The Creative Curriculum® for Pre-K - Criterion 2.5

The Creative Curriculum for Pre-K materials partially meet expectations for promoting the core ideas of life science, physical science, earth and space science, and engineering and technology (2.5a). 

The Foundation Volume 6: Science and Technology provides some strategies for creating spaces for science (pp. 32-33). Foundation Volume 2: Interest Areas provides guidance on how art and discovery interest areas can support science (pp. 89, 145). Guidance is provided for promoting engineering exploration and skill-building in the blocks area (p. 13) and the sand-and-water area (pp. 166-167). Foundations Volume 6, Chapter 3 Science and Technology Learning in the Interest Areas and Outdoors (pp. 42-68) outlines how engineering and technology can be intentionally explored in each interest area. Materials lists that encourage children to engage in the engineering cycle are provided for each interest area, as are book lists for teaching engineering concepts. Guiding questions for teachers to introduce concepts and expand children’s thinking are also included for each area. 

The materials include a strong emphasis on life science and on Seeds, Grocery Store (food and nutrition), and Getting Ready for Kindergarten. The Seeds study weaves the study of living things into activities each week, while Getting Ready for Kindergarten features a focused project on the butterfly life cycle, from egg to adult. Additionally, in Investigation 1 Day 1, during Choice time, children are given real seeds and use the How to Plant a Seed chart for a hands-on plant experiment. Also in Investigation 3 Day 2 (Seeds study), children are asked to refer to the question of the day: “What do you think will grow from this seed?” and make predictions about how many seeds each plant will have, and write in their journals during Independent Discovery time.

Physical science concepts are found in Percussion Instruments, Architecture, and Light studies. For example, in the Lights study, students observe the sun’s appearance, warmth, and differences in brightness between sunlight and shade, using their senses. In the Grocery Store study, Investigation 1, Day 3 M07 Discovery Card in the Focused Mathematics small group, children are asked to measure and compare ice cubes and describe what they observe. In the Light study Investigation 4 Day, the Question of the Day is Which Kind of Paper is the Thickest? Throughout the day, children are asked to observe and predict which paper will block light the best. During Choice Time that same day, they are provided with multiple types of paper to test their predictions.

Earth and space science is addressed in activities in the Light Teaching Guide (pp. 42-43). Children focus on the sun and its light during whole-group time. During Choice Time (p. 43), the night sky is discussed.  Guidance is also given in the Call Out Box “Building Children’s Understanding” (p. 43) on how to revisit this topic on an ongoing basis.  The Light study also recommends adding books about the sun, stars, and moon to the classroom library (pp. 3, 6). In the Light Study, Day 3 of Investigation 1, children listen to an audiobook called I Took the Moon for a Walk. On the same day in Guided Discovery, children were asked to look at books that would help them answer the day’s question: What makes light in the sky? Despite a few relevant opportunities for exploration, earth and space science is not robustly explored. In the Seeds Teaching Guide (p. 58-59), children investigate wind through hands-on experimentation and discussion. During whole group time, children blow tissue paper to model wind, then connect it to how “the wind can blow seeds to transport...them from one place to another,” followed by sorting seeds based on whether they will blow in the wind.

Technology is incorporated in multiple ways, with its most prominent and sustained presence in the Camera study, where students investigate old cameras and engage in photography and videography. In other studies, students also engage with technology in more occasional ways, such as listening to stories.

Hands-on exploration is embedded throughout the curriculum, fostering inquiry and active engagement. In the Architecture study, for example, students examine a variety of building materials to discuss texture and feel, and later use blocks, toy figures, and furniture to create rooms based on what they have learned about buildings. Play-based learning is consistently integrated into focused projects, choice time, and outdoor activities. 

Each study begins with a central inquiry question to spark curiosity, supported by weekly and daily questions that encourage ongoing discussion and reinforce key vocabulary.  For example, in the Lights study, Investigation 1 day 3: What objects make light? How do we turn lights on and off? This question is carried through many parts of the day. Some studies place greater emphasis on science objectives, providing students with more frequent opportunities to engage with science-related vocabulary and exploration. 

