3 PRESCHOOL STEAM TIPS

We've put together 3 FREE resources with ready-to-go tips and easy ideas below. Use these strategies in your classroom and take your STEAM teaching to the next level!

1. DECOMPOSE

Decomposition is an inexpensive way to conduct a month+ long study reinforcing STEAM concepts. Start with what’s in a child’s lunch. Are there any leftovers they didn’t eat? Gather the scraps and invite children to observe and record. Take pictures, or make drawings of what the food looks like now. Store the food in a ziploc bag, a mason jar, or any container on hand. Monitor and mark changes after a few hours, a few days, and then a week. Mix in math concepts like time, and focus on “before and after”. Older children can try a variety of environments like in a dark cabinet, or placed in sunlight and predict any difference in outcome. Beetbox places an important emphasis on food waste avoidance, so in every box we send, we include activities and lessons that ensure you utilize every bit of leftover food.

2. RECYCLED WATER BOTTLES

Recycling is a wonderful way to incorporate more STEAM into your classroom while teaching children to take pride in caring for their environment. Sensory bottles using old water or soda bottles are always a hit. Use different materials such as legos, glitter, natural items, stones, leaves, acorns, beads, etc., suspended in a variety of different liquids such as water, vegetable oil, vinegar, soap, and food coloring. Encourage children to predict whether or not certain items will sink or float in each liquid, what might happen if mixing certain liquids with different objects, or what kind of colors might be created by combining them. Make sure to glue caps and allow plenty of time to dry. Beetbox classrooms are sent STEAM based recycling activities every month, included in their learning kits.

3. USE CHARACTERS

It’s proven that a child’s reading comprehension level improves when they have a character they recognize or can easily identify with. Reading and STEAM can go hand in hand! Look for a series of books that use a repetitive character, and search for STEAM concepts within each story. Stories with real life situations contain plenty of situations where a child could explore math, science, or engineering concepts. For example, a story about a postl office worker, a farmer, a teacher, a dentist, or a doctor can spark lively STEAM conversations with questions like: “What does a post man have to measure?” or “How heavy do you think the farmers bushel of apples is?” or “Why does a doctor need to use a flashlight sometimes?” EVERY beetbox we send comes with its own children’s story following our character Betsy the Beet, and her seed to table journey. Click below to learn more.