Exploring STEM Through Play and Learning in Preschool at Nebula Academy Daycare

Nebula Academy Daycare is committed to providing a high-quality early childhood education that focuses on the development of the whole child. Our preschool program offers a hands-on approach to learning, with a focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education. Our preschoolers engage in a variety of activities that promote the development of courage, trust, perseverance, confidence and responsibility, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, cognitive and intellectual, social and emotional skills.

Our preschoolers have the opportunity to learn about magnetic properties through experiments with magformer toys on the light table. By exploring magnetic substances, they learn to be curious and to persevere through trial and error. Our Color Exploration activities teach them how to obtain different colors when mixing, which is a great exercise for their fine motor skills. Mixing Impossible is another experiment that we do to increase their interest and improve their awareness regarding natural substances. They learn that matter that looks alike with appearance can be different.

In addition to learning about natural substances, our preschoolers also learn about chemical reactions. They learn that it is possible to create new substances as a result of the reaction of different kinds of mixed matters. They have a blast learning this concept through the Mini Volcano Experiment and making slime and flubber. These experiments teach them about the properties of matter, and they develop confidence in their ability to conduct scientific experiments.

Our Color Mixing activities are another way that we teach our preschoolers about the properties of matter. By mixing two primary colors of food coloring in a clear glass of water, they learn how to make a secondary color. Color Changing Milk is another fun experiment that demonstrates how different substances interact with each other. By mixing food coloring, dish soap, and milk in a shallow dish, our preschoolers create a fun swirling pattern.

Our Baking Soda and Vinegar experiment is a classic science experiment that produces bubbles and fizz. This activity is a great way to teach preschoolers about chemical reactions and to encourage them to be curious about how things work. We also do an electricity experiment with a balloon (sticky static balloon) that teaches our preschoolers about electrical charges and how they attract or repel each other.

Our next term will include more exciting experiments that focus on science, technology, engineering, and math. Our preschoolers will have the opportunity to explore Floating and Sinking by gathering a variety of objects and predicting which will float or sink in a bowl of water. They will plant a bean or seed in soil and observe its growth and changes over time in our Plant Growth activity. We will also create a Rainbow in a Glass by filling a clear glass with water and adding a few drops of food coloring, then slowly adding a second clear glass on top to create a rainbow effect.

At Nebula Academy Daycare, we believe that preschool is a critical time in a child’s life. Our STEM-based approach to learning focuses on the development of the whole child and promotes courage, trust, perseverance, confidence and responsibility, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, cognitive and intellectual, social and emotional skills. We are committed to providing our preschoolers with a safe and nurturing environment where they can learn and grow.