Overall, The Creative Curriculum for Pre-K provides a range of inquiry-based, hands-on experiences that support students’ engagement with science and technology concepts across life, physical, and Earth and space science. Life science is explored most consistently and in depth, while physical science and earth and space science are incorporated through meaningful, though sometimes less extensive, opportunities for investigation. Technology and engineering are integrated across the program, with particularly strong and sustained engagement in one study, alongside additional opportunities to extend these concepts more consistently throughout the year. While students regularly engage in exploration, problem-solving, and the use of tools and materials, these opportunities are not always developed into structured, cohesive investigations that build conceptual understanding over time or explicitly advance engineering and technology practices across the curriculum. 

The Creative Curriculum for Pre-K materials partially meet expectations for supporting science and engineering through integrated and interdisciplinary learning experiences (2.5b). 

Science concepts and skills are intentionally embedded across content areas, allowing children to make connections through hands-on exploration and play. In the Seeds study, students listen to The Tiny Seed during a read-aloud and then create collages using craft sticks and tissue paper, linking life science with literacy, art, and fine motor development. Math connections are also evident as children use craft sticks to build a farmer’s fence around the perimeter of a garden. Similarly, in the Grocery Store study, Investigation 1, Day 3, Discovery Card M07 in the Focused Mathematics small group has children measure and compare ice cubes and describe their observations, integrating physical science concepts with mathematical thinking.

During Focused Project Learning, students use magnifying glasses to closely observe seeds, document their findings in journals, and draw the plants they predict the seeds will grow into, blending scientific observation with early writing and drawing skills. Focused Language and Literacy time during Guided Discovery and Choice Time further supports science exploration. For example, in the Seeds study, Day 2 of Investigation 2, students use Literacy and Language card LL63 during Guided Discovery to record and investigate their observations, reinforcing science concepts through language development.

Unstructured exploration is a central feature of the curriculum, with science learning extending naturally into play-based settings. Students model seeds with dough, construct instruments from recyclables to explore sound, and engage in peer conversations while investigating natural materials such as rocks, pine cones, and sticks. Choice Time and Independent Discovery provide authentic opportunities for children to test ideas, problem-solve, and collaborate. For instance, children design and test bird feeders using provided materials, experimenting with ways to keep seeds contained. Literacy connections continue through read-alouds such as What Can a Seed Make? and technology-supported stories like A Farmer’s Life for Me. In another example, children use vocabulary related to light to compare light sources and determine which is brightest or dimmest, then observe light switches during Independent Discovery and create observational drawings in their journals using a 3-step instructional card.

The materials provide teachers with embedded supports, including Intentional Teaching Experiences and Mighty Minutes cards, which offer prompts for observation, questioning, and guided discussion. These resources help ensure that play-based learning remains purposeful and connected to scientific inquiry. Instruction is largely exploration-focused, with teachers inviting children into activities. However, there is limited teacher guidance on how to support interdisciplinary learning.

Science learning is further supported by integrating crosscutting concepts. Children explore patterns by building and extending designs with manipulatives, investigate cause and effect through experiments with light and shadows, and examine energy through games such as Balloon Pong, where movement is connected to force. They also explore scale and proportion by measuring classroom objects with blocks. These experiences introduce children to scientific ways of thinking and help them make sense of the world.

Overall, The Creative Curriculum for Pre-K provides a variety of integrated, play-based experiences that connect science with other content areas such as literacy and math, offering meaningful opportunities for children to engage in hands-on exploration, collaboration, and real-world problem-solving. Students are also introduced to crosscutting concepts through engaging activities that support early scientific thinking. Teacher supports, including embedded prompts and guided activities, help facilitate these connections and provide some guidance for linking science with other disciplines. While there is clear evidence of connections across some disciplines, additional teacher guidance and activities are needed to support connections beyond literacy and math, where concepts and skills are intentionally reinforced over time to strengthen the coherence and progression of science learning throughout the materials.