Preschool, kindergarten, and first grade teachers can use Nico & Nor Wonder Farm as part of a unit where they need to explain what plants need to grow. The developers provide unit plans that are accessible on their website or through a separate iOS app. The Wonder Farm app plays an appropriate role in this sequence; it's a digital simulation that can help students understand and apply concepts that they're learning in the real world. Students won't need to wait for weeks or months to see plant growth like they might with real plants. Students can play with different variables and explore different combinations of variables that affect plant growth.

The included lessons begin by having teachers use student volunteers to model using the app. There's an emphasis on good science questioning, such as "What might a rabbit do to a carrot plant?" or "Why didn't our plant grow very much? What might help it grow better?" Students can then use the app in pairs or individually to explore different combinations of sunlight and water. Different types of plants have additional variables, such as earthworms, caterpillars, and rabbits. When a student kills a plant with too much water, sun, or rabbits, take the opportunity to ask why it happened and how the student can grow a healthier plant. Of course, teachers could find value integrating Wonder Farm into their existing curriculum as-is.

You Belong at Hero Elementary™!

ED’s Ready To Learn program funded “Hero Elementary,” an upcoming animated children’s television series focused on improving school readiness in science and literacy for children grades K–2 nationwide, with an emphasis on Latino communities, English language learners, children with disabilities, and children from low-income households. Hero Elementary is a school for budding superheroes, where kids learn to master their innate powers, like flying and teleportation, while exploring science along the way. The new series will give children ages 4 to 7 important tools to help them solve problems by encouraging them to think and act like scientists, igniting their natural curiosity. The show will premiere June 1 on PBS and PBS Kids.

CLI and PBS Collaboration: CIRCLE STEM Lab

Designed around selections from PBS LearningMedia, these interactive activities teach foundational STEM skills known to be important for 3 to 6 year olds.

As a leader in early childhood education, the Children’s Learning Institute (CLI) set a goal to significantly increase the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) materials available to educators throughout the state. Over the past year faculty and content developers worked diligently to increase the quantity and scope of STEM activities included in the CIRCLE Activity Collection. The collection is an extensive library of classroom lessons freely available for use by Texas prekindergarten to grade 2 teachers and administrators.

Believing that quality instruction in early childhood focuses on play-based learning combining teacher-directed and child-directed activities, CLI set out to develop the first child-facing STEM activities. A partnership was formed with PBS allowing CLI to select and use video from their extensive library that includes STEM content presented in a child-friendly and entertaining manner.

The result of this collaboration is the development of 20 child-directed, interactive lessons by CLI. Designed around selections from PBS LearningMedia, the activities teach foundational STEM skills known to be important for 3-6 year olds. Set in a virtual laboratory setting, the CIRCLE STEM Lab integrates the video segments with hands-on activities to be completed by the child. Each activity is designed to facilitate independent learning by individual students.

Combining multiple learning principles in a single activity could yield exciting results. Used in conjunction with independent learning by students, teachers could maximize limited instructional time. With positive outcomes and additional funding, CLI hopes to continue the collaboration with PBS.

The STEM Innovation for Inclusion in Early Education (STEMI²E²) Center aims to:

• Develop and enhance the knowledge base on engagement in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) learning opportunities for young children with disabilities (O-5);

• Implement high-quality technical assistance and professional development to increase engagement for young children with disabilities in STEM opportunities; and

• Engage partners and stakeholders from diverse disciplines and industry in work to increase the inclusion of young children with disabilities in early high-quality STEM learning experiences.

This website is a wealth of activities, learning trajectories to plan our Early Childhood STEM activities.