News - United States of America
Preschoolers Exploring their Environment with GLOBE
A new Preschool Nature Explorers program is now available to learners at a preschool in downtown Seattle that welcomes children of all abilities. This program is a collaboration between U.S. GLOBE Partner Dr. Tsurusaki (University of Washington - Bothell), the Seattle Public Library, and the Northwest Center preschool. The team worked with two preschool classes, totaling 30 learners and four educators. Learners included neurodiverse children and children with mobility and sensory disabilities.
The collaborators developed the program to provide preschoolers with STEAM learning experiences that will help them develop important skills to build a foundation for future learning and instill an understanding and appreciation of Earth and the environment. They developed age-appropriate lessons that are inclusive of all the preschoolers’ needs and abilities. Each lesson includes storybooks to introduce children to the topic of interest and hands-on activities, crafts, and outdoor explorations.
This program is important to these preschoolers because learners with disabilities are sometimes left out of STEAM learning experiences due to their unique needs, such as additional support and accommodations.
This program began in May 2025 with support from a U.S. GLOBE Office mini-grant. The program has continued through the fall with additional funding from other sources.
The goal of the GLOBE Partnership Mini-Grant Program is to support U.S. Partner activities to help achieve the GLOBE Strategic Priorities and contribute to the evaluation of the impact of GLOBE within the United States. Access the Mini-Grant Award Padlet to learn about how Partnerships that have been awarded a mini-grant are using the funding.
Photo credit: Adobe stock photo.
News origin: United States of America