A World of Wonder Experiment Guide

‘STEAM’ is the acronym for a series of interrelated subjects: Science, technology, engineering, art and maths.

The teaching team of Jescott Montessori Preschool, in Adelaide, South Australia, deeply appreciate the importance of these areas of learning and life. They developed a document to articulate, share and celebrate the core values that guide their practices in relation to STEAM and coupled this with an experiment guide filled with accessible experiences that can help all children (and grown ups!) explore a world of wonder. They generously share the document here with the intent of inspiring parents and practitioners alike to help children embrace the magic, power and beauty of STEAM.

This guide consists of two sections - first the 'theory' and philosophy, and then the 'hands-on' experiment guide.

The first section begins with a thought-provoking reflection on the relationship between the Montessori philosophy and STEAM, and articulates what STEAM is (and isn't!) in the Jescott classroom. We hope that these insights might encourage other educators to critically reflect on their attitudes and aims when it comes to STEAM, or that it might inspire parents to think about these subjects from a new perspective. 

The illustrated experiment guide outlines 25 simple and amazing STEAM experiments and explorations under the four categories of 'Colourful Creations', 'Kids in the Kitchen', 'Exciting Experiments' and 'Crafting and Constructing'. Each of these is built around materials or resources that should be readily available to most educators or families.