Children listening wearing paper elephant ears in Horton Senses Something Small NanoDays activity

Early Learners

A collection of activities and resources for young learners and early childhood educators.

Young children are natural scientists. Educators can encourage scientific behaviors in children ages 0-5 by recognizing natural scientific tendencies and engaging them in developmentally appropriate ways. Approach activities as opportunities for children to investigate their world. Exposure to a scientific phenomenon, concept, or skill is very valuable for a young child, but you shouldn’t expect mastery or be too focused on very specific learning goals. You are providing the stepping-stones to later scientific understanding and skills. 

Tips for Interacting with Young Learners

Solar System Ambassador facilitating an activity at an Earth and Space event

Tips Sheets for Engaging Public Audiences

A collection of tips sheets for engaging public audiences in hands-on STEM activities. Specific sheets for: girls, young learners, bilingual audiences, preparing guest speakers, creating conversations, difficult concepts, and accessibility and inclusion.

STEM Activities for Young Learners

Facilitator and young learner squeeze colored water into a dish

Exploring Science Practices: Early Explorations

In this activity, learners are given an opportunity to practice scientific ways of thinking that are developmentally appropriate for early learners.
Facilitator and Learner use a block with a rover image to transport astronauts

Exploring the Solar System: Story Blocks

Every space mission has a story. In this activity, learners use blocks to tell a creative story about planning a space mission to explore the Moon together.
Group of learners participating and enjoying the Hide and Seek Moon activity

Exploring the Solar System: Hide and Seek Moon

In this activity, learners use binoculars to find a hidden object on a Moon poster and learn how cultures around the world have viewed the Moon.
Young learner places blocks in scale while facilitator watches

Exploring Science Practices: Measure Up

In this activity, young learners and caregivers use measuring tools to investigate foundational scientific concepts like distance, mass, and volume. Try this with a toddler or preschooler!
Exploring Earth: Bear’s Shadow activity image of a mother and girl holding a flashlight representing the sun

Exploring Earth: Bear’s Shadow

In this activity, learners move a flashlight around an object to make and experiment with shadows, followed by reading a storybook.
Young girl stacks large blocks with images on them

Build a Giant Puzzle!

In this activity, learners assemble blocks to make images and discover how different objects are connected to nanotechnology.
Exploring Materials - Thin Films activity components including signs, activity materials and guides.

Exploring Materials - Thin Films

In this activity, learners create a colorful bookmark using a super thin layer of nail polish on water.
An adult and child, both smiling, sit close together at a table as the child points to an image on the Wavetown illustration.

Radio Futures: I Spy Radio

Young learners explore a colorful illustration showing everyday uses of radio technologies.

Storytime and Read-Aloud Books

Learner colors paper elephant ears

Horton Hears a Who! Storytime

In this activity, learners make paper elephant ears to wear and listen to "Horton Hears a Who!" by Dr. Seuss before exploring scent molecules.
A family pays attention to a the story of "Horton Senses Something Small"

Horton Senses Something Small

In this activity, young learners listen to the Dr. Seuss book "Horton Hears a Who", they look at small things using lenses and use their sense of smell to detect things that are too small to see.
Book cover from the Break Moon Book featuring an illustration of of a family at a dinner table eating fruit

Breakfast Moon picture book

Picture book for young learners about how we see the Moon and how it changes over time.
"How Small is Nano?" with five images of various cells and a ruler just below

How Small Is Nano? Book and Poster

Posters and banners for the Nanoscale project in various sizes in multiple formats. Formative evaluation and survey instruments for the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network.
Image showing an illustration of a Mars rover

Is That Robot Real? children's book and poster

Book, graphics panels, and evaluation report on fact and fiction around robots.
Cover to a book called Alice in Nanoland featuring a girl with blonde hair, a green shirt and purple skirt

Alice In NanoLand

Alice In NanoLand book suitable for reading areas, story-times, or to augment a program; along with formative evaluation.

Books, Reading, and Storytelling

A compilation of STEM read-aloud storybooks, storytelling, companion hands-on activities, lists of STEM books and biographies, library collaboration resources, and annual events such as Summer Reading Programs and National Children's Book Week. Also included are resources for STEM tactile and Braille books for visually impaired participants.

Early Learner Earth and Space Activities

Young learner using a sun-shaped flashlight to make a shadow on small yellow and red toy bears

Early Learner Earth and Space Activities

A selection of hands-on Earth & Space activities that work well for young children.

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