May 1, 2023

Young children are curious and motivated to explore their environment and learn about the world around them. They are captivated by the worm they notice wiggling through the soil or the pesky shadow behind them! Science investigations can take advantage of this curiosity and support children’s learning by making meaningful connections to their everyday lives. Early Science with Nico & NorⓇ was designed with these important goals in mind. The program includes a set of resources that aims to promote preschool STEM teaching and learning in both home and school. The resources were created through a collaborative design process that included families, teachers, curriculum designers, media developers, and researchers. This development process began by bringing together team members to brainstorm activity ideas that center the experiences of children and families, and that provide playful contexts to engage in science, math and engineering learning together. The goal was to intentionally design fun learning activities that are practical, easy to implement in everyday settings, and reflect families’ traditions and realities.