The "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS) encourages educators to help kindergarteners formalize a big idea in physics: A push or pull can cause an object to begin moving, speed up, slow down, stop, or change the direction it is going (NGSS Lead States 2013). In this article, the authors share an exciting, classroom-tested…

Cooking is a common experience in preschool classrooms, where teachers provide hands-on opportunities with ingredients in the process of following standard recipes. What sets this story apart is the way that the teacher supports the children in designing their own cookie recipe in an authentic way, using experimentation and manipulation of cookies…

Young students are familiar with the observable effects of force and motion but may not have considered the many varieties demonstrated in simple ways every day on the playground. A force is simply a push or a pull. A force can make an object move, move more quickly, change direction, slow down, or stop. Forces cannot be seen but their effect can…