Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics is everywhere.

What is STEM?

When many people think of STEM they think of engaging in rote learning, memorizing key concepts which they were taught at school, particularly science and mathematics. For some, this educational experience was a taunting and frustrating processes, forever trying to understand how ‘A’ became ‘B’.

At Thrive we ensure STEM education is an integrated part of the curricula, based on children’s interests, therefore stimulating their engagement and promoting their learning! In early childhood, STEM education is deconstructed into process skills and concepts, such as:

• Classifying
• Measuring
• Observing
• Comparing

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math are foundational to the Thrive educational approach. Thrive fosters children as confident and capable learners, promoting high expectations and using intentional scaffolding strategies to support children in achieving all possibilities.

Why is STEM education important in early childhood?

It is important for children to learn each of the domains of STEM separately and interrelated as at times they are inseparable. STEM education enhances children’s ability to use their higher order thinking skills, in particular problem solving. Problem solving skills foundational for children to use STEM simultaneously. Children begin to use STEM concepts long before formal schooling, as children begin to construct their own understanding of the world around them through participation in everyday life.

Examples of everyday activities which foster STEM education

• Filling a bucket up with water
• Watering the garden
• Watching it rain outside
• Driving to school and seeing people going to work or construction sites
• Seeing the bin get emptied once a week from their home
• Observing a butterfly
• Making a sand castle

Birth- 3 Years

Some may underestimate the capabilities of young children, doubting their capacity to understand academic concepts. Surprisingly though, research has shown even preverbal children and infants demonstrate that they are able to deconstruct the processes and concepts within STEM education . Children demonstrate this learning through engaging with musical instruments and understanding repetition, understanding the purpose of a pencil or a cup to drink from, or even more interesting, children will understand physical science by throwing their food from a high chair, or rolling a ball.

Young children and infants are best exposed to STEM education in a naturalistic approach. This approaches involves fostering the natural elements of the world, allowing children to use their curiosity to explore, discover and investigate, to make sense of the learning occurring within their world. Within our Thrive centers, this is demonstrated through indoor and outdoor play, where children explore the weather, natural resources and use loose parts frequently throughout their constructions.

3-5 Years

Given children aged 3-5 years are in a preoperational stage of cognitive development they are able to deconstruct and reconstruct concepts more simply than younger children. At this age, children are most stimulated from a balance of teacher-led and child-initiated learning opportunities. At Thrive, we foster this balance of learning by introducing STEM education more formally to children, where our skillful educators use a range of pedagogical approaches to inspire and engage children, scaffolding their learning to support them to understand the complex processes and concepts and apply their higher-order thinking skills.

Aligning with our philosophical approach using the theoretical basis of Lev Vygotsky, these pedagogical approaches to STEM education outlines how our educators play the crucial role of the ‘More Knowledgeable Other’ supporting children to reach their Zone of Proximal Development .

Attitudes towards STEM

As mentioned, when most of you think of STEM education, you immediately feel like cringing, bringing back memories from those boring high school classes. We want to change that attitude. Here at Thrive we understand the impact in which educator’s unintentional bias has on children’s own perception of learning. In fact research has proven the significant impact in which adult attitudes associated with the disciplines of STEM have on children’s corresponding attitudes. At Thrive our educators are supported in understanding STEM education and the importance it offers children. Our educators are trained to understand how to facilitate STEM within the curricula and their own pedagogical approaches . We are committed to showing you STEM education is fun!

Pillars of Learning

The children of today will be growing up in the world of the future. Therefore, the children of today will need to be ready for the complex and dynamic technologies and jobs in that future. Thrive acknowledges STEM education is an integral part of our rapidly changing world.

Linking to Thrive’s Academic and Ecological pillar’s of learning, STEM education is embedded throughout the curriculum in an interrelated and holistic way. This means children have opportunities to engage in both intentional experiences and play-based experiences throughout the day. Thrive is purposeful in their approach to STEM education, understanding that most traditional curriculums are not equipping children with the knowledge and skills needed for their future .

