British Science Week 2023
Connections
10th to 19th March 2023
Blog 4 - Where to start with developing a STEM curriculum in the early years?
In the early years at the moment there is an exciting buzz (although sometimes daunting) about what is your curriculum and developing your own curriculum. This has been the increasing emphasis since the introduction of the revised Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in 2021. Compiled with the ever demanding pressure of Ofsted who want to see early yeas settings delivering an ambitious curriculum, which is regularly referred to in the Early Years Inspection Framework 2021.
After what feels like many years of a potentially interpreted system of you must do x-y-z as you curriculum, the power has been returned now to early years practitioners. Highlighting in particular that the focus is not solely on the EYFS development matters statements, or indeed that learning happens only with the designated areas of learning in the EYFS. Rather we know see the EYFS educational programs (areas of learning) as the bare bones and our job is to put the meat on the bones. But also remembering that settings curriculum’s that are ambitious are unique, tailored to the individual children’s interests, motivations and learning.
This is a fantastic opportunity to reflect on your settings curriculum and incorporate or focus on STEM education as part of your unique and ambitious curriculum that you offer your children. That builds upon the seven areas of development and the characteristics of effective learning and teaching. We appreciate that this power might feel daunting and you may be unsure of where to start, so we are sharing with you three tips to developing your STEM curriculum to get you started.
Tip One - Develop Curriculum Outcomes
My first recommendation is to think of curriculum outcomes in relation to STEM skills and knowledge, that you would like to see children develop by the time they leave your setting. When we think about what curriculum is in it’s simplest definition curriculum is what we want children to learn in the time that they are with us.
STEM skills are those foundational skills that children need to develop in order to be able to reach their full potential or engage in STEM education. Such as learning to problem-solve, test ideas, observe, talk and share their ideas with others, hypothesize, work in collaboration, resilience, to be able to think of ideas, be innovative, being curious, being methodical and so on.
STEM knowledge is specific information we want children to gain in relation to STEM. For example, this might be developing an understanding of growth, change and decay. Learning the life cycle of a butterfly. Or about capacity, gravity, magnitude, electricity and so on.
A STEM curriculum goal example
To be able to talk and share their observations with their peers and adults about what happens to plants over a period of time; demonstrating an understanding of plant life cycles, growth, decay and change.
Tip Two - Outline the Steps Children Take to Reach Curriculum Outcomes
When we think about children’s learning, it is often a journey where children go through different stages before they get to the end goal of our curriculum. So it is really helpful to think about what are those stages that children go through in order to meet that goal. Take some time as a team to discuss child development, your knowledge of your children and how you can break the learning down into smaller steps to get to the end goal.
Steps to consider when breaking down curriculum goals
Physical development.
Personal, social and emotional development.
Communication and language.
What prior knowledge do the need to reach the end goal?
Curriculum Goal Example: To be able to talk and share their observations with their peers and adults about what happens to plants over a period of time; demonstrating an understanding of plant life cycles, growth, decay and change.
Under twos - to develop their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination to enable them to help plant plants and water them. To use key words relating to life cycle e.g. small, big, grow, seed, plant.
Two to threes - to be able to look after their plants with support and help e.g. watering plants. To use simple sentences to relay their observations about plants and seeds. E.g. “It got bigger!” To develop their observational skills through a variety of sensory play and activities (to support their knowledge understanding and language development for talking about what they observe).
Three to Four Year olds -Talk about and retell the life cycle of a plant to peers/adults. To show care and concern for their plants and begin to understanding what they need. e.g. sunshine, water etc. To listen and respond appropriately to others as they share ideas.
*Please note that this is not inclusive of all the skills that children might need to learn the overall curriculum goal outlined and that this is based in a curriculum that already offers a firm foundation of learning opportunities across the 3 prime areas of development. These are communication and language development, personal, social and emotional development and physical development, that will underpin and lay the foundations for a well-rounded STEM curriculum.
Tip Three - Develop a Bank of Ideas
For each of your curriculum goals and steps that children will go through on their journey to reaching the mail goal , it can be really helpful to develop a bank of ideas. This is because especially when starting something new we might need to look for ideas and inspirations, it might not come naturally to us in the moment. Or if you are anything like I was we can easily full into the habit of doing the same thing, because it worked before and by having a bank of ideas it encourages us to try new ideas and offer more of a breadth of experiences.
Example bank of ideas to support curriculum goal
Vegetable patch,
Cress monsters,
Activities to develop observational skills, - e.g. gloop, dancing raisins experiment, colour mixing activities,
Life cycle books and activities,
Observational still life painting/drawing.
“The best learning comes through experience, play and hands on opportunities. If we want to learn about how a seed turns into a tomato, let’s explore the seeds, plant the seeds, nurture them and watch them grow. I strongly believe children are not passive in their learning, they are active involved and making meaningful connections through doing.”
Want to find out more or join our upcoming training, ‘Developing Your STEM Curriculum in the Early Years? We would love for you to join us and have more information below.
