This week in Early Years, our children have immersed themselves in the exciting world of STEAM – Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. STEAM education plays an essential role in our curriculum at Britannica, nurturing curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking through hands-on exploration and purposeful play.
In Early Years, STEAM is not taught as separate subjects but is woven naturally through the children’s everyday experiences. Through building, making, experimenting, and discovering, our young learners are developing the foundations of scientific inquiry, early design thinking, and a lifelong love of learning. This integrated approach aligns perfectly with both the EYFS framework and the Curiosity Approach, which emphasise learning through wonder, exploration, and creativity.
Throughout the week, the children have been busy designing, constructing, testing, and improving. They have explored how things fit together, balance, and move – using both natural and man-made materials to bring their ideas to life. From bridges and towers to boats and vehicles, each creation began with a question: What will happen if…? or How can we make this work? The children then used problem-solving and critical thinking to adapt their ideas, testing them in practice to see what would happen next.
These rich experiences gave children opportunities to observe cause and effect, work collaboratively, and persevere when things didn’t go as planned. Each experiment and structure became a moment of discovery, strengthening their understanding of the world and their confidence in their own abilities.
Art within STEAM has also been a central part of the week, allowing children to express their ideas visually and creatively. Whether sketching designs, painting imaginative blueprints, or decorating their models, art encouraged them to see the connection between creativity and innovation — an essential part of early engineering and scientific thinking.
STEAM learning in Early Years connects closely with key areas of the EYFS curriculum. It supports Communication and Language as children discuss their ideas and explain their thinking, promotes Physical Development through building, joining, and manipulating materials, and deepens Understanding the World as they explore how things work. It also nurtures Personal, Social, and Emotional Development, as children learn to take turns, share ideas, and celebrate success together.
STEAM Week has reminded us of the joy of discovery and the power of curiosity. When children are given time and space to explore, experiment, and create, they not only learn about the world around them — they also learn about themselves as capable thinkers and problem-solvers. These experiences build confidence, resilience, and imagination, helping our youngest learners see that their ideas matter and that they, too, can be the inventors, artists, and scientists of tomorrow.
In Reception, the children took inspiration from the story Stuck by Oliver Jeffers. They were captivated by the tale of everything getting stuck up a tree and used this imaginative story as a springboard for their own learning. Linking to their mathematics focus on 2D shapes, the children designed and built their own kites. They carefully selected shapes, measured the structure, and explored how to join materials together. After decorating their kites with colourful ribbons and strings, the children took them outside to test whether they would fly.
Some kites soared high in the air while others needed a few adjustments — leading to rich conversations about balance, wind, and design. Through this experience, the children developed key STEAM skills such as problem-solving, observation, and perseverance. They worked collaboratively, practised fine motor control, and strengthened their understanding of shape, measure, and materials. The project beautifully connected literacy, maths, and science within the EYFS framework, showing how learning through play builds both knowledge and confidence.
Meanwhile, in Nursery, they have had an exciting week as the weather has taken a cool turn, bringing all sorts of seasonal changes to our environment. The children have been exploring the wonders of autumn through stories, discussions, and outdoor discovery — noticing leaves turning beautiful colours, seeds and conkers falling, and the air becoming cooler.
As part of STEAM Week, the children also enjoyed singing the lively “Dingle Dangle Scarecrow” song and creating their very own scarecrows using sticks, hay, and a mix of natural and recycled materials. It was a joy to see their creativity come to life as they built, dressed, and personalised their scarecrows. These experiences supported early engineering and design skills while encouraging children to think about how materials can be combined for a purpose.
In Pre-Nursery, the children have been exploring the fascinating life cycle of a pumpkin, delving deeper into how seeds grow into fruits and vegetables. Their main activities included digging out the insides of pumpkins and discussing the texture of the pumpkin flesh — noticing how sticky, slippery, and slimy it felt! The children carefully pulled out their own seeds, talking about the shape, colour, and texture of the pumpkin skin.
Our book of the week, Grow a Pumpkin, supported this exploration beautifully, helping the children understand that pumpkins begin as tiny seeds before growing into vines, flowers, and eventually the large, bumpy pumpkins we see around Halloween. Everyone has loved investigating, talking, and exploring together — and we are all excited as we prepare for Pumpkin Palooza next week.
Across our Early Years, STEAM Week has been a celebration of curiosity, creativity, and discovery. Whether building kites, crafting scarecrows, or exploring pumpkins, the children have been developing vital early skills — from communication and problem-solving to scientific thinking and imagination. Through play and exploration, they are learning not only about the world but how to think, question, and wonder about it too.
