Play and Learn Engineering: This fun-filled PBS Kids app empowers preschoolers to test engineering concepts and solve problems on their own as they design machines and roller coasters, build towers with robots, problem-solve their way through an obstacle course, and experiment with simple engineering tools.

Tami's Tower App: This Common Sense Media app teaches engineering principles. Children use a variety of shapes to build a tower tall enough for Tami the Tamil Monkey to reach a high-hanging snack and sturdy enough to withstand the ground-shaking footsteps of an elephant running by!

Looking for ways to cultivate an engineering mindset in your early learners? Check out "Every Child is an Engineer" by Margaret Honey, president and CEO of the New York Hall of Science. It's a must-read!

A Book of Bridges: Here to There and Me to You  by Cheryl Keely: From towering suspension bridges to humble stone crossings, this book visits them all. But while bridges can be quite grand, this book reminds us that their main purpose is bringing people together. This is a perfect book for budding engineers and architects, as well as readers ages 2-7 who can relate to having loved ones who live far away.

A Box Can Be Many Things  by Dana Meachen Rau: A girl and her brother retrieve a large box from the garbage and pretend that it is a cave, a car, a house, and a cage.

A Sled for Gabo by Emma Otheguy: On a snowy day, Gabo sees kids tugging sleds up the hill and then coasting down, whooping all the while. Gabo wishes he could join them, but his hat is too small and he doesn’t have boots or a sled. But he does have warm and welcoming neighbors in his new town who help him solve the problem in the sweetest way possible!

Andrew Learns about Engineers: Career Book for Kids  by Tiffany Obeng: When Andrew imagines a new toy to help young kids beat boredom, Daddy congratulates him and says: "You're like an engineer, kid." So begins this fun and easy-to-read exploration of engineers and their impact on our daily lives and the world.

Arches to Zigzags  by Michael J. Crosbie and Stephen Rosenthal: This colorful and entertaining book introduces children to the world of architecture through the alphabet. Each letter and its corresponding image are described in lighthearted verse that questions readers about what they see.

Bird Builds a Nest  by Martin Jenkins: It’s time for Bird to build her nest! Follow her as she pulls a worm out of the ground, lifts some twigs that are just the right size, and pushes the twigs into place. Uh-oh! One of the twigs falls to the ground! But after a day of hard work, Bird’s nest is ready and waiting. Can you guess what it’s waiting for? Using simple, clear language and beautiful illustrations, this book offers an engaging introduction to physical forces for very young readers.

Birds and Their Nests by Linda Tagliaferro: Simple text and photographs introduce young STEM explorers to birds and the nests they build to live in and raise their young.

Building a House  by Byron Barton: A machine digs a big hole. A cement mixer pours cement. Carpenters put up walls. Bricklayers, electricians, plumbers, and painters do their part. Through simple words and pictures, children follow each step in the building of a house.

Bubbles Float, Bubbles Pop  by Mark Weakland: What makes a bubble float? Are the bubbles in your soda the same as the bubbles in your tub? What makes a bubble pop? Discover the wonder and science of bubbles in Bubbles Float, Bubbles Pop.

Cece Loves Science: Push and Pull  by Kimberly Derting and Shelli Johannes: Cece loves science—and experimenting. Cece’s teacher, Miss Curie, explains the opposite forces of push and pull. To demonstrate this concept, she divides the class into two teams. Each team must make a treat dispenser that uses both forces for Cece's dog. Cece and her classmates rely on engineering, creativity and teamwork to complete their project—and learn a lot along the way.

Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building  by Christy Hale: This Teachers' Pick book connects great works of architecture to the ways that children build and play. A unique celebration of children's playtime explorations—and the surprising ways that childhood experiences find expression in the dreams and works of innovative architects—Dreaming Up will inspire your engineering explorers to play, dream, build, and discover.

Hello, World! Snow  by Jill McDonald: Young children love to play in the snow. Hello, World! teaches them all about winter weather, with colors, shapes, and sizes and easy-to-understand facts about chilly weather, snowflakes, storms, snowplows, and winter fun.

How a House is Built  by Gail Gibbons: Step by step, this picture book explains how homes are built—from the architect's plans through the arrival of a happy family. The different processes of construction are explained with simple language and bright, clear illustrations, perfect for kids starting to wonder about how the world around them works. Many different careers—including carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and landscapers—are also introduced, each doing their part to bring the wood-frame house to life.

If I Built a House  by Chris Van Dusen: Jack is ready to build the house of his dreams—complete with a racetrack, a flying room and a gigantic slide. Jack's limitless creativity and infectious enthusiasm will inspire budding young inventors to imagine their own fantastical designs.

