Policymakers, business experts and educators agree:, STEM subjects must be the focus for our future generations. STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – underpin all of the challenges of the modern workforce. Creativity and innovation depend on abilities in these critical subjects, and that is something upon which both the public and private sector agree. In fact, our future democracies may be dependent on them. So everyone is in agreement that STEM subjects are crucial, but when should children start learning them. Is there such a thing as too early? And how can these ideas be effectively taught to younger kids? The replies to these questions are simple. Firstly, it is never too early to begin learning STEM subjects, and as to how you approach it, nature, as ever, holds all the answers. A definition of STEM First we need to broach the subject of exactly what STEM involves. Of course, literally, we have already presented it as four distinct and well-recognized subjects, but more than that, it is an ethos: an approach to learning that is much more practical and integrated than school subjects have traditionally been. At its core lies our understanding that, in order to learn effectively, learners need to be at the center of the educational experience, taking a hands-on role and seeing the reasonings and links between everything that they do. Very little is solely theory-based anymore, and that is especially important for young learners who need to make the links between different educational disciplines in order to see the bigger picture. Much of what we need to learn will be similar to before, but the way in which we learn it needs to evolve. A STEM approach actively encourages teachers and parents to allow children to investigate ideas in any number of contexts, always connecting subjects and seeing them in practical applications. The easiest way to give an example here is with math problems – instead of using a pen and paper, count physical objects such as things they find in the garden. They are learning exactly the same skills but in a more hands-on manner. Nature provides the solution. Math and science can then be combined in an interdisciplinary manner that underpins this STEM ethos. Math is often at the heart of scientific problems, but again move past the theory and go outside and unearth scenarios where objects can be identified, comparisons can be made, predictions offered, ideas tested and any host of discoveries shared, all the while enjoying the natural environment around the students themselves. The idea itself is not necessarily new: to learn through practical and enjoyable applications. Start with a foundation This is a simple concept, but you don’t start building above the ground, so why wait until later to start building a STEM foundation in a young learner? Get outside from the get-go. So, from as soon as they can crawl, safely involve your child with nature, taking leaves and grass in their hands and letting them investigate as all babies like to do. Those sounds, smells and textures are all really important. What is more, early learners need to follow their own interests and initiative, which is exactly the basis Lillian G. Katz supports in her paper, STEM in the Early Years. Engagement is key too, and combined these form the principle of not just for STEM learning, but all successful academic pursuits. What should be avoided is the old-fashioned passive, receptive learning style which was usually to be found directed at school children of all ages – this style has been proven to be particularly weak for early learners. Instead, children’s curiosity should be taken advantage of, and the natural world allows kids a great opportunity for exploration and investigation – STEM abilities no less. How young learners should be taught STEM subjects? The first principle is that STEM subjects come naturally to young learners due to that inherent curiosity. If they are asking questions about the real world, then they are already engaging with STEM. So there are almost unlimited opportunities for learning important STEM principles, especially outside in the natural environment. “How does a bird fly?” is a question of aerodynamics, for example, so right there is a lesson to be learnt. Let the children themselves frame the questions and allow them to follow their curiosity and see where it takes them. Once outside, it is almost impossible for a young learner not to start engaging with what is around them. Exploration is key, and encourage it. Take them outside often to all different types of surroundings, and encourage them by growing small plants and vegetables from seeds. The most important thing to remember about teaching STEM subjects to early learners is that they are perfectly adapted to learn STEM concepts, and it is not difficult to teach STEM to young children. The secret is to tap into their natural and innate curiosity about the living world. By simply allowing them to investigate, and by encouraging them to ask questions about the real world, you are engaging children in STEM. The STEM Sprouts Teaching Guide produced by the Boston Children’s Museum makes a good point in that a successful way to breed confidence in young learners (a key attribute) is to ask ‘what’ questions rather than ‘why’ questions, because they are simpler to answer and therefore build confidence. ‘What’ questions also encourage exploration – ‘What is that?’ for example. Young learners are natural collectors too, whether it is rocks and leaves, or shells from the beach – this is exactly the natural curiosity that STEM learning should tap into. Children count what they have collected, compare the size and colors, and speculate about the animals that take advantage of these natural elements. All of these activities are naturally connected to those STEM subjects, and the children are doing it themselves. This is natural learning as its greatest, and can only be made greater by the use of tools such as microscopes, magnifying glasses and so on in order to explore further. Supplement the learning with books on the topics you are exploring together, and watch TV programs too which can be a great way to further instill interest, although of course you must limit the amount they watch, and what they watch (Wild Kratz or Space Racers are great examples of kids cartoons which are educational too, as well as the limitless amount of TV nature documentaries that you can really enjoy watching together – again supplemented with those ‘what’ questions. ‘What is that penguin doing?’ for example). In this way you are stimulating learning from a variety of different sources too. And get outside Research suggests that science subjects are among those cited by teachers to be the most difficult to introduce and teach to young learners, but that fails to take into account everything that we have discussed here so far, and we know anecdotally that kids playtimes in school are usually spent in concrete playgrounds, rather than in undeveloped natural areas. These are examples of attitudes and practices that need to change. If our future democracies, economic prosperity and technological advances are dependent on our next generations engaging early in these STEM learning activities, then we need to actively promote this approach and change the agenda. And change it early on in our children’s lives. The key here is to emphasize the relevancy of the learning, explore the world around us together, allow our children to take the lead, and together engage in a STEM learning approach.