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STEM Experience

1, Our STEM presentation topic was about simple machines. For the presentation, we used wooden blocks, a car, balls, tissue paper, and sticky tape as materials. We asked participants to make a ramp, roll down the materials, and predict "which material will go far from the ramp?" From the data display, we understood that most of the participants voted for the car.

Science: Our presentation helped participants identify the problem of making a ramp and rolling down the materials given to them. Participants were able to observe and examine the materials closely and discuss the ways that they could make the ramp. They even made predictions/hypotheses about the results (data display). They experimented with the experience using the materials given to them. Once they have done the experiment they analyzed their result with the predictions that they made. We observed that they shared their result or experience with the members.

Technology: It is evident from the presentation that we encouraged participants to make use of "Little T", that is the inclined plane, wheels, car, etc.

Engineering: The whole process was focused on enhancing engineering skills, through this activity participants were able to use engineering steps to do the activity. At first, as a group participants got an opportunity to brainstorm ideas about making a ramp using the materials provided to them. Then they started designing the ramp and tested their design. When they found an error in their ramp, some of the participants tried to modify the design by increasing the height of the ramp. At the end of the activity, they even shared their re-design or modifications with the other groups.

Math: Through this activity, students will be able to compare two blocks according to their size and select blocks that are appropriate for making a ramp. Participants will be able to sort the materials focusing on their shape.

These are the probable STEM experience that our audience got from our presentation and in the future children can experience the same results when they engage in this activity.

2, From the presentations, the sorting activity according to the magnetic characteristics and making a catapult were my favorite STEM presentation. For the magnet activity, I was able to understand the math concepts such as sorting and classifying. I was able to classify the materials according to their magnetic characteristics. The sorting helped me to classify the materials according to their magnetic characteristics.

In the second presentation, which is making a catapult I was able to use the scientific process in the presentation. I brainstormed ideas to make a catapult using the materials that were provided there. I designed the materials and read the steps. Then I build the catapult using the materials. Once I build the catapult, I tested the product. When I tested, I understood that the product needs to modify. I modified and launched the paper bomb. At the end of the activity, I shared the solutions with my friends and they even tried them in their experience.

3, From the past ten weeks, I was able to understand that whenever we develop an activity we should focus on giving importance to STEM learning. Through effectively implementing activities we can develop STEM learning that will lead to the holistic development of the children. In addition to that, through Math and Science course I was able to know more about math concepts and new activities that can be implemented in my field. That will help me to become a professionally competent Early Childhood Educator.

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Geometry

1, I will give infants connecting shapes activity. Infants will try to grasp the materials using their palms, this will enhance their grasping capacities. The educators can show the children how to use the materials, then the children can follow the steps. Infants will first examine the material and they will try to do a trial-error method and try to master the toy by practicing it several times. Through this activity, children will be able to understand more about shapes as they try to connect the materials together. Infants will also be able to learn transformation words as the educators ask them to flip or turn the materials to connect them with other pieces. In addition to that, the activity will help children to learn to construct shapes using materials. This will enhance their construction skills. Moreover, through this activity, children will be able to match and organize materials according to their color. This will also develop and boost their problem-solving skills.

2, One activity I would like to give preschoolers is "matching the blocks to the picture", preschoolers have better cognitive abilities compared to infants and toddlers. This activity will help them to know about the different types of geometric shapes such as triangles, rectangles, squares, etc. This experience will help them to connect with their surroundings and to identify the shapes in their surrounding. For example, if a child knows a circle shape, he/she will identify the shape whenever he/she saw that in any place. This activity will help children to arrange the shapes where they fit, and it will enhance their construction abilities. When they try to match the shapes with the picture they will get an awareness of the shapes as well as will get a better understanding of spatial awareness. In this activity also educators can teach children transformation words by giving guidance or instruction by using those words in their conversation. By incorporating this activity we can enhance preschoolers' geometric abilities.

