The Importance of 2D Representations in the Lives of Young Children An excerpt from my upcoming book Young Architects at Play (Redleaf Press, 2020) As digital technology advances, our relationship with maps -- as learners and as navigators of the physical world -- has...

“Look! A squishy worm!” A small child lifts her mud-covered hand to show her teacher the worm she found on the preschool playground. Soon a group of children are gathered around the muddy patch, searching for more worms with spoons and shovels. Later, after washing up...

I’ve just returned from the SXSWEDU conference in Austin, Texas where I gave a talk on computer science education for young children and signed copies of my new books: Robotics for Young Children and Coding, Robotics, and Engineering for Young Students. The focus of...

Each time I read the news I see dire warnings about technology: Robots are taking our jobs! Driverless cars are speeding through our streets! Hackers are stealing our secrets! It’s easy to become frightened and pessimistic about the future of technology in our world....

  Just FYI: When I speak to groups of educators about coding and robotics, these are the resources I recommend most often.     NAEYC Position Statement on Technology and Interactive Media...

This fall I will be leading two online workshops for educators who are interested in teaching coding and robotics to young students. Workshops & Dates: Introducing Coding to Young Students October 9-22, 2017 Introducing Robotics to Young Students October...

  Toys break. Wheels pop off axles, dolls lose their hair or even their heads, and the batteries inside mechanical pets weaken and die. As parents and teachers, we often try to protect young children from these events, repairing and replacing toys while they’re...

For the past three years, in my role as Early Childhood Coordinator at Northwestern University's Center for Talent Development, I have been writing, piloting, and revising a coding and robotics curriculum for PreK to Grade 3 called "Tech Beginnings." I'm pleased to...

I recently had a ton of fun talking about play as a guest speaker on a live webinar for Bright Horizons, an international provider of quality early childhood programs. Moderator Melanie Brooks and I talked about the joys and benefits of pretend play, messy play,...