PreK-5 STEM Explorers

Last week, I attended this great webinar hosted by AI for Education. When we hear AI, we usually think of ChatGPT or high-tech tools that aren't exactly age-appropriate for a 6-year-old. But the session made a compelling case: AI is already part of our students' lives, from the videos recommended to them on YouTube to the voice assistants they talk to at home.

The big takeaway? We aren't recommending direct student use of AI before third grade. However, we have a responsibility to build AI Literacy early on, and we might be surprised how much will click with our students.

How do we teach AI to young learners?

The goal isn’t to get kids "on" the tech, but to help them understand the world around the tech. Here’s what was covered:

• Spotting AI in the Wild: Using real-world examples to show kids that AI is a tool humans built. It’s in our Netflix recommendations…

It's a modern teaching paradox that we all grapple with: How do we equip our students with foundational Computational Thinking skills while honoring the research that tells us young children learn best by doing, not by staring at a screen?

The answer might be just outside your classroom door!

Earth: The Ultimate Open Source Code

In many ways, Earth is the world’s oldest and most sophisticated engineer. From the structural efficiency of a honeycomb to the network architecture of a forest’s root system, nature has been debugging its designs for billions of years. When we shift our STEM focus from screens to systems, we realize that nature is actually a massive, unplugged lab for exploring design and logic.

Coding as the New Literacy

The research of experts like Marina Bers helps us understand that coding isn't just a technical skill; it’s a fundamental literacy.

I've been quietly working on this project for a while, and it is now ready to launch!

Introducing our new Early Learning Career Kits! Each kit is built around a STEM-related career (healthcare, engineering/construction, air & space, and more) and includes real tools, dramatic play materials, simple investigation prompts, and career-related books in both English and Spanish. Geared toward children in Preschool and Kindergarten, the goal is to promote purposeful exploration through play. When children wear a hard hat, use real (child-safe) tools, measure rainfall, or examine a model with a magnifier, they’re building early STEM identity alongside foundational skills.

Why career-focused kits in early learning?

• Career awareness starts early.

• Vocabulary becomes more meaningful when tied to authentic roles.

• Dramatic play becomes deeper when it’s connected to real-world problem solving.

If your students have been exploring AI with Day of AI or another curriculum, here’s a fun little tool to bring those conversations to life in a fresh way: AI Trivia Time from Day of AI USA! It’s a short trivia game built for classes that already know a bit about Artificial Intelligence and are ready to show what they know.

👉 Play it here: https://www.dayofaiusa.org/game\

How it works (quick + classroom-ready): Choose a grade band (K–6 or 7–12), create a team name, and select a topic. Read the trivia questions aloud, talk them through as a class, and submit your answers together. Built-in explanations help students dig into the why behind each question, and there’s even a monthly leaderboard with prizes!

This is a true plug-and-play option for busy classrooms. No long setup or extended time block needed. It works well as a quick warm-up, a post-unit check-in, or a low-stakes way…