Iggy Peck, Architect  by Andrea Beaty: Some kids sculpt sandcastles. Some make mud pies. Some construct great block towers. But none are better at building than Iggy Peck, who once erected a life-size replica of the Great Sphinx on his front lawn! It’s too bad that few people appreciate Iggy’s talent—certainly not his second-grade teacher. It looks as if Iggy may have to trade in his T-square for a box of crayons . . . until a fateful field trip proves just how useful a master builder can be.

Levers Lessen the Load: Simple Machines for Kids  by Andi Diehn: Have you ever played on a seesaw? You were using a lever! Need to lift a heavy rock? Use a lever! Need to push a log out of the way? Use a lever! Know where else you can find levers? In your own body: When you lift an object and carry it in your hand, you are using your arm as a lever. Part of a six-book series designed to introduce young engineers to physical science concepts, this colorful nonfiction book introduces early learners to concepts such as forces, mechanical advantage, and different kinds of levers with real-life examples that children can spot in their homes, school and neighborhoods.

Look at That Building! A First Book of Structures  by Scot Ritchie: Learning about buildings and how they are constructed has never been so much fun. Look at That Building! introduces young readers to basic construction concepts through the eyes of five friends keen on building a doghouse for their pet pooch. An activity at the end of the book invites readers to make their own mini-doghouse out of marshmallows, paper, glue, and craft sticks.

Planes Fly! by George Ella Lyon: Take to the skies with this fun, rhyming book about planes. From jet planes to puddle jumpers, this book explores it all.

Pop! A Book About Bubbles  by Kimberly Bradley: What are bubbles made of? Why are they always round? Find out about the science behind bubbles in this colorfully illustrated nonfiction picture book.

Pop’s Bridge  by Eve Bunting: The Golden Gate Bridge. They say it can't be built. But Robert's father is building it. He's a skywalker—a brave, high-climbing ironworker. Robert is convinced that his pop has the most important job on the crew . . . until a frightening event makes him see that it takes an entire team to accomplish the impossible.

Pulleys Pull Their Weight: Simple Machines for Kids by Andi Diehn: If an elephant sat on your book and refused to move, how could you lift it? Very carefully! You might want to use a pulley. In Pulleys Pull Their Weight: Simple Machines for Kids, readers solve the problem of a heavy elephant by learning about forces and how we can increase the amount we can lift simply by using a pulley.

Ricky, the Rock That Couldn't Roll  by Mr. Jay: From zippy little pebbles to big strong boulders, the rock friends get together to play and roll around their favorite hill, only to find that one of their friends, Ricky, can't roll with them. Unlike all of the other rocks, which are round, Ricky can't roll because he's flat on one side. Determined not to leave their friend behind, the rocks set out to help Ricky roll—one way or another.

Roberto, the Insect Architect  by Nina Laden: Ever since he was a wee mite (a termite, that is), Roberto has wanted to be an architect. Discouraged by his wood-eating family and friends, he decides to follow his dream to the big bug city. There he meets a crew of not-so-creepy, crawly characters who spark in him the courage to build a community for them all.

Roll, Slope, and Slide: A Book About Ramps  by Michael Dahl: Skateboards, roller coasters and playground slides are all ramps. This nonfiction book provides an introduction to one of the most important machines humans rely on, describes the different kinds, uses, and benefits of ramps, and offers up some fun facts about how people use ramps every day.

Rosie Revere, Engineer  by Andrea Beaty: Rosie Revere dreams of becoming a great engineer. Where some people see rubbish, Rosie sees inspiration. Alone in her room at night, she constructs great inventions from odds and ends. Hot dog dispensers, helium pants, python-repelling cheese hats: Rosie’s gizmos would astound—if she ever let anyone see them. Afraid of failure, she hides them away under her bed until her great-great-aunt, Rose (AKA Rosie the Riveter), teaches her that the first flop isn't something to fear, but something to celebrate.

Scoop, Seesaw, and Raise: A Book About Levers  by Michael Dahl: This book by Michael Dahl—who won the AEP Distinguished Achievement Award three times for his nonfiction, a Teacher's Choice award from Learning magazine, and a Seal of Excellence from the Creative Child Awards—introduces young children to the many things that levers are used for, like lifting, pushing or moving a load. An activity at the end of the book gives children a hands-on introduction to this simple but useful machine.

Simple Machines  by D.J. Ward: Machines help make work easier, like when you need to lift something heavy or reach way up high. Can you adjust a seesaw to lift an elephant? What happens when you combine two or more simple machines? This science book uses easy-to-understand explanations and simple, fun diagrams to explain how machines work, with a lever experiment at the end.

Simple Machines: Wheels, Levers, and Pulleys  by David Adler: Machines make work easier—helping break things apart, lift heavy objects and change the power and direction of the force applied to them. In this picture book, nonfiction author David Adler outlines different types of simple machines—wedges, wheels, levers, pulleys, and more—and gives common examples of how we use them every day. Two kids and their comical cat add a dose of fun and humor to the topic as they use machines to ride see-saws, turn knobs, and even eat apples.