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1, Through this workshop, I was able to know more about different types of data displays that can be used for supporting children's math learning. When children play five/ten frames, they will be able to understand counting. They will be able to move their play coins according to the number that they got by rolling dice. This will also help in rational counting as the game itself makes children add numbers they got on the dice. The glyph diagram makes children able to enhance their conceptual subitizing ability as they can see number patterns without a group. They will count the legends in order to understand the number or data. In station 5 "connecting data displays to science," we tried to analyze the data of the science experiment, this will help children to understand the correlation between science and maths. In addition to that children will be able to practice their matching abilities to put their answers under the categories given in the chart. They can also compare their answer with the results. In station 3, we set up our own data displays, there we used a common topic about pets, by this activity children will be able to classify their responses according to the answers provided by the children. For example, if the answer is yes they will classify and put the answers under the "yes" column. Children will also be able to practice or enhance their rote counting abilities by counting the responses. Through these ways, data displays can enhance children's math learning.

2, Five/ten frames is a fun game activity that helps children to play and interact with their peers. This is a fun-oriented learning game that enables children to enhance their mathematical skills. Especially their number sense. The game makes children know and identify the number that is on the dice or things that they are using for playing. For example, if a child got the number 5 on the dice, he/she needs to count five and need to recognize the fifth frame on the ten frames. Likewise, they also need to understand the value of each word associated with that number. Five/ten frames game helps children to identify the number from the dice or chart that they use for playing, which improves their number sense. In addition to that, through this activity children will be able to recognize the written number that is visible on the dice or chart.

Through these ways, five/ten frames support children's number sense and also help in building a strong connection towards numbers.

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1, Snakes and ladders: This is a fun-filled activity that enables children to become more attentive towards the play. The activity is a simple one and children can play with limited assistance from the educators. Snakes and ladders game is a math game. Math and fun-oriented one. When a dice rolls, the participant should move his or her game piece while counting the number. This activity includes so much math practice and learning. For example, when we get a 4 number on the dice, we have to move the game piece 4 times. So, we are using addition here, the same as when we go down the ladder we will be using subtraction. The activity helps children to practice calculations and it also helps them to identify the numbers. I will give this activity to school-age children because they attain or learn calculations at this age. From their syllabus itself, they will get much exposure to mathematical calculations. As they have basics it would be easy for them to do the calculations. Moreover, it would be appropriate for school-age as they know or identify the numbers even better than other age groups. In addition to that, school-age children are more flexible enough to work in a group as they learn or try to understand other children's perspectives. So, I will introduce the snakes and ladders activity to school-age children.

2, Using loose parts (station 4): In this activity, we used different types of beads, spoons, small bins, circle shapes, etc. Children can use spoons to pick the same color, size, or pattern beads and can collect them in a bin. This will help children in counting the beads, and seriation as they organize objects in a logical way. In addition to that children will try to sort the beads or the loose parts in accordance with the specific feature of the object. This will enhance their mathematical abilities. For the younger children, I will try to incorporate beads with rough patches on their surfaces. This will make children able to hold it in their hands. Younger children find it difficult to hold it in their hand as they didn't have full-fledged grasping skills. I will also try to avoid small beads because children might try to put the beads in their mouths. In order to take their safety, I will remove small beads.

For the older age group, I will try to add some complex beads with numbers on them. Children can identify identical numbers from the beads and they can also arrange them. I will even try to give them math solutions (for example what is 10+10), children can do the calculations and can put the exact number of beads as the answer. This will help them to practice calculations easily. Even more, doing it as a group will also help in their group formation and leads to their holistic development.

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Engineering as a focus

I am selecting the "newspaper tower" station for explaining the engineering steps.

What is the problem: For this activity, the problem or the task was to build a free-standing tower. We got materials like adhesive tape and newspaper. As a group, we read the objectives of the activity and we identified the problem that we need to solve.

Brainstorm ideas: next step was to brainstorm our ideas. As a group, we had different ideas to meet the objectives. One group member took the initiative to ask and clarify the ideas of each member and make sure that each member got an opportunity to share their idea. One idea that came into our group was to make a stand for the tower using paper. We discussed the possibility of doing that and everyone agreed to do so.

Design/invent: Then we came up with some good ideas like folding paper together to make a stiff paper roll to hold the tower. Then another idea we designed was to make a stand using a lot of paper and then place the tower on the stand. We needed paper and adhesive tape to make the stand and a stiff paper roll.