At Thrive, our approach to inquiry based learning, which promotes STEM education, involves using playful pedagogies, an emergent curriculum and project work approaches. We recognise STEM education as a foundational area of learning for all children as they become 21^st century learners.

Many people hear the term ‘The Circle of Security’, and many people perceive to understand what the Circle of Security really is. However, the key question is.. What does the circle of security look like in practice with young children?

What is the circle of security?

The Circle of Security is a foundational approach to John Bowlby’s attachment theory. Bowlby believes that attachments to other humans are a survival technique, and without those attachments negative impacts occur to children’s long term cognitive, social and emotional development. This is particularly important for young children as the first 1000 days are essential to brain development.

The Circle of Security was developed to guide caregivers in supporting children’s emotional development. Children of all ages have attachment needs, so it is essential that we understand children’s attachment needs.

The Circle of Security is based on the underpinning that children must be supported emotionally at all stages of their emotional journeys.

There are 3 main concepts associated with the Circle of Security

1. Going out on the circle: This is when children go out and explore. They are confident for this time and take many risks. During this time caregivers need to be encouraging and praising.
2. Coming in on the circle: At times children need to be consoled and need to come back to their caregiver for love and comfort. This time is essentials for caregivers to be welcoming and understanding, supporting children’s emotions rather than dismissing them.
3. The safe haven: This defines the caregiver. This is the space where the child can be comforted and feel safe and a sense of belonging. During this space where the caregiver is comforting the child and consoling their every emotion, it is filling the child’s ‘emotional cup’. When the cup is full, the child will go out and play again, demonstrating the top of the circle, and when the cup begins to empty the child comes in on the bottom of the circle

It is essential caregivers are aware of these stages and the importance of being the safe haven for children.

Emotionally Thriving

A caregiver is not just a child parents, or immediate family. Early childhood educators become caregivers too when families leave their children in the trusted care of the educators. At Thrive our educators take this role seriously, and the ensure they enact the Circle of Security approach throughout their practice.

The Circle of Security approach aligns with Thrive’s emotional pillar of learning within our Philosophy. As outlined under Emotionally Thriving, we believe in building authentic trusting relationships with children and families to ensure we have a comprehensive understanding of each child’s emotions, anxieties and needs to be able to nurture their wellbeing and resilience.

The Circle of Security in practice

At Thrive we ensure as many educators as possible are trained in the Circle of Security, as we believe to implement to approach to its integrity requires a comprehensive training session, deconstructing the concepts within the approach and understanding how to contextualise those concepts when working with children.

What does the circle of security look like at Thrive?

When you visit one of our thrive centers you may notice our educators spending extended periods of time sitting with the children. This does not mean our educators are ‘lazy’, but rather it allows children to feel a sense of security and belonging. When adults spend time interacting with children and being available for children at their level it encourages self-esteem and confidence, as children will no longer view the adult as a superior.

You may also hear our educators talking to children frequently about their emotions, consoling them and acknowledging their emotions rather than dismissing them. This too is an important process of the Circle of Security approach. Allowing children to know and understand that what they are feeling is valid and important, supports them in building resilience and ‘filling that emotional cup’ sooner. So, when you see a child feeling sad and you hear our educators acknowledge those feelings, such as “It’s okay to feel bad, its hard missing mummy sometimes” we want you to also understand that this teaching strategy is to support the child.

When children are curious, they ask questions. When children are confident with a sense of belonging, they are curious. Occasionally you may have an interaction with an educator who needs to excuse themselves for a moment to attend to a child who is asking a question. Please do not feel as though our educator is being disrespectful, as attending to children’s needs and their curiosity is important to our Circle of Security approach. Children should not be told to ‘wait’ or ‘hang on’ or ‘come back in a minute’ when they have a question or when an infant is unsettled. In doing so adults cause children to not feel as though they have a safe haven. Although a child may not be unsettled or upset, it does not mean they do not need their emotional cup filled. therefore, when a child is doing a check in with an adult and particularly one of our educators, we understand the importance of attending to the child to help them feel confident again.