Three-year-old Jaylen Thomas\u2019 life changed when he built a seesaw.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy son questions the world now,\u201d said the boy\u2019s mother, Catanya Jackson.\u00a0 \u201cAt my mom\u2019s house he took a plank of wood and placed a container under it to make a seesaw.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas learned the art of seesaw building at The Pre-School Lab at North Campus. The site was recently renamed the \u201cExploration Station: The Preschool at Miami Dade College \u201d on Jan. 18.<\/p>\n
Jackson said Jaylen\u2019s curiosity is reflective of the Preschool\u2019s also-new STEM initiative\u2014a curriculum that emphasizes science, technology, engineering and mathematics.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I asked him what he was doing he simply explained to me what he learned in school about inclines and other mathematical principles that he used to make the seesaw,\u201d Jackson said.<\/p>\n
Michelle Manjarrez, the director of the preschool is excited about the program\u2019s new High Scope curriculum.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are introducing children to vocabulary, projects and activities that will enhance their natural scientific thinking,\u201d Manjarrez said, who oversees more than 100 preschoolers every semester.<\/p>\n
Manjarrez said that the STEM initiative would also familiarize children with scientific vocabulary and concepts at an early stage of their education.<\/p>\n
\u201cA student once demonstrated a great deal of interest in a garbage truck toy, so we had an entire lesson dedicated to the mechanics of the truck, like its hydraulic system,\u201d Manjarrez said.<\/p>\n
Plant growth projects can be seen on the walls of the school. Words like \u201cnutrients\u201d are being used by kids ages two to five.<\/p>\n
Caridad Cuellar, a nursing student at MDC, is a student assistant at the Exploration Station. She has noticed the effectiveness of the STEM program.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey find the experiments fun,\u201d Cuellar said. \u201cThey learn more about science and safety procedures in this kind of environment. \u201d.<\/p>\n
In addition to the name change, the school added a fruit and vegetable garden\u00a0 where students and faculty grow their own produce to learn about agriculture, and even use them in their own meals. A new science classroom and art room were also updated.<\/p>\n
The science room, filled with\u00a0 jarred specimens of birds, reptiles, and seeds, includes microscopes and smart tables where children perform math problems, view videos and read.<\/p>\n
Jackson said she is glad her son\u2019s education now leans toward the sciences.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s where the jobs are, and we\u2019re no longer at the forefront of scientific development,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cWe\u2019ve fallen behind and these types of programs are important if we want to catch up.\u201d<\/p>\n
For more information, contact the Pre-School Lab at 305-237-1357.
\nAddress: 11380 Northwest 27th Avenue #600, Miami FL 33167<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Three-year-old Jaylen Thomas\u2019 life changed when he built a seesaw. \u201cMy son questions the world now,\u201d said the boy\u2019s mother, Catanya Jackson.\u00a0 \u201cAt my mom\u2019s house he took a plank of wood and placed a container under it to make a seesaw.\u201d Thomas learned the art of seesaw building at The Pre-School Lab at North […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":309,"featured_media":6421,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6417","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news"},"yoast_head":"\n