Play may mean many things, but in early childhood education it can include learning science concepts. Looking for resources on “Learning Science Concepts Through Play“? Check the The NSTA Learning Center Early Childhood Forum, a community that includes early childhood educators in all roles in the profession and is free to all with registration. 

Looking for resources on “Kindergarten Activities“? Check the LC EC forum. “Teaching Science to Kindergarten in a Short Time Frame“? Check the LC EC forum!

Experienced educators share their ideas on how to choose science experiences and activities  (see “Pinterest” in the Elementary forum) and preservice teachers share the resources and ideas they find most useful in their beginning practice. One of the experienced educators I look for is Maureen Stover. See her questions for identifying worthy lesson plans online:

I do quite a bit of my lesson planning by searching for ideas and activities on the internet. Like all resources on the internet, you do need to be cautious of information and ideas you find online to ensure they are legitimate and valid. Here’s my mental checklist that I run through when I’m evaluating an internet resource:
1. Is this an activity/resource that meets my lesson objective/goal?
2. Is this activity on grade level (or can I easily modify it)?
3. Is this activity reasonable to complete in my classroom?
4. Is this activity safe?
5. Is this activity affordable?
6. Will this activity engage my students?
Also, whenever I am downloading a resource or looking up content knowledge, I try to validate the information from several sources to ensure the information is accurate.

What are your favorite Learning Center topics?