Integrated curriculum (STEM, STEAM, STREAM & STEMIE)

STEM, STEAM, STREAM & STEMIE

The early childhood STEM education promotes learning the basic STEM knowledge (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) through the inquiry and experimentation and solving of problems (Lange et al., 2019). Art integration (STEAM), and the integration of reading (STREAM), inclusive practices (STEMIE) add additional value to the holistic learning experience of children so that they can learn to be creative and critical thinkers (Knaus & Roberts, 2017). The introductory exposure to STEM reduces the concept of fear prior to learning and in basic learning, this assists in lifelong education (Brenneman et al., 2011). Educators of young children make a significant contribution to ensure that the play experiences they facilitate are developmentally appropriate, involve exploratory activities in a variety of fields, and are playful, practical and concrete (ACECQA, 2012).

Theories and Perspectives

The Sociocultural theory revealed by Vygotsky focuses on the social domain of education and the importance of guided interaction in building the STEM knowledge (Bodrova & Leong, 2006). According to Pedaste et al. (2015), by shaping inquiry-based learning, curiosity and problem-solving are inspired during the exploration and reflection stages that are fundamental in STEM learning. The Experiential Learning Theory by Dewey advocates hands-on STEM interactions with the children which works by actively involving children to work with materials and ideas (Lange et al., 2019). Universal Design of Learning (Basham & Marino, 2013) is an approach that ensures diversity within STEM because it creates an adaptation of the environment to diverse learners, which is in line with STEMIE principles. These theories instruct educators to expose children to creativity by integrating exploration, collaboration and scaffolding in their early STEM experiences.

Resources for Different Age Groups (0–8 years)

Babies (0–2 years)

Big, soft magnetic blocks,
Storybooks like The Three Little Pigs,
Sensory bins filled with water and safe tools,
Stacking cups,
Cause-and-effect toys.

Toddlers (2–3 years)

Wooden blocks of different shapes,
Magnetic tiles and blocks,
Easy problems concerning shapes and magnitudes,
Simple science equipment such as magnifying glasses,
Digital applications containing STEM exploration games.

Preschoolers (3–5 years)

Magnetic building blocks set,
STEM-themed narrative books (arts and literacy),
Measuring instruments (rulers, scales),
Code apps or coding toys simple,
Art projects materials (STEAM materials): paints, clay.

Older Children (6–8 years)

High-level building sets (LEGO),
Educational STEM software on tablets,
Science experiment kits,
Engineering challenge sets,
Computer assisted code and design.

Creative Learning Activities for Different Age Groups (0–8 years)

Babies (0–2 years)

Three Little Pigs Story
Materials: Storybook, blocks
Activity: Educators read The Three Little Pigs story and babies use soft blocks as houses, inspiring the idea of strength and construction of a house (Lange et al., 2019).
Cause-and-Effect Sensory Play
Materials: Sensory bins, water, safe tools
Activity: Babies learn how to pour and splash, and there is the first scientific observation and motor control (Knaus & Roberts, 2017).

Toddlers (2–3 years)

Make Strong vs Weak Houses with Wooden Blocks

Material List: wooden blocks, story starters of The Three Little Pigs

Activity: The toddlers construct two kinds of block houses and discover both notions of stability and engineering achieved by playing based on the story (Brenneman et al., 2011).

Shape and Size Sorting
Material List: Blocks of different sizes, and containers

Activity: Children are given some blocks to sort and then stack them according to their shapes and size thus promoting early maths and spatial thinking (Basham & Marino, 2013).

Preschoolers (3–5 years)

Magnetic Blocks Building
Material List: Magnetic builders set

Activity: Children are going to make the castle, working in teams and experimenting with geometry, balance and a lot of engineering knowledge (Lange et al., 2019).

STEAM Story Creation
Material List: Storybooks, art materials
Activity: Children create different stories. They practice science and art by using imagination to come up with characters that will be solving STEM problems through creativity arts, which will improve literacy and inquiry (Knaus & Roberts, 2017).

Older Children (6–8 years)

Robotics Coding Challenge
Material List: Tablets and easy to code robots

Activity: The children program the robots to accomplish a task by learning how to think logically, to know about technology usage and engineering design (Brenneman et al., 2011).

Environmental Engineering Project
Material List: Recycled materials, measuring scale
Activity: Children in groups develop solutions to a local environmental challenge by integrating science, technology and math to model or prototype (Lange et al., 2019).

Digital Reflection

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Magnetic Blocks

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Wooden Blocks Building

Critical Reflection

The Magnetic Blocks Building activity proved to be a great activity in encouraging collaboration, creativity and engineering ideas. When building, children engaged in trying shapes and balancing by getting excited and persistent to find solutions to construction problems. A brief discussion on the magnets and joining various pieces, would be next thing I would consider to add depth to the context of further lessons (Lange et al., 2019).

The activity involving Three Little Pigs and Wooden Blocks was effective as it helped to engage toddlers with the help of the known story and ideas of construction and stability. There is early scientific thinking when children compared the block houses and speculated which ones would fall to the ground. Next time I would incorporate such things as straws or fabric to enhance exploration of various building materials and textures to improve (Brenneman et al., 2011).

Both of the activities reflect the ideas of Vygotsky concerning scaffolding and social learning in STEM-education. They emphasize the effectiveness of the narrative and active exploration as a tool that can be used to encourage creativity and strengthen knowledge at early childhood STEM (Bodrova & Leong, 2006). The more the verbal reasoning and reflection of the children is documented the more it would be of help in the future activities to give further scaffolded support (Pedaste et al., 2015).

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