STEM at Our Cambridge Nursery: Two Weeks of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths
Over the past two weeks, our topic at Monkey Puzzle Marleigh has been science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Every room took part in its own way, from bubbling experiments in preschool to ice breaking and block building with the babies, and each activity was built around asking questions and finding out the answers together.
Young Scientists at Work in Preschool
Our preschool children were involved in a range of science experiments, discussing how and why things happen and making their own estimations of what might happen next. Using pipettes, magnifying glasses, vinegar and bicarbonate of soda, they watched their first experiment fizz into life. Predicting an outcome and then testing it is exactly how scientific thinking begins, and it gave the children plenty to talk about.
Shapes, Counting and Measuring with Toddlers
Our toddlers tested out shapes, counted objects and measured water with cups. Activities like these look like simple play, and they are, but they are also the earliest form of maths and engineering. Each one built on the children’s critical thinking and problem solving skills, giving them the chance to work out for themselves which cup holds more or which shape fits where.
Ice, Towers and Water Play in the Baby Room
Even our youngest children joined in. Babies were supported in using simple tools to break ice and in building towers with blocks, using sand as cement to hold them together. Each day they also explored floating and sinking, dropping objects into water and watching closely to see what happened. It is hands-on cause and effect, and babies are natural investigators.
Why STEM Learning Matters for Your Child
STEM at nursery age is not about teaching facts. It is about giving children the habit of asking why, guessing what might happen, testing it and talking about the result. Those are the same skills that carry a child through school and beyond, and they grow best when learning feels like play. Whether your child is pouring water, stacking blocks or watching a reaction fizz over, they are building confidence in their own thinking here at Monkey Puzzle Marleigh.