Sixty-five percent of kids who are entering elementary school today will have jobs that don’t exist yet. That piece of data has stuck with me ever since I heard it. My educator mind went circling for solutions. To me, the answer revolves around creativity, innovation, and imagination. If we give kids tools to be successful learners, then they will be able to solve problems using whatever new technology comes their way. At the Knock Knock Children’s Museum, we encourage kids to learn through play about a variety of topics using modern technology in combination with beloved stories—both old and new. Kids listen to stories every day, so logic comes easily when there are characters, a conflict, and a resolution.
STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) is integrated in every single learning zone throughout the museum, just as it is everywhere in life. For example, in the Art Garden children may be creating squishy circuits with Play-Doh to make things light up or buzz. In the Knock Knock Maker Shop they may be building Scribbling Machines using motors and batteries, and are challenged to create a contraption that moves across the page and leave a mark in its path. And in Go Go Garage, they may be designing cars with LEGOs, testing them on inclined race tracks, and then making adjustments so they can go faster.
As an early childhood consultant, I’ve been working to mesh storytelling with technology. One way we do this is by teaching students as young as three how to program robots and use other tech tools that help them create a narrative. Here are a few ways we’ve integrated storytelling into teaching STEAM topics.
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