STEM

Our Architecture and Engineering for Kids series has been a big hit with my preschooler.  What I didn’t anticipate was how much my toddler would enjoy the all of the construction challenges too!  So this week, I set out to create an engineering for toddlers activity.  And inspiration hit during a…

No study of architecture and engineering would be complete without talking about the Great Pyramids. Egyptian architecture is as mesmerizing in the 21st century as it must have been mystifying when they were constructed.  And thanks to Bubble Guppies, a subject of great fascination to my preschool and toddler too! Egyptian Architecture…

Starting the seeds for our garden on Earth Day is quickly becoming an annual tradition in our family. The wonder and awe the growing process inspires in young children makes gardening even more fun!  To turn our garden into a season-long learning process this year, I created a Preschool Garden…

I received complimentary product for my review from Crayola featured in this post. The content and opinions expressed here remain 100% my own. Engineering for kids is a fascinating area of study because it feeds their natural curiosity.  Taking things apart, wanting to understand how things work, and a desire to bring their imagination and…

A fast favorite from our collection of Architecture and Engineering Books for Kids was Roberto, The Insect Architect.  The girls made me read it every night for two weeks, taking turns over who got to take it to sleep with them at night… and it wasn’t long before they asked if…

For Earth Day last week, the girls and I read all about plants, grew a little pot of grass seed, and ultimately, started our own vegetable seeds.  They thankfully have begun to sprout, and with that, came a flood of questions from Big M.  How long will the rest take? …

A fun way to introduce engineering to preschoolers is with simple machines.  If your last physics class was over a decade ago like me, for reference, simple machines include a lever, wheel and axle, pulley, inclined plain, wedge and a screw.  Gears can be considered a simple machine as a…

Blowing bubbles with our homemade bubble solution has been one of the girls’ favorite summer activities.  However, halfway through the summer, our giant Dollar Store bubbles wands are beginning to fall apart.  So this week, I decided to seize upon the girls’ favorite outdoor activity as a learning opportunity with…

Do you know the story of the Brooklyn Bridge? Twenty One Elephants and Still Standing tells the tale of the construction of this famous landmark, and serves as the inspiration for this week’s Architecture and Engineering activity with a fun engineering science for kids challenge.   Can You Build A Bridge for Twenty-One…

Last month, the girls and I read Look at that Building! and went on an Architectural Scavenger Hunt to connect the vocabulary in the book with the world around us.  The story ends with the kids in the book designing and building their own dog house, a great architecture for kids project… and…

Any Daniel Tiger fans out there?  My girls are and one of their favorite episodes, which they often quote in real life, is when Daniel and friends build “the tallest tower in the world!” This week’s Architecture and Engineering series activity invites them to build a tower and do just…

My girls love math games – especially when they involve lots of shiny, new loose parts.  But official math manipulatives can be expensive, ranging anywhere from $10 to upwards of $30 for larger sets.  The good news is you can play and teach all sorts of arithmetic with math manipulatives that…

I’m always on a quest for activities that engage both my toddler and preschooler at the same time.  This one was originally set up for my toddler to work on her color sorting and identification, and to prevent my preschooler from taking over, I made a few modifications to create…

Confession.  Children’s books can be a bit tiresome, especially when your preschooler wants to read the same one for the 100th time.  Therefore, I really appreciate clever ones, like The Three Little Pigs: An Architectural Tale which put an intelligent twist on classic children’s literature.  It portrays the architectural greats – Frank Lloyd Wright,…

We have been on a quest for indoor entertainment this winter, and this (mostly) Indoor Scavenger Hunt for Kids definitely provided it! Last week in my Architecture and Engineering for Kids series, the girls Made Monuments with Mega Bloks, learning about the majesty of famous and historic architecture.  This week, by…

Preschoolers are natural scientists.  Their insatiable curiosity and inquisitiveness set the perfect stage for basic science experiments.  This week, Big M (age 4) and I are exploring science experiments with candy, featuring SweetTart hearts and custom My M&Ms for Valentine’s Day, but you can use any candy you have on hand.…

Does the next Frank Lloyd Wright live under your roof? Last week, I launched my latest series: Architecture and Engineering for Preschool.  Over the coming weeks, my girls (ages 4 and 2) will explore a great list of books and activities, featuring the toys and supplies below.  If you have…

“…27, 28, 29… Mom, what comes after 29?” This became a recurring conversation with Big M (age 4) over the holidays. She has mastered counting to 20, and quickly caught on to the pattern thereafter. When she starts asking repetitive questions on a subject, I like to seize on her enthusiasm.…

After all the fun we had in 2015 with our Art History for Preschool series, I decided to explore some of the other STEAM categories.  Introducing our newest series – Architecture and Engineering for Kids: STEM for Preschool.  To kick things off, today I am sharing a great list of…