playful ways that build on their personal interests.

Help young children develop problem-solving skills, and you'll boost their kindergarten readiness and set them up for long-term success in STEM subjects. In this timely and practical ebook, you'll discover how to support the problem-solving skills of all young children by teaching them basic practices of engineering and five types of critical thinking skills (Curiosity, Persistence, Flexibility, Reflection, and Collaboration)— AND discover how to sharpen all these skills as a teacher! Using a clear instructional framework and fun activities tailored for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, you'll help children birth to 5 explore big ideas and develop new ways of thinking through engaging and challenging learning experiences. A must for teachers in inclusive early education classrooms, this comprehensive guide is your key to teaching the 21st-century skills children need for STEM learning and school success.THE BOOK YOU NEED TOSupport school readiness. The problem-solving framework in this ebook helps children work toward kindergarten Common Core State Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, and the Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Outcomes Framework.Demystify and teach key engineering practices. Prepare kids for success in all STEM areas by teaching four essential engineering principles: think about it, try it, fix it, and share it.Boost problem-solving skills with proven activities. All the suggested activities have been piloted and tested in classrooms and incorporate teacher feedback.Plan effective lessons for all children. Discover how to use universal design for learning (UDL) to plan lessons that work for children with and without disabilities.Start the learning early. Help even the youngest children develop problem-solving skills with activities tailored for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.Encourage language and literacy development. Get suggestions for weaving reading into problem-solving experiences, and discover how your use of language can prompt children's thinking skills.Promote other skills needed for school success. With the framework and activities in this ebook, you'll also support development of social-emotional skills, self-regulation, and executive functioning.PRACTICAL MATERIALS: Classroom activities that incorporate children's books, self-reflection checklists, practical strategies and modifications, Early Childhood UDL Planning Sheets, and blank Experience Planning Templates for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.

With 30+ video clips—great for use in teacher training sessions! If you’re preparing early childhood educators for the critical task of teaching math, this groundbreaking resource is just what you need to plan and implement effective professional development. Translating recommendations from the National Research Council’s early mathematics report into clear and actionable goals, this text is your key to improving the way educators teach math to children ages 3–6. You’ll get an in-depth guide to what math teachers need to teach; a research-based framework for strengthening professional development; and web-based video clips to enhance training sessions and show teachers the “how” of high-quality math instruction. Use this accessible text to guide both pre- and inservice teacher preparation—and ensure better math teaching and higher student achievement. TEACHER TRAINERS WILL:understand the classroom challenges of today’s early childhood educatorssee how children’s mathematical minds develop and clarify learning goals for thembuild professional development around five essential goals for high-quality math instructionmake the most of innovative professional development methods and technologies strengthen professional development across settings, including child care, Head Start, and prekindergartenpromote better math instruction for culturally diverse children and children with disabilitiesevaluate the effectiveness of professional development effortsPRACTICAL MATERIALS: Enhance your training sessions with 30+ video clips that show successful classroom teaching scenarios and clinical interviews demonstrating the development of a child’s mathematical thinking over a 3-year period. You’ll also get sample workshop outlines and syllabi, engaging teaching strategies, resource lists, and a photocopiable planning tool.

The foundation for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education begins in the early years. This book provides more than ninety activities and learning center ideas that seamlessly integrate STEM throughout early childhood classrooms. These hands-on STEM experiences enhance cooking, art, and music activities, block play and sensory table exploration, and field trips and outdoor time. Information on assessment and early learning standards is also provided.Sally Moomaw, EdD, has spent much of her career researching and teaching STEM education. She is an assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati and the author of several early education books.

This volume was written primarily for teachers who have developed (or who are being encouraged to develop) an awareness of and commitment to teaching mathematics for understanding. The research findings presented in these chapters suggest instructional implications worthy of these teachers'consideration. Often, the authors in this volume describe instructional practices or raise issues that have the potential to broaden views of teaching and learning mathematics. These chapters provide interesting problems and tasks used in the authors'work that readers can use in their own classrooms.