Lively Learning: ‘Their Eyes Just Bloomed Open’
Watching preschoolers pull up a radish, count the seeds in an apple, crunch a bite of carrot or explore a fragrant basil leaf with a magnifying glass, it’s easy to sense their excitement. Head Start teacher Sarah Richardson loves these lively ways of teaching science using healthy foods.
“Their eyes just bloomed open,” says Richardson, one of the teachers taking part in the PEAS program. PEAS, short for Preschool Education in Applied Sciences, is an NC State Extension program that currently reaches six North Carolina counties. Rather than a traditional curriculum, PEAS provides professional development for early childhood educators. Teachers learn best practices for teaching science and developing children’s language skills, all while giving preschoolers hands-on experiences with healthy foods.
Through a PEAS program partnership with NC State Extension’s Steps to Health, PEAS teachers have support to start their own school gardens where children can explore the science of healthy living outside the walls of the classroom.
Head Start teacher LaShawn Savage expects preschoolers’ curiosity to grow because of their experiences in the PEAS garden, from planting seeds to watching vegetables grow.
