Making and Tinkering With STEM: Solving Design Challenges With Young Children

National Association for the Education of Young Children

Cate Heroman’s passion is to help children be successful learners and socially competent individuals. A nationally recognized educator and author—her numerous publications include The Creative Curriculum for Preschool and Teaching Strategies GOLD—Cate’s professional experiences center on early childhood education. She has been an early childhood classroom teacher, state administrator, trainer, facilitator, keynote speaker, author, consultant, and developer of curriculum and assessment materials. She has a deep understanding not only of what children learn but also how they learn.Cate is giving back to her community through her volunteer efforts with Knock Knock Children’s Museum in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, serving children birth to age eight. She has been instrumental in establishing a makerspace in the museum and has spent countless hours studying and researching what making, tinkering, and design engineering look like with young learners. While much of the information available on these topics is for older students and adults, practical guidance for early childhood educators is limited. This book began as a tool for museum educators. During the field testing and piloting of the activities, however, Cate discovered a clear demand for this type of resource for educators in preschool through third grade classrooms.Cate received a master’s degree from Louisiana State University, taught in East Baton Rouge Parish Schools, served as an early childhood administrator at the Louisiana Department of Education, and was vice president of Teaching Strategies, LLC. She is education chair and vice chair of Knock Knock Children’s Museum in Baton Rouge. She is married with two children and four grandchildren.Cate Heroman’s passion is to help children be successful learners and socially competent individuals. A nationally recognized educator and author—her numerous publications include The Creative Curriculum for Preschool and Teaching Strategies GOLD—Cate’s professional experiences center on early childhood education. She has been an early childhood classroom teacher, state administrator, trainer, facilitator, keynote speaker, author, consultant, and developer of curriculum and assessment materials. She has a deep understanding not only of what children learn but also how they learn.Cate is giving back to her community through her volunteer efforts with Knock Knock Children’s Museum in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, serving children birth to age eight. She has been instrumental in establishing a makerspace in the museum and has spent countless hours studying and researching what making, tinkering, and design engineering look like with young learners. While much of the information available on these topics is for older students and adults, practical guidance for early childhood educators is limited. This book began as a tool for museum educators. During the field testing and piloting of the activities, however, Cate discovered a clear demand for this type of resource for educators in preschool through third grade classrooms.Cate received a master’s degree from Louisiana State University, taught in East Baton Rouge Parish Schools, served as an early childhood administrator at the Louisiana Department of Education, and was vice president of Teaching Strategies, LLC. She is education chair and vice chair of Knock Knock Children’s Museum in Baton Rouge. She is married with two children and four grandchildren.