Main Topics
	Overview Designing the Environment Technology Integration Adaptations Assessment Performance Indicators Math, Science, & Social Studies Workshop Map
	Technology Integration
	Sub-Topics (Click on topic you wish to see) All About Me Animals and Pets Community Helpers Nursery Rhymes Food Nutrition Transportation World Around Us

Technology Integration

By designing off-computer activities that relate to software content, early childhood staff can help reinforce math, science, and social studies concepts learned at the computer. Children’s natural curiosity about objects and people in their environment can be satisfied through real experiences at home, in the classroom, and outside, as well as interactive experiences with software. The computer does not take the place of real life experiences, rather it compliments and enhances knowledge children learn through exploration.

All About Me

Software about the human body and customized activities with HyperStudio provide children with a vehicle for learning about themselves. These opportunities help to increase children’s self-esteem and promote understanding of themselves as unique individuals.

Each child in the classroom can create their own HyperStudio stack with the help of an adult. The stack becomes a book based on the child’s experiences. Suggested pages may include:

• “This is what I look like” – (child’s drawing of self).
  
• “I like to...” (child completes phrase with favorite activity). A digital picture could also be placed on this page.
  
• “At school my friend is ....” – (ask child to complete phrase with the name of their friend). A digital picture of the child with their friend could be included.
  
• “At home I have ...”

All About Me Stacks

"Creating All About Me Stack" PDF file

Hair

Children will learn many math, science, and social studies concepts as they study hair. They can explore how hair grows and how it gets to be curly or a certain color. Children will enjoy examining each other's hair color and texture, and comparing human hair to animal hair. A field trip to the hairdresser's shop or a visit from a community helper who works with cutting and styling hair will provide the children with meaningful experiences.

View Hair Activity-ECCSPLORe-IT http://www.wiu.edu/thecenter/former_eccsploreit/hair.html

As children's thoughts and impressions on their activities with hair are recorded, they can become the basis for a HyperStudio stack on Hair.

My Amazing Human Body

The software, My Amazing Human Body, can be the vehicle to spark children's interest in how hair grows, and can compliment other classroom activities.

My Amazing Human Body PDF

Animals and Pets

Animals in Nature

One of the objectives of a science curriculum is for young children to know about animals, their habitats, and their environments. Through selected software, children can explore animals as they relate to different seasons and environments. Off-computer activities in which children can play with animal figures and backgrounds provides an added dimension of learning. A book about animals can be created from facts and pictures in the software. Children can also make a chart about things they know about animals.

	Sammy's Science House Activity PDF
	The Themeweavers Animals Activity PDF
	I Spy Junior Puppet Playhouse Activity PDF

Bats

Children can learn about bats as they enjoy the story of Stellaluna. The story provides many opportunities to explore topics related to science and bats and to babies and mothers. Besides learning science concepts, children can explore their feelings about being lost, being cared for by others, being different, and belonging.

Stellaluna Curriculum Activity PDF

To further satisfy children’s curiosity about bats, a HyperStudio stack can be created based on facts about bats. Information and pictures can be obtained through the Internet for the content of the stack.

Bats HyperStudio Curriculum Activity PDF

Birds

Birds are found in nearly every environment, from remote arctic areas to bustling urban neighborhoods. As children watch and feed birds, they learn about the different foods birds eat, the variety of bird feet, beaks, and plumage, and the significance of birds’ coloring.

Activities created around the program,

• Know that birds are living things and have needs
• Be able to identify common bird species
• Collect and analyze information about the feeding habits of backyard birds
• Discover that different environment are homes to different species of birds

Amazing Animals Curriculum Activity PDF

Pets

A common theme in preschool classrooms is pets. Children enjoy talking about their pets and hearing about others' pets. Seeing each other's pets in person on specially planned Pet Day or during a Pet Week is even more enjoyable. Inviting family pets to visit the classroom is a good way to make the study of pets more meaningful and to include families in the curriculum. A variety of activities are planned to help children gain math, science, and social studies concepts as they explore pets. The children can make a graph of what pets they have at home.

HyperStudio stacks which include pictures of children's pets, video from Pet Day, and children's writing and voices talking about their pets can be created and integrated into the theme.