Test and evaluate: In the next step, we started building the tower by consolidating our idea. At first, we build a strong base for the tower. We used a stack of paper to build the base. Then we started rolling the paper to make a hard paper roll, we stuck those paper rolls with adhesive paper. In the last step, we started covering the hard paper roll with paper. At that moment, we found that the stand cannot hold this much weight and the tower started bending. We then started finding the flaw in our design.

Re-design/ modify design: We as a group started discussing the flaw in our design. One of my group members suggested that we should add more paper rolls in the bottom part and need to reduce the weight at the top and middle parts. I started modifying the design as per our discussion. We added more hard paper rolls at the bottom part which is near the base. And removed some paper rolls from the top and middle parts. By modifying our design, we were able to make a tower that even touched the ceiling of the classroom.

Share solutions with others: When we finished the work on the tower, some of our classmates came and asked doubts about how we built the tower this tall. We share our ideas and inventions with others and they were happy to try those ideas in their challenge also. Some even asked about the need for a base for the tower, we helped them by explaining that the strong base helped the tower from falling down.

By going through these steps, we were able to make a huge tower that touched the ceiling and become a "wow" subject in the class.

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1, In workshop 4, I like the baking soda and shaving cream activity. The activity was really fun, and it helped me to recall my childhood memories when I tried to steal my father's shaving cream for decorating my sand cake. I will introduce this activity to school-age children. One reason is that baking shaving cream is like soap and there is a high chance that infants, toddlers, and preschoolers might lick it or put it in their eyes. According to Piaget's cognitive development theory, school-age children will master numerical abilities. In this activity, they should use those numerical abilities to pour the right amount of materials to get the desired end result.

2, The experience that children will get from these activities will support their science learning. For example, when they explore the materials they will try to figure out how to use the materials and experiment with the materials to discover an end result. This is the same way that we conduct science experiments, we will get random materials and then we experiment and discover the final results. Through the activity, we are helping children to get used to the scientific processes that they might encounter in their future life. Moreover, in all these science activities, children need to measure or count materials that are needed for the activity. This will help in enhancing their mathematical skills and also make them predict the end result. Making predictions will make them work in accordance with the goal of the activity.

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I noticed that "Out to Play Farm and Forest School" activities encompass nature and the resources available in nature. It is seen that children spend most of their time in nature and exploring the natural habitat. It helped children to form a connection with nature. Their activities are inclusive of materials from nature and it also helps children to develop a sense of engagement with nature. From the educator of the school, I came to know that they have different groups in the school, for example, "Wolf den". They used the names from nature which also helps in building a connection with nature. After circle time and story sharing, they will go hiking, this will focus on building a sense of well-being and catalyze their relationship with nature. Another thing I noticed is the garden; they encourage children in gardening. Educators also take part in gardening, this helps children to get involved in nature and they will understand the need of protecting nature. As an educator, the knowledge I got from the field visit will help in developing a curriculum that will focus on enhancing children's connection with nature.

I wonder, how they are going to withstand extreme climatic conditions. For example, if the snow hits hard, how are they going to stay in the tent without any electric heater facility. I remember that they said that they will use wood and will make a fire inside the tent. But my doubt is that will it be sufficient? Another doubt that came to my mind is about the safety of children. When they engage with nature, there is a high possibility to get attacked by insects or bees, so are there any measures that they are using to avoid such situations. I also wondered about their circle time. It is different from what I experienced in other childhood centers, so I would like to explore more about their circle time and the genre of stories that they are opting for in storytime.

It reminds me of the old school system in Indian culture "Gurukulam", where children stay with children in the forest, and they learn, interact, and engage with nature. This interaction with nature helped them to become intellectual and it even paved the way for the development of traditional schools of medicine like "Ayurveda". During the time of my PG studies (Social Work), I visited an NGO called "Chilla" meaning tree branch. The visit to the forest school helped me to recall those good memories.

