We are so excited about our upcoming early childhood curricula—and we know you are too! Every time we post an update, we hear an enthusiastic chorus of “That’s so exciting! When will it be available?” Both Wee Engineer and EiE for Kindergarten have tentative release dates of summer 2018. To tide you over until then, we compiled our most informative early childhood curriculum updates from the last few years to give you a comprehensive view of our process so far. Read on and make sure you visit the original posts to learn about the origins of our early education initiative and to read our favorite anecdote about smiley face erasers.

Our team is always looking for more ways to support elementary science and elementary teachers. We listen closely to teachers, and we hear them express their need for financial support to underwrite the costs of professional development and materials. So we are pleased to invest some of our project funds in a new round of professional development scholarships . . . and today we’re delighted to announce the names of 49 elementary teachers from 21 states who will receive awards!

Today’s guest blogger is Hannah Schulze, EiE’s research and evaluation intern.

I am currently a junior studying Biomedical Engineering at Wentworth Institute of Technology, and since January, I’ve been working as an intern at the Museum of Science, Boston. When I began my internship search, I knew I wanted an opportunity that would allow me to combine my love for engineering and my passion for social justice work. That’s why I was thrilled to see a posting for an internship through the Museum of Science for Engineering is Elementary. I was one of those kids who visited the museum and thought the whole thing was magic. Almost like Disney World—but better, because the Museum of Science wants everyone in on the magic together. Everyone has the chance to discover and explore. Engineering is Elementary, in particular, spoke to me because of my connection to its mission: fostering engineering and technological literacy among children—including those students who are traditionally underserved or underrepresented in STEM fields.

Happy Earth Day! Are you looking to incorporate some eco-themed activities into your STEM programs? Here are seven superfun curriculum units from EiE's Engineering Adventures and Engineering Everywhere. Engineering Adventures and Engineering Everywhere include project-based, hands-on units to help you implement engineering in a way that fits your time and budget needs. 

Even before we began designing our preschool curriculum, Wee Engineer, we knew that we would have to create new activities, different context-setting tools, and even a new Engineering Design Process (EDP). But we never thought we’d be trying our hand at songwriting! At EiE, we have a very involved curriculum development process. We meet with teachers and specialists and learn what works in the classroom. During an early Wee Engineer focus group, a teacher suggested setting the steps of the EDP to music with accompanying dance moves, because it would help teachers reinforce the vocabulary with their kids. The other teachers enthusiastically agreed, and they convinced us that an EDP Song would enhance the curriculum and get kids excited about the process they were engaging in. Never to be intimidated, our curriculum team got together to figure how to engineer the perfect EDP song.