![]() In this article, we explain why engineering practices are an important part of early STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) learning and share recent explorations of engineering practices from Ms. Stefanie, the children identified a problem, imagined possible solutions, and selected a design to model and test. Stefanie (the second author) facilitated for the children demonstrate how engineering practices can be integrated into preschool classrooms. Stefanie looks forward to guiding the children through a few cycles of the design process so they can improve their prototype and build a pipe system. Their enthusiasm for the project remains high, and Ms. The children list pipes, water, sand, buckets, tape, clay, twine, and sticks. She asks them to think about the materials they need to create a prototype. Stefanie provides copies of a blueprint of the playground, which the children use to draw their pipe plans. Eventually, they agree to design a pipe system to move water. ![]() ![]() As they consider why preserving and reclaiming water matter, they sketch plans and discuss the merits and constraints of various models. Stefanie helps a small group of interested preschoolers imagine solutions by providing photographs and nonfiction texts of water transportation systems-like pipes, aqueducts, and pulleys-to introduce them to ways others have addressed similar problems.įor several days, the children investigate potential solutions, realizing that conservation of water should be one of their primary concerns. Stefanie frames this as a problem, asking them, “How can we transport water from the porch to the sandbox?” Ms. Stefanie, for water to make the sand wet again. ![]() After the sun dries the sand, they ask their teacher, Ms. Three-year-olds Jessie and Michaela spend the morning exploring the effects of last night’s rainfall on the playground sandbox. ![]()
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