An Inquiry Learning Approach
ROCKINGANDROLLING
Supporting Infants and Toddlers in STEM Explorations
An Inquiry Learning Approach
Sherri Peterson
A group of toddlers in Aimee’ s class are standing along one side of the water table. For several days, they have been investigating how water moves, using cups, plastic tubs, and bowls for dumping and pouring. On this day, Aimee has added pitchers and containers with holes. These include clear plastic tubes with perforated lids, colanders, and mesh sand scoops. She is curious about what the toddlers will notice when they begin pouring water into the containers with holes and is ready with her camera and clipboard to document their discoveries.
Mimi, 31 months, is investigating the effects of pouring water into one of the tube’ s perforated lids. While pouring, she turns from the table so that water flows through the holes and onto the mat under the table.“ Water stays in the table,” Aimee says. She then asks,“ Do you see that the water is coming out of those holes?”
Mimi looks up and nods as water continues to flow onto the floor.“ How can you keep the water in the table?” Aimee asks. Mimi fills her pitcher and pours water into the table. Then she goes back to the lid in her hand and pours the remainder of the water through the holes and onto the floor.
Aimee sees that Mimi does not yet understand that she needs to put the lid over the table before she pours water through its holes. She moves closer to Mimi, picks up a different pitcher and lid with holes, and demonstrates pouring water through the holes into the water table as she narrates what she is doing.“ Try pouring it over the table,” she says. Mimi watches, then moves her hand under the lid so that she catches the water as it flows through the holes.
As program coordinator at the Iowa Regents’ Center for Early Developmental Education, I work with infant and toddler educators at our university child care center to plan science, technology, engineering, and mathematics( STEM) experiences for infants and toddlers. After vetting them with the children, we determine which to include in the professional learning opportunities we provide for educators in our state. These experiences are based on our understanding of the integrated nature of children’ s learning( NAEYC 2020), which includes honoring children’ s interests, prior knowledge, and cultural contexts. We develop these experiences and materials to include in the curriculum because we believe that early STEM matters( Spaepen et al. 2017).
88 Young Children
Summer 2025