Janay Parham: This is called a funnel.

Student: I’m going to do that again.

Janay Parham: A funnel. What’s happening?

Janay Parham: Because we emphasize them in pre-school, my students are able to build on their confidence levels when mastering science, technology, engineering, and math. They’re able to explore and observe different subjects, different materials, different tools, and be able to utilize those things sooner in life.

Janay Parham: I have a question.

Adrien: Yeah? What?

Janay Parham: Is sand a solid or liquid?

Adrien: A liquid..

Janay Parham: A liquid–

Adrien: Solid!

Janay Parham: Mm.

Janay Parham: –rock go under the water. What about the leaf?

Angie Belisle: At Educare, we knew STEM was a yes for us, because we wanted the kids to have some of that language and those experiences of STEM practices.

Adrien: It’s slow.

Angie Belisle: A few years ago we received a grant opportunity to bring STEM to Educare New Orleans for the four-year-olds. And we jumped on it. It began with teachers and supervisors going through an extensive training.

Angie Belisle: We found that the kids loved it. It wasn’t over their heads. It was very age-appropriate. Several other classes now implement STEM in the classroom.

Angie Belisle: So, STEM happens in the classroom through play, actually through the centers.

Janay Parham: At such a young age, they’re at a stage where they want to see, they want to feel, they want to touch, they want to know what it is. Whatever they are playing with, basically, finding a way to incorporate those science, technology, engineering, and math questions with blocks and in water, all of the different centers that we have in the classroom.

Adrien: I’m going to build my castle.

Janay Parham: You’re going to build your castle, too?

Janay Parham: Adrien loves to build. And he’s really thoughtful about where he’s going to put what.

Janay Parham: Uh-oh!

Students: <gleeful screams>

Janay Parham: He was building a structure and it kept falling over. And he was like, “You know what? I’m going to move this structure over to the wall.”

Janay Parham: Why do you need the wall?

Adrien: So, it can’t fall down.

Janay Parham: So, that it won’t fall down. Okay.

Janay Parham: The bottom is called the foundation. So, did you make sure your foundation was sturdy first?

Janay Parham: We gave them that vocabulary of foundation and stability and gravity. What’s making that big, heavy, tall block stay on top of that little small block?

Janay Parham: So, when you put the smaller pieces– uh-oh, Adrien!

Janay Parham: Why do think it started to fall?

Adrien: Because of this one.

Janay Parham: Because of this one? So, this one made it what?

Adrien: Fell?

Janay Parham: Lighter or heavier?

Adrien: Heavier.

Janay Parham: Heavier. So, you think you can’t put heavy pieces on the edge or it’s going to fall?

Adrien: Put it up top.

Janay Parham: All right. There you go.

Janay Parham: Also, we had Zoomy set up. And Zoomy’s really fun.

Giselle Scott: Zoomy, because he zooms in and gets really close and lets us look at things really closely. Okay? So, each of you will get a chance to use Zoomy.

Giselle Scott: We were introducing a digital microscope. We had different types of fruits, vegetables..

Giselle Scott: Prior to my STEM training, I probably would have demonstrated for the kids how to use it. I would have used it for them and just let them watch.

Giselle Scott: So, you can see all the little fibers and threads in the..

Giselle Scott: It can be engaging by allowing the kids to just play, stepping back, observing, encourage them to see how that tool was helpful to them just based on what they were doing, as opposed to me doing it for them or me telling them what to do.

Janay Parham: Prior to having STEM training, I was like, “What is going to be the purpose of this? These children aren’t going to be understand this.” Here I am, a big grown lady, and I’m– still can’t understand certain science concepts.

Janay Parham: Once we mix the water in with the corn starch, is it going to be a solid or is it going to be a liquid?

Janay Parham: It’s really interesting to me that they’re able to grasp whatever we give them.

Janay Parham: What about you, Cassim? Cassim, do you think it’s going to be a solid or a liquid?

Cassim: Solid!

Janay Parham: When I was growing up they didn’t give us many opportunities to do hands-on activities when it came to science. I think if I would have had those opportunities that I’m giving my students, that I would have been able to understand it more and be more interested in it. So, it’s really fun to be able to explore those things on my students now.

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