"Kids and dirt, or more precisely kids and soil, have long been a perfect match. The connection could almost be described as instinctual. Regardless of differences in culture, language, and ethnicity, regardless of whether a child is born on a small farm or a sprawling metropolis, one thing remains constant: children absolutely love playing in soil. While the exact reasons underlying children’s fascination with soil remain open to debate, it is in many ways a moot point because the connection between healthy soil and healthy children is irrefutable," writes E. Britt Moore in "Kids and Soil: A Perfect Match" (Exchange, May/June 2017).
"A child who does something as deceptively unremarkable as making a mud pie is, in fact, engaging in tactile scientific learning that differentiates soil physical properties and correlates soil water properties to soil texture. If the prior statement seems exaggerated, then take a moment to think about how often a child will adjust the water-to-soil ratio in a mud pie until she finds the perfect balance. What is that if not the scientific process of experimentation, trial, and error at work?"
Start your Exchange Magazine
subscription today! Subscribe today and your first issue will arrive May 2018. |
Your work with children comes with a wide range of celebrations and challenges, and each issue of Exchange is filled with practical advice, fresh ideas, innovative strategies, and inspiring stories. As an extremely affordable professional development tool, Exchange supports all learning domains over the course of a year. As a special gift, subscribe now and choose one free downloadable PDF "Out of the Box" Training Kit! Interested in a group subscription to Exchange magazine for your colleagues? Email [email protected] for group rates. |
![]() |
Comments (1)
Displaying 1 CommentKnock Education Consulting
Ho Chi Minh city , Viet Nam
Redently there has been much discussion about STEM and everyone seems to jump on the bandwagon here to provide STEM activities for children.
I am so pleased to see this article about MUD and how it relates to principles of STEM because alot of the activiites we do in Early Childhood settings are already STEM related. It is just a new buzz word as far as I am concerned. Someone has packaged STEM and created a supposedly new wave of thinking. It has been there all along.
Post a Comment