Making and Tinkering With STEM: Solving Design Challenges With Young Children

by Cate Heroman

Overview

Tinker, make, engineer—solving problems from picture books Can you build a sturdy house that is safe from the big, bad wolf? Imagine your dream car. What special features does it have? What can you use to create it? Teaching and learning STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is more accessible than ever before! Children will be inspired, delighted, and challenged as they use everyday materials and STEM concepts to design and build solutions to problems faced by characters in their favorite books. This practical, hands-on resource includes • 25 engineering design challenges appropriate for children ages 3–8 • Suggestions for creating a makerspace environment where children can tinker with materials, use tools to make creations, and improve on their ideas • A list of 100 picture books that encourage STEM-rich exploration and learning • Questions and ideas for expanding children’s understanding of STEM concepts • A planning template so you can create your own design challenges Use engaging children’s books together with the guidance and ideas in this book to extend children’s problem-solving skills and creative thinking.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781938113284
Publisher:	National Association for the Education of Young Children
Publication date:	01/31/2017
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	7.80(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.30(d)

About the Author

Cate Heroman’s passion is to help children be successful learners and socially competent individuals. A nationally recognized educator and author—her numerous publications include The Creative Curriculum for Preschool and Teaching Strategies GOLD—Cate’s professional experiences center on early childhood education. She has been an early childhood classroom teacher, state administrator, trainer, facilitator, keynote speaker, author, consultant, and developer of curriculum and assessment materials. She has a deep understanding not only of what children learn but also how they learn. Cate is giving back to her community through her volunteer efforts with Knock Knock Children’s Museum in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, serving children birth to age eight. She has been instrumental in establishing a makerspace in the museum and has spent countless hours studying and researching what making, tinkering, and design engineering look like with young learners. While much of the information available on these topics is for older students and adults, practical guidance for early childhood educators is limited. This book began as a tool for museum educators. During the field testing and piloting of the activities, however, Cate discovered a clear demand for this type of resource for educators in preschool through third grade classrooms. Cate received a master’s degree from Louisiana State University, taught in East Baton Rouge Parish Schools, served as an early childhood administrator at the Louisiana Department of Education, and was vice president of Teaching Strategies, LLC. She is education chair and vice chair of Knock Knock Children’s Museum in Baton Rouge. She is married with two children and four grandchildren.Cate Heroman’s passion is to help children be successful learners and socially competent individuals. A nationally recognized educator and author—her numerous publications include The Creative Curriculum for Preschool and Teaching Strategies GOLD—Cate’s professional experiences center on early childhood education. She has been an early childhood classroom teacher, state administrator, trainer, facilitator, keynote speaker, author, consultant, and developer of curriculum and assessment materials. She has a deep understanding not only of what children learn but also how they learn. Cate is giving back to her community through her volunteer efforts with Knock Knock Children’s Museum in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, serving children birth to age eight. She has been instrumental in establishing a makerspace in the museum and has spent countless hours studying and researching what making, tinkering, and design engineering look like with young learners. While much of the information available on these topics is for older students and adults, practical guidance for early childhood educators is limited. This book began as a tool for museum educators. During the field testing and piloting of the activities, however, Cate discovered a clear demand for this type of resource for educators in preschool through third grade classrooms. Cate received a master’s degree from Louisiana State University, taught in East Baton Rouge Parish Schools, served as an early childhood administrator at the Louisiana Department of Education, and was vice president of Teaching Strategies, LLC. She is education chair and vice chair of Knock Knock Children’s Museum in Baton Rouge. She is married with two children and four grandchildren.

Read an Excerpt

With a strong emphasis on STEM, these challenges enable children to apply skills in math and science in a way that is meaningful and engaging. They provide opportunities for using and strengthening important executive function skills, such as planning, focusing attention, organizing information, persisting, thinking flexibly, and solving problems. Taken together, these skills are important in school and in life. Implementing these challenges helps prepare children to solve the problems of the future.

Table of Contents

What You Need to Know About Tinkering, Making, and Engineering Design Challenges: Where Story Characters’ Problems Meet the Real World Is It Tinkering, Making, or Engineering? Developing Skills for Design Challenges Tinkering and Making Experiences Engineering Experiences The Learning Environment Gathering Materials Organizing and Displaying Materials Safety Introducing Design Challenges Using High-Tech Materials and Equipment Involving Families Observing and Assessing Children’s Learning Design Challenges Baby Bear’s Chair Beautiful Buildings Box It! Bug City Build a Bridge Crazy Catapults Float Your Boat Gizmos Galore Help! It’s Stuck! A House for the Three Little Pigs If the Shoe Fits Juice It! Move Like an Animal Paper Airplanes Pet Carrier Repurpose It! Roller Coaster Squirrel-Proof Birdfeeder Strike Up the Band A Sturdy Nest Tower Power Trouble With Bubbles What a Car! Wind Wonders Yarn Magic Appendix Design Challenge Planning Template Books and Materials for Design Challenges Book List About the Author Acknowledgments

Editorial Reviews

A wonderful resource book for all early childhood educators! I LOVE the useful information and tips on setting up a makerspace in the classroom. The book offers many hands-on, meaningful ways for young children to explore STEM. —Ann Scalley, Preschool Teacher, Lesley Ellis School Cate’s wonderful new book provides practical suggestions and rich examples that every early childhood teacher can use to extend learning. Each page is brimming with great ideas to support young children to become thinkers, problem solvers, and engineers. The links to literacy make it a must-have resource. —Judy Jablon, Executive Director, Leading for Children, and author of Coaching with Powerful Interactions I did not know much about makerspaces, but after reading this book I truly feel like I know what to do in my classroom. The use of literary predicaments relates the engineering problems to the child’s world, and the design challenges are an interdisciplinary way to further that connection. —Gretchen Yatzook, Kindergarten Teacher, Flanders Elementary School Cate moves away from the standard science area to show us how to address STEM by inspiring children to explore, discover, and create their own solutions to real problems. I love the connection to children’s literature and wealth of practical design challenges! A wonderful resource not only for teachers but also for families. —Diane Trister Dodge, Early Childhood Curriculum Specialist and founder of Teaching Strategies, LLC An excellent resource for early childhood educators as they enter the world of tinkering, making, and engineering. Focusing the design challenges around literature provides an accessible vehicle for those who are unsure of where to begin their STEM journey. —Megan King, Preschool Teacher, Passaic Public Schools I have always believed that students learn best by doing, and I try to provide them with hands-on opportunities that promote student-led learning. This book is filled with fun, engaging, and inquiry-based activities that I will definitely be using! —Heather Weber, First Grade Teacher, Flanders Elementary School For teachers aspiring to integrate the richness of tinkering, making, and engineering into their classrooms, this book is a must read. With practical step-by-step guidance that encourages you to use literature as a jumping-off point, you will be inspired to redesign your classroom with enthusiasm and confidence as you envision the possibilities for deep learning. —Peggy Otey, Head of School, Browne Academy The idea of taking objects apart to view their inner workings is the basis of discovery! Students, with their already curious natures, will delve into an atmosphere that challenges them and promotes problem solving. —Kerry Bonaiuto, First Grade Teacher, Flanders Elementary School Illuminating and descriptive, Making and Tinkering With STEM has given me a framework for thinking about our own practice in The DISCOVERoom, one that will allow us to deliberately grow into more creative experiences with our students. —Marni Anbar, Co-coordinator, The DISCOVERoom Science and Engineering Playroom in the Kyrene School District

From the Publisher