Podcast: What Should Early Science Look Like?

Magnets, dinosaurs and outer space. You might think these are the staples of science instruction in the early years, but new work by researchers and early science educators is showing that these topics may be better introduced as a sidebar to richer explorations, such as exposing children to plants and animals in their own backyards and to extended experimentation with physical objects they can closely observe and manipulate. Last month, dozens of researchers and educators came together to talk about these ideas at the University of Northern Iowa, as science, technology, engineering and math education (STEM) continues to draw interest among policymakers. (In fact, the New York Times ran an interesting story yesterday on engineering in the early grades.)

For today’s podcast, Early Ed Watch spoke about early science education with Peggy Ashbrook, a guest at the conference and the author of Science is Simple: Over 250 Activities for Preschoolers. Ashbrook also writes The Early Years blog for the National Science Teachers Association.    

Early Ed Watch podcast — June 14, 2010

What Should Early Science Look Like?

With our guest Peggy Ashbrook, Author of Science is Simple and blogger for the National Science Teachers Association’s blog, The Early Years