Love this... "Using Just the RIght Amount" by Teacher Tom

When I read Teacher Tom's entry on "Using Just the Right Amount" I had to laugh. His story really resonated with me about how freely glue flows in the hands of a preschooler. Then I realized that his story represents what I would call "Preschool Materials Engineering."

Picture from Teacher Tom's Article

"This is why when a child dumps an entire bowl of googly eyes into a lake of glue then empties a shaker of glitter onto it, I no longer see waste. In fact, I know she is using just the right amount."

http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2014/10/using-just-right-amount.html

A lake of glue, an entire bowl of googly eyes - the use of materials and learning about how they go together as well as learning about where the materials are sourced from (recycle bins? Thrift stores? Target?) are exactly what preschool materials engineering students should be focused on.  It is another opportunity to see STEM in the catastrophic mess of preschool play.