Category Archives: Early Years

Tips and classroom resources for early childhood school science educators. Click on a headline to read the entire post.

Birding and Engineering Makes for a Great Week

By Peggy Ashbrook | Published: February 17, 2013

Two worthy programs to participate in this year or mark on your calendar for next year. Great Outdoor Bird Count Monday is the last day for this year, so it’s not too late to take part in a citizen science project that will help scientists answer questions about bird populations (of not just North America, [...]

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Look for conferences near you…learn, share, drink coffee

By Peggy Ashbrook | Published: February 5, 2013

If you have yet to experience a National Science Teachers Association conference, take a look at the multiple opportunities offered each year. Attend a conference to firm up your understanding of science and engineering concepts, learn teaching strategies, meet with other science-interested teachers, get resources and have fun.

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Resources about technology use in early childhood education

By Peggy Ashbrook | Published: January 29, 2013

The NAEYC Technology and Young Children Interest Forum has put together many resources for early childhood educators looking for guidance on what, when and how to use the broad range of digital and analog devices we have or are considering using in our programs. These resources supplement the joint position statement by NAEYC and Fred [...]

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Introducing guest blogger, Patty Born Selly

By Peggy Ashbrook | Published: January 24, 2013

Who better to meet, in this winter season, than someone from Minnesota who shares her ideas on how to enjoy the outdoors with children in her blog, Small Wonders? (I especially enjoyed the post about wrestling with discussing possible truths about a butterfly’s end with her children.) When we met in person at a conference [...]

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Next Generation Science Standards–understanding based on “prior experiences”

By Peggy Ashbrook | Published: January 20, 2013

The second draft of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) has been released and can be viewed in two formats, by Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) from the NRC’s Framework for K-12 Science Education, and by topic. We are all invited to provide feedback, on parts of the standards that interest us, or on the entire [...]

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Observing weather events

By Peggy Ashbrook | Published: January 3, 2013

In the late fall as the weather alternated between 40°F and 70°F overnight, bumblebees sometimes got caught by cold temperatures and spent the night on the zinnia flowers in my garden. They would crouch around the inner section of the flower, so still that I could pet them very gently, with just once one finger. [...]

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Exploring natural and human-made materials

By Peggy Ashbrook | Published: December 20, 2012

“I found these two rocks in the sandbox and I think they’re from a volcano.” Children like to share their special found objects and talk about where they came from and what they might be. “I think this is a dead spider or a something else.” They like the way the rock feels, or the [...]

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Baby laughter…what do they laugh at?

By Peggy Ashbrook | Published: December 3, 2012

While you’re looking forward to winter break, here’s a way you can have fun and do a little bit of science data collecting to contribute to a citizen science project. The Baby Laughter project would like to know what kinds of things babies find funny. Who are the funniest people? What are the funniest songs, [...]

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Reading some standards for early childhood science teaching

By Peggy Ashbrook | Published: November 28, 2012

The non-profit Minnesota coalition SciMathMN, published A Guide for Parents: “What Should I Look for in the Science Program in My Child’s School?” Some of the items apply only to Minnesota but others are useful to families everywhere who want children to get a good science education. The last section, “What can I do to [...]

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Science-and-early childhood, at the NAEYC 2012 annual conference

By Peggy Ashbrook | Published: November 19, 2012

Did I meet you at the NAEYC 2012 conference in Atlanta this month? I met many early childhood educators who are interested in some of the same questions I find most interesting, such as “What science topics are appropriate to teach about in early childhood and at which age?” and “How can I move a [...]

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