2, Out to Play Farm and Forest School program supports children's connection to nature. The activities that they conduct in the school help children form a sense of belonging to nature. For example, they conduct story time in the outdoor space, where they incorporate their observations and real-life nature experiences as elements of their story. This helps children to explore nature and elements and mold it appropriately for their stories. In addition to that, the materials that they use in their dramatic play area are loose parts from nature. Children when playing and interacting with these materials, will form a connection to nature. Moreover, they will understand the importance of protecting nature.

3, From the field visit, I came to know about the need of incorporating nature into children's learning and how it would catalyze the holistic development of children. For example, when children share their stories by collaborating on their experiences from nature, it will help in developing their imagination and creative thinking skill. Moreover, in "Out to Play" school the activities are more focused on enhancing their holistic development by incorporating nature and natural elements. They help children to build a connection with nature by engaging them in gardening, hiking, and theme parks in the middle of the woods. There are spots where children can go and play with educators and they will engage in activities like drawing, painting, etc. Through these activities, children become able to know more about nature and it will also help in their holistic development.

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I noticed that each story walk station will help in exploring our creative and critical thinking abilities. When we walk through each station, we can envision the story from the drawings. Each station will help in understanding the possibility of evoking curiosity. I observed that this activity will make children explore their imagination and can also able to make them understand the story. As children of age like to see images rather than read stories.

I wonder how children could spend time on each story walks. Children with special needs especially with mental issues will find it difficult to stay attentive to the story walk activity. I wonder that if children understand the idea of story walks, it will help in developing their skills. For example, in story walks we will make children enact certain scenes of the story. This will make children and educators to understand their various talents and the educators can also help children in boosting their talents. I strongly believe that story walk is an effective tool for children. It will help in enhancing the holistic development of children. Moreover, this is an opportunity for children to explore their skills and to discover their talents.

It reminds me of my school days, poster presentation programs were conducted in my school. Socially relevant topics were the prime focus of those poster presentations. At that time, these events grabbed our attention towards those social issues. As childhood educators, our role in story walk is to facilitate an environment that helps the children to enjoy the story walks. Suitable locations are essential for conducting story walks. During story walks, it is the duty of educators to clarify the doubts of children and to encourage them in performing the tasks mentioned in those stories. Educators can also act as resource mobilizers, they will arrange and organize materials that are needed for the activity. Educators should be careful in selecting suitable locations for the story walk. The environment should be inspected and supervised by educators. If any conflict happens between children, the educator should be available in helping them to resolve the conflict and to enjoy the story walk together. It is also important that educators should make sure that all children get an equal opportunity to walk through the whole story. Moreover, this story walks should help in bringing a sense of belonging, expression, and engagement to the program and it should focus in the well-being of children.

When children engage in story walks, they will get enough time to explore nature. Nowadays, children are spending most of their time in front of the screen, and they also like to follow a sedentary lifestyle. Activities like story walk help them to discover the wide variety of natural elements that are available to them and to make a visit through the ecosystem. Story walks will help them in developing a connection with nature, as they walk through nature, they can explore the nature around them, and they will use it as a reference in their art activities.

So..... nature will find a way to connect with children and it will provide opportunities for children in development.

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Scavenger Hunt

I noticed the leaves are green in color. They both have spikes-like edges. Vein-like lines are all over the surface of both leaves. I noticed that one of the leaves, it had a friendly visit from a fungus, and its edges got a darker shade. When I touched the leaves, I noticed that leaves are a little bit smooth.

I wonder how long the leaves can withstand the visit of that fungus? Will it get protection from the tree? The leaves will fall when the fall season comes. What would be their feelings when they bid adieu to the tree during the fall time.

It reminds me of a poem written by an Indian writer which says when a strong wind hits the tree, leaves will protect him by giving him shade. But there is a time when the tree needs to give a send-off to those leaves with tearful eyes. It helped me to recall my memories of playing in my garden with my friends. We used leaves as money for buying things in the play market.

3. As a childhood educator I can support children's exploration by actively engaging with them in the exploration activity. Actively engaging with them will help in developing a positive relationship with children and it also enhances their confidence level. Providing a developmentally appropriate environment would also help in children's exploration of nature. Giving freedom to engage in nature will also help in their exploratory skills.