Seeds of stem

 Seeds of STEM is a year-long, standards-aligned, integrated STEM curriculum for preschool and pre-K classrooms.  The curriculum was developed by a team of teachers and researchers, through funding from the US Department of Education (IES, grant #R305A150571).  

Following a rigorous  testing and revision process involving nearly 40 Head Start classrooms, Seeds of STEM is now ready for classroom implementation. 

 Seeds of STEM integrates science concepts with engineering practices, and supports the development of STEM foundational skills. Throughout the Seeds of STEM units, the children define and research the problem, brainstorm possible solutions, sort the solutions into testable/non-testable in a classroom setting, plan a selected solution, create the solution, test it against the criteria for successful solutions, revise the solutions, and share the final solutions with Problem Panda and a classroom guest. Throughout the process the children share their work (ideas, plans, and prototypes) with their peers. 

 Seeds of STEM was developed in alignment with four sets of standards: The Next Generation Science Standards (kindergarten), the Common Core standards for Mathematics (Kindergarten), the Massachusetts Science, Technology, and Engineering (STE) frameworks (Pre-K and kindergarten), and the Head Start’s Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF).