art

The Inclusion of STEM/STEAM in Preschool

| FunShine Express

by Katie Brazerol

In recent years there has been a push to include more science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills in education. As the trend has shown success, educators have recommended the application of STEM activities in early childhood as well. Incorporation of STEM activities will help children observe, analyze, and make predictions about things in their environment. They will learn to fulfill their natural curiosity and develop inquisitiveness about subjects and how things work. They will also strengthen math skills beyond shapes, colors, and counting, such as analyzing quantities, measuring, collecting data, and recording results.

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Teacher-Directed vs. Child-Directed Art

| FunShine Express

by Katie Brazerol

Teacher-directed vs. child-directed art has long been a hot topic in early childhood. Teachers and providers usually understand the importance of keeping art projects age-appropriate and child-focused, but many parents pressure them to offer crafts that are cute, theme-related, and showcase-worthy. Some teachers avoid all mass-produced crafts while others struggle with freestyle art because some children do not stay engaged long without specific instruction.

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Hearts for Art

| FunShine Express

by Judy MullicanHearts-for-Art

As Valentine’s Day approaches, children are likely to be interested in adding hearts to valentines and other artwork. If you take a few minutes to teach them how to cut out a heart without a pattern, they will be empowered to create hearts of all sizes from any paper they like. Here’s an easy way:

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