NSTA Launches STEM Initiative for Children 5 and Under
The National
Science Teachers Association (NSTA) has
launched a new program designed to promote interest in science,
technology,
engineering and math (STEM) among children 5 and under.
NSTA
President Carolyn Hayes introduced the NSTA
Initiative for Learners 0 to 5 April 21 during the Advancing
Active STEM
Education for Our Youngest Learners event at the White House in
Washington,
D.C.
The
array of early learning resources is intended
to help preschool and elementary school teachers, parents and child
care
providers engage young learners and introduce them to STEM ideas at a
very
early age.
"It's
never too early to start learning," Hayes
said. "Long before they are taught science in school, children develop
ideas
about their natural world by examining interesting objects, taking
field trips
and reading aloud with engaging non-fiction choices about life, Earth,
space
and physical science.”
The
NSTA initiative resources include:
- NSTA Kids, children's
picture books (in both
English and Spanish) that impart science concepts with narratives and
bold
graphics;
- Head Start on Science,
which has 89 hands-on
teacher-led activities for children ages 3 to 7 (in both English and
Spanish);
- Start Young Early Childhood
Activities with
activities designed for everyday use and two dozen articles compiled
from "Science
and Children," NSTA's journal for early childhood and elementary school
teachers;
- Uncovering Student Ideas in
Primary Science for
Grades K-2, a how-to guide that educators, homeschoolers
and parents can use to
stimulate ideas for students at that age about science; and
- A
community online forum dedicated to early
childhood learning with resources and advice that is part of the NSTA
Learning
Center.
"We
know young children have the ability and
interest to discover and explain the natural world around them," said
NSTA
Executive Director David Evans. "Early educators and parents need to
work
together to support and guide young children in a way that will create
strong
foundational skills in STEM."
About the Author
Michael Hart is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the former executive editor of THE Journal.