Making and Tinkering with STEM
June 12 or June 13, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
East Baton Rouge Parish School System’s Professional Development Center
Embrace a mindset for making and tinkering through engaging, playful experiences led by nationally recognized educator and author Cate Heroman and Knock Knock Children’s Museum’s Maker Shop Specialist Alexandra Pearson. Together we’ll investigate how tinkering and making experiences support fundamental STEM thinking and learning for young children. After this introduction to the fundamentals of tinkering, we’ll dive into NAEYC’s book, Making and Tinkering With STEM: Solving Design Challenges With Young Children. You’ll learn how tinkering, making, and engineering are related and how each has an important role in the early childhood setting.
During this highly interactive full-day workshop, you will:
- Examine three aspect of maker education (tinkering, making, and engineering) and explore what these look like in early childhood settings (preschool through 3rd grade).
- Experience tinkering activities as a learner and then reflect as an educator of young children.
- Engage in first-hand exploration of design challenges linked to problems characters face in children’s picture books.
- Learn strategies for establishing an environment that inspires children to think creatively, take risks, and solve problems.
Participants will walk away with new insights about the important role of tinkering, making, and engineering and a practical resource that includes:
- 25 engineering design challenges appropriate for children ages 3-8.
- Suggestions for creating a makerspace environment where children can tinker with materials, use tools to make creations, and improve on their ideas.
- A list of 100 picture books that encourage STEM-rich exploration and learning.
- Questions and ideas for expanding children’s understanding of STEM concepts.
- A planning template to create their own design challenges.
Price for workshop is $150 and includes:
- Signed copy of “Making and Tinkering With STEM: Solving Design Challenges With Young Children.”
- One general admission ticket to Knock Knock Children’s Museum.
Please note: Lunch will be provided.