S.T.E.M.: Focus on Science

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math

Many of you are familiar with the S.T.E.M. acronym and the encouragement by industry and education professionals to enhance learning experiences in each content area. In this series of blogs, we will take a look at activities that engage young children in S.T.E.M.!

Science and Preschoolers Preschool-age children are inquisitive and open-minded, perfect traits for budding young scientists! Science at a preschool level is a lot of fun; kids are truly mesmerized by chemical reactions, love exploring nature, and jump to build things. And as a bonus you don’t have to get into the hard explanations of what is happening; let observations speak for themselves. ~Ana Dziengel, Babble Dabble Do: Ideas for Imaginative Families

20 Science Projects for Preschoolers 

Kindergarten Science Much of the same principles apply to science for children who are kindergarten age--in Kindergarten, children continue to be inquisitive and open-minded.  These are characteristics that can prove to be ripe for scientific exploration!

Try one of these science activities for Kindergarteners provided by education.com

Early Elementary Science Tips As children move into the early elementary years, their thinking and ability to conceptualize scientific concepts begin to get more sophisticated.  They start to understand the reasons behind the POP! Fizz! or WOW! of a science experiment. 

Take a look at an excerpt from DuPage Children's Museum's very own Up! Up! and Away! Flight Camp

Want to know more about science for all ages? Take a look at what is informing teachers and professionals. The Next Generation Science Standards are backed by the latest research and science learning concepts. www.nextgenscience.org

News from the Creativity Studio

You Can Go Anywhere! 

With the help of some overhead projectors and our imaginations we traveled the world (and beyond!) this week in the Creativity Studio!  Children were provided a piece of transparency paper and expo markers, then were asked to draw a picture of a place that they would like to go.  When the children completed their drawings we placed them on the overhead projector and encouraged each child to interact with their enormous projected image!  It was very common for children to walk up and touch the projection as they tried to figure out the scientific process behind this seemingly magical experience!  Many children also had their picture taken in front of the projection, providing for a unique opportunity to “enter” their own artwork!  We traveled to such destinations as Disney World, Grandma’s house, the Wisconsin Dells, the lake, McDonald’s, the Washington Monument, Hawaii, the solar system, the moon, and more!  

Enjoy the Creativity Studio in a NEW LOCATION! 

The Creativity Studio has moved temporarily. During the summer months you can enjoy our same drop-in programs in the Explorations room, just off the entry/exit of the Museum. 

 Blogger Katie Fodor is a Program Developer at DuPage Children's Museum. Katie has an MA in Art History and Museum Studies from Case Western Reserve University. Katie joined DCM’s team in the summer of 2013.  

Exhibit Focus: Moser Construction House

Doing real work with real tools builds lots of things! Self-confidence is one. The ability to problem-solve is another.  Think about imagination, creativity, concentration, eye-hand coordination, small and large muscle development, tactile discrimination, and more! Working in DuPage Children's Museum’s Construction House can strengthen almost every area of development, including cognition.

Right at the heart of DuPage Children's Museum, you will find the Moser Construction House.

Real tools. Real learning. Real fun!

Educational theories that focus on constructivism tell us that offering children materials they see in the real world makes learning more meaningful.  It also adds to the child’s ability to take the materials they see before them and transfer those materials, and their uses, into their everyday life experiences.   

Vice grips, saws, sanding tools, nails, hammers, and manual drills are just some of the real-world tools accessible to children in the Construction House.   

The next time you visit our Construction House try building a small structure or something on a larger scale. 

When you 

ASK-IMAGINE-PLAN-DESIGN-CREATE-IMPROVE,  

you are engaging in an engineering design process!

Jim Gill's Family Room Tour Hits DCM!

 

Join us for Jim Gill's Family Room Tour on June 21st!

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) tells us that we can learn so much when we listen to music. Music inspires creative movement. It calms at rest time. It fosters listening skills. Through music children can learn about patterns. Through singing children learn rhymes and new vocabulary.

Click here for NAEYC's playlist and articles 

about music and learning.

Celebrate summer with a few rounds of Jim Gill’s Silly Dance Contest and other family favorites! It’s an opportunity for family play! This concert is sponsored in partnership with Restoration Community Church and all proceeds benefit DuPage Children’s Museum and Bridge Communities.

Limited Seating – seating is picnic-style. Please bring mats or blankets only; no chairs.

Hear samples of Jim Gill’s music and learn more about him at jimgill.com