Ten on the Sled  by Kim Norman and Liza Woodruff: In the land of the midnight sun, all of the animals are having fun speeding down the hill on Caribou's sled. But as they go faster and faster, Seal, Hare, Walrus, and the others all fall off . . . until just Caribou is left. Now, a reindeer likes flying—but never alone, so…one through ten, all leap on again! An ideal picture book for reading and singing along with—over and over.

The Boy and the Airplane  by Mark Pett: When a little boy’s prized toy airplane lands on a rooftop, he makes several rescue attempts before devising an unexpected solution. Rendered in sepia tones, this wordless story is gracefully open to interpretation, containing a seed of wisdom for every reader.

The Most Magnificent Thing  by Ashley Spires: The girl is going to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing! She knows just how it will look. She knows just how it will work. All she has to do is make it. Easy-peasy!” But making her magnificent thing is anything but easy, and she tries and fails repeatedly. Eventually, she gets mad and quits. But after her dog convinces her to take a walk, she comes back to her project with renewed enthusiasm and manages to get it just right.

The Nowhere Box  by Sam Zuppardi: George’s little brothers wreck his toys and his games and trail after him wherever he goes. Try as he might, there’s just no hiding from them. George has had enough! So he commandeers an empty washing machine box and goes to the one place his brothers can’t follow: Nowhere. Nowhere is amazing! It’s magnificent! It’s also, however, free of pirates and dragons and . . . well, anyone at all.

The Three Little Pigs  by James Marshall: The classic fairy tale is retold with a modern-day twist as the three little pigs settle into their new houses—one of straw, one of sticks and one of bricks—and find themselves threatened by a hungry, mean wolf. Whose house will be sturdy and solid enough to keep the wolf out?

This House is Made of Mud  by Ken Buchanan: This story describes the beauty of the Sonoran Desert and a family whose lives are intertwined with the environment and the home they make from adobe in the Southwest desert.

Three Little Javelinas  by Susan Lowell: Everyone knows the story of the three little pigs, but your early learners are about to meet the three little javelinas. Living in homes built out of tumbleweed and saguaro ribs (from the fallen giant cacti), the first two javelinas are soon running from the hungry coyote, who had hoped to eat them with red chile sauce. And where do they go for shelter? Why, to their wise sister's house, made strong with adobe bricks.

What to Do With a Box  by Jane Yolen: If you give a child a box, who can tell what will happen next? It may become a library or a boat. It could set the scene for a fairy tale or a wild expedition. The most wonderful thing is its seemingly endless capacity for magical adventure, a feature imaginatively captured in art by Chris Sheban and rhythmically celebrated in this poetic tribute by children's author Jane Yolen.

When I Build With Blocks  by Niki Alling: Any child who has ever built with blocks will identify with this book, which transforms an everyday classroom into imaginative scenes ranging from outer space to the ocean.

You Can't Kiss A Bubble  by Karen A. Wyle: Many children find bubbles fascinating. Soap bubbles are fun to watch and you can dance with them. The girl in this story imagines playing with her bubbles in the same ways that she plays with her other toys or even her pets. But she has a lot to learn about soap bubbles. For example, if you kiss one, it will POP.  But it’s easy to catch one if you rub your hands with bubble stuff first. This little book looks at both the charm and the transitory nature of bubbles and reminds us that we can take joy even in the impermanent.

Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards: This link will take you to standards for children between the ages of 3 and 5, including preschool benchmarks in areas such as demonstrating curiosity about the world and beginning to use the practices of science and engineering, exploring life, physical and earth sciences, and connecting and understanding science and engineering

Next-Generation Science Standards by Grade Level: This link will take you to a page of kindergarten qualifications for science standards and acquaint you with the science skills that children should have at the kindergarten level.

• Chicago Children’s Museum (Chicago IL)
• Discovery Center Museum  (Rockford IL)
• DuPage Children’s Museum (Naperville IL)
• Kohl Children’s Museum (Glenview IL)
• Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago IL)
• Peggy Notebaert Museum (Lincoln Park in Chicago IL) 
• Top Children’s Science Museums Across the U.S. for Families 
• Wonder Works Children’s Museum (Oak Park, IL)

Center for Standards, Assessment and Accountability: The CSAA website provides a map view of every state that has established early learning and science standards for children from birth to five, as well as a comprehensive list of learning standards by state. States that have established early learning standards for children from 0-5 include Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Texas.

National Association for the Education of Young Children: The NAEYC website focuses on ways to engage young children in scientific exploration and discovery, with topic areas that range from “Six Key Themes to Know About Early Childhood Science” to “Looking at the World: Children and Science.”

