Early learners can also do Destination Imagination through our Pathways and Rising Stars! products.
STEM & Literacy Pathways for Early Learners
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STEM & Literacy Pathways for Early Learners (Pathways) is the most recent and innovative product to be developed by Destination Imagination (DI) for Early Childhood. Click here to download our program overview booklet or click through the booklet below.
Pathways is designed to prepare 3-6 year olds with a jump start in literacy as well as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (“STEM”) concepts, while promoting critical and creative thinking skills. These skills, combined with DI’s unique and proven style, aim to increase social, emotional, and educational outcomes for participants.
The Destination Imagination early learning program provides teachers with a framework which enables them to relate more effectively with students while preparing them for elementary grades. The Pathways set includes Social and Emotional Learning, STEM and Literacy concepts, and plenty of fun and engaging activities for school and at home. Following an introduction, the volume is organized into 18 chapters:
1. Creature Feature
7. How We Get Around
8. Shapes All Around Me
9. Ocean Creatures
10. Music in My Life
11. Helping Our Environment
13. Crawling & Slithering
14. Space Explorer
15. The Places We Can Go
16. Super Me
17. Instant Challenges
Pathways is beneficial to both parents and teachers as well as students. Our program addresses students, teachers and parents in the following ways:
- As with all DI programs, Pathways teaches the creative process from imagination to innovation through a process called “inquiry-guided” group learning, helping even the youngest students deal with new material or equipment.
- Parent involvement is encouraged not only with the take-home activities, but a variety of other initiatives as well.
- Pathways is designed to assist teachers and parents in teaching STEM and literacy concepts to very young learners. For classrooms where the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) is used (for example, Head Start centers), Pathways will aide teachers in the “Instructional Support” domain.
- We hope teachers will delight in such a wonderful and simple program to help them promote STEM and literacy in their preschool classrooms and home schools.
Organized into 16 themes, Pathways offers five Activities for each theme. Each activity requires about 15-30 minutes. Pathways also includes:
- A take-home component for every theme
- An adult and child activity for each theme
- 10 feedback loop questions for each theme
- 10 transitions for each theme
- A suggested book to read for each theme
- 5 books from the suggested book list
- 12 extra fun and engaging challenges that can be used to complement the learning experience
“The STEM & Literacy educational approach allowed for my students and teachers to think outside the box. I highly recommend that anyone in the field of Early Childhood Education implements this program throughout the school year."
- Giselle Cohen, MA Ed. H.D., CentroNia, EHS Director, Baltimore Head Start
“These materials give children a “sense of wonder” and have been fully supported by the STEM & Literacy educational approach for our Head Start children.”
- Barb Bartels, Baltimore City Head Start
Click here to read our Position Statement on Early Learning.
Our Rising Stars! for Early Learners Challenge offers simple experiences with the creative process, and it gives young kids (preschool through 2nd grade) a place to work together and make new friends.
Every year, Destination Imagination writers develop a new Rising Stars! for Early Learners Challenge. They focus on creating a fun learning environment and allowing kids to be creative. The Challenge is noncompetitive, which helps ease pressure and lets kids play and experiment with their solutions. However, there is a showcase option, which allows teams to perform their solutions at a tournament. Click here to preview our Rising Stars! Challenge. Click here to start a team today.