	Pets Activity on ECCSPLORe-IT web page – http://www.wiu.edu/thecenter/former_eccsploreit/pets.html
	Pet Shop Curriculum Activity PDF

Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs are a subject which fascinates children of all ages. Their massive size and monster-like characteristics make them an appealing theme for the preschool classroom. The teacher may choose or suggest this topic to the children. Since dinosaurs are not part of children's everyday experiences, this theme may be teacher-generated, although dinosaur toys, books, and movies may spark children's interest in exploring the topic further.

Dinosaur Adventure Activity PDF

Community Helpers

In an effort to help children understand the society in which they live, many preschool classrooms have a unit on Community Helpers. Children learn about different occupations in their area and how adults work at specific jobs to keep all people safe and healthy. Software which focuses on construction, farm, health professions, and safety personnel can be used with off-computer materials and experiences to help children understand the helpers in their community.

	Big Action Construction Activity PDF
	Barbie Pet Rescue Activity PDF

Fairytales, Nursery Rhymes and Silly Stories

Ye Olde Castle

Children can learn what it was like to live in medieval times as they become fairy tale characters living in a castle. Castles can be constructed both on and off computer with the software, Castles: Great Adventures. Children will enjoy recreating their castles over and over again. A variety of activities, including a Royal Feast with family members, can be planned.

Nursery Rhymes

Nursery Rhymes teach us many lessons about life. By recreating nursery rhymes through dramatic play, artwork, and computer activities, these concepts will be enhanced. Pictures and video of children’s play as nursery rhyme characters can be placed into HyperStudio to create a book about the children’s experiences with this unit. The stacks can be shared with family members during open house or a special family day.

Food and Nutrition

Children are encouraged to experiment with mixing and making different foods as they play in housekeeping and the computer center. Many math, science, and social studies concepts are learned as children measure, mix, bake, and work together to make a final product.

Easy Bake Kitchen

Children can learn about food as they become chefs and work in their own restaurant with the software and toy in the Easy Bake Kitchen playset.

D.W. Picky Eater

As children learn about being a picky eater from D.W., they can explore play foods made from magnets, stickers and other materials printed from computer screens in the software.

Transportation

One of young children's favorite activities is playing with toy cars, trucks, and other moving vehicles.

Children are fascinated by the different modes of transportation, especially those with which they do not have direct daily contact, such as airplanes. A trip to an airport can be quite an adventure for children. From the ticket counter to the baggage carousel to the airplane itself, the airport offers many novel experiences. Since many children do not have the opportunity to visit a real airport, an alternative is to explore the airport through the software program, Let’s Explore the Airport (Humongous).

View Let’s Explore the Airport Activity PDF

World Around Us

Nature holds a wonderful fascination for young children. Children gain new knowledge every day as they experience the world around them. Since science concepts relate to so many parts of our lives, it is fairly easy to find software that will reinforce these concepts or relate to a science theme. A few common themes are presented as examples of ways to integrate software into science activities.

Bugs

Children are fascinated by the many bugs they see in the world around them. By combining a computer activity with the real adventure of exploring bugs outside, children will learn new facts and gain new experiences. Children can also make an interactive book about insects with HyperStudio.

Plants

Spring is an excellent time to explore growing of plants, animals, and people. In many areas of the United States, spring is a time of new growth and birth of animals. A variety of children's software is available to help children explore different aspects of growing and seasonal changes. Some of the software includes The Backyard, Forever Growing Garden, and Sammy's Science House. The software and related activities will help children develop observational skills, measuring skills, sequencing skills, an understanding of the life cycle, and an appreciation and respect of living things.

As children grow their own plants from seeds in the classroom, they can chart the growth both on and off computer.

View ECCSPLORe-IT web site page http://www.wiu.edu/thecenter/eccsploreit/grow.html

Water in Our Environment

Taking a popular software program, such as Just Grandma and Me, activities can be designed to encourage math, science and social studies skills during a unit on water.

View Water in Our Environment Activity PDF

The Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood has compiled a list of software according to classroom themes.

View Suggested Software Related to Themes Activity PDF

Adaptations for Math, Science, and Social Studies