National Science Teaching Association: The NSTA website includes the NSTA's Position Statement on Early Childhood Science Education, which offers guidance on how to foster the development of early science skills in young learners. The website also addresses topics such as how to help young children develop science skills and knowledge over time, how to engage young children in experiential learning, and how to provide a wide variety of opportunities for children to engage in scientific discovery and exploration.

Broccoli Boxes

There are many different ways to incorporate Broccoli Boxes into your engineering activities. While they focus on sensory experiences for children, these kits are also designed to spark curiosity and wonder in young children and encourage them to explore and investigate their world. For example, in the construction sensory box you can:

• Add different items to the dough cups and shake. Notice how the sound changes. Add more or less and notice the change in sound.
• Build a tower with blocks, building sticks, wood circles, and rocks. 
• After the children have built the tower, ask them if they can think of a way to build it taller or sturdier. 
• Lay the sticks on the sensory dough to build a “road,” and encourage the children to "drive" the truck on the road. Look at the tracks that the trucks leave behind.
• Make another road with dough of a different color, drive a different truck on that road, and compare the tire tracks to the first set: Ask: "What's different? What's similar?"
• Make tracks with the different trucks and compare the types of tracks. Use blocks to build a bridge over the road. Ask:  "How can you make the bridge strong enough to hold the car?"

Science in Pre-K: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum education specialists and preschool teachers visit the classroom to see science in action as preschoolers explore water, build structures, and observe shadows to gain a greater understanding of physical science at work in their world.

Science in Pre-K Talks: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Early Childhood Museum program specialists talk about the value of using science talks to deepen children’s understanding of early science activities and concepts.

Twenty Online Resources for Fantastic Free Science Videos: Because seeing is believing, especially when it comes to science!

DailySTEM.com: According to Chris Woods—a science and math teacher, speaker, author, and host of the STEM Every Day Podcast—kids need more opportunities to see STEM in their everyday lives. Check out Chris' website to get the support, ideas, confidence, and encouragement you need to build more STEM learning opportunities into your classroom and culture. Sign up for the DailySTEM newsletter, check out Chris's STEM Everyday Podcast, and find a wealth of resources for STEM educators, including links to simple and free STEM activities to use at home or in your classroom.

DiscoverE.org: DiscoverE identifies four key interventions that work together to build a child's STEM identity, including engineering messages to share with children, a step-by-step guide to the engineering design process, activities that involve a variety of engineering disciplines, information about engineering careers, and a downloadable guide to integrating the engineering design process into your STEM activities.

Education.com: Preschool Science Activities and Experiments: A wealth of learning tools—from worksheets and lesson plans to hands-on activities and printable workbooks—to help you foster a love of STEM exploration in preschoolers.

www.EIE.org: EiE—the award-winning curricula division of the Boston Museum of Science—designs hands-on STEM learning experiences for children in grades PreK-8 to make STEM learning empowering, interactive, accessible, and  joyful for learners of all ages and create a new generation of problem-solvers.

Head Start Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center's Little Scientists: Building Early STEAM Skills: Get the information you need to support children's development of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) skills. This web resource also offers a Connecting at Home section, which includes tips for parents interested in helping their children develop STEAM skills at home.

PEEP Science Curriculum for Preschool Educators: The PEEP science curriculum invites preschoolers to actively investigate their world by exploring water, sound, plants, color, shadows, and ramps in three-week units. During the ramps unit, children will discover how different objects move on ramps; create ramps that are smooth, rough, steep, and fast; and invent games and rides that jump, swerve, and zigzag.

Pre-K Pages Science Areas for Preschoolers: Learn how to set up a science center in your classroom! Explore fun and easy science activities for early learners and find out how to create an environment where simple machines become fascinating tools and life cycles turn into captivating stories.

PreKinders Science Projects for the Classroom: Teaching ideas, printable activities, and hands-on science experiments for early childhood classrooms.

Preschool Science Lesson Plans: From Magnet Magic to Let's Build a Greenhouse, these engaging Education.com lesson plans will bring STEM topics to life for early learners.

Preschool Science Worksheets and Printables: It's never too early to begin learning about science, and preschool science worksheets help you start young. These age-appropriate Education.com worksheets include color-by-number dinosaur sheets, dressing for the weather activities, five-senses printables, and more. Try them during the summer months to prepare preschoolers for kindergarten.

National Air and Space Museum Science in PreK: This Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum website will give you the foundational knowledge and resources you need to bring basic science concepts to life for early learners.

Preschool STEAM: How to Teach Preschoolers to Think Like an Engineer in 3 Easy Steps: Are you tired of not being able to find quality STEAM lessons that fit the needs of your early learners?  These monthly STEAM curriculum guides will help you add more STEAM activities to your busy day and give you the tools you need to create dynamic, hands-on learning experiences for your preschoolers.