Baltimore, MD—Curiosity, energy, and playfulness—all available in abundance in early childhood—make preschoolers perfect candidates to become"scientists-in-waiting." Researchers and educators have found that young children have a natural inclination for learning scientific methods like observation, classification, and measurement. And learning these scientific tools helps children build math, language, and early literacy skills, which are all essential for school readiness. Preschool teachers can encourage children to investigate their everyday world and develop the basics of scientific thinking with the Preschool Pathways to Science (PrePS™) teaching approach in the newly released book, Preschool Pathways to Science (PrePS): Facilitating Scientific Ways of Thinking, Talking, Doing, and Understanding (Brookes Publishing, 2010).

Developed by early childhood experts Rochel Gelman, Ph.D., Kimberly Brenneman, Ph.D., Gay Macdonald, M.A., and Moisés Román, the practical PrePS approach has been researched and implemented in early childhood classrooms over the past two decades. "Young children are able to grasp much about the methods and content of science," says Gelman, a professor of psychology and cognitive science at Rutgers University. "Children's natural exploration closely mimics what scientists do. With a curriculum such as PrePS, an instructor can guide children's own curiosity toward the fun of doing science in a coherent, domain-building way."

The PrePS teaching approach is used on the Emmy-nominated PBS KIDS® television show Sid the Science Kid™, an animated series developed to inspire a lifelong curiosity and love for learning in young children. Like Sid, children in classrooms using the PrePS!" approach explore science topics in detail and conduct interactive scientific explorations.

Preschool teachers can now implement the PrePS approach in their classroom with the user-friendly book, Preschool Pathways to Science. The resource highlights key science practices, such as predicting and measuring, and appropriate science concepts, such as the nature of the animate–inanimate distinction, to teach preschoolers. It also provides strategies for working the approach into a classroom's existing curriculum and illustrates ways to assess the effects of science instruction. Teachers and children will also enjoy the book's fun activities like The Blubber Glove Experiment, where children explore the insulation properties of blubber, which is stored by some animals during the winter, using a bucket of water and "gloves" created with plastic bags and vegetable shortening.

Herbert P. Ginsburg, Ph.D., professor of psychology and education at Teachers College, Columbia University describes PrePS as "an important new early childhood science program based on ground-breaking research on children's thinking and learning. Teachers can enjoy this program as much as the children." Jennifer Manuola, who has used the approach as Director of the Douglass Psychology Child Study Center at Rutgers University agrees, "PrePS is so well received with the children, staff, and families. I am particularly proud of the fact that my own daughter has set her sights on becoming a 'lady scientist' when she grows up."

Preschool Pathways to Science is available from Brookes Publishing (1-800-638-3775; www.brookespublishing.com). Sid the Science Kid™ is a co-production of The Jim Henson Company and KCET/Los Angeles for PBS KIDS®.

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Preschool Pathways to Science (PrePS) Facilitating Scientific Ways of Thinking, Talking, Doing, and Understanding
by Rochel Gelman, Ph.D., Kimberly Brenneman, Ph.D., Gay Macdonald, M.A., and Moisés Román
(Brookes Publishing, September 2009)
$29.95; 144 pages; 8.5 x 11 layflat paperback; ISBN 978-1-59857-044-1

Review copies available upon request. Please contact Amy Perkins at 410-337-9580 x128 or aperkins@brookespublishing.com.

About the Authors:

Rochel Gelman, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Science at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey. Kimberly Brenneman, Ph.D., is Assistant Research Professor of Psychology at Rutgers University. Gay Macdonald, M.A., is Executive Director for Early Care and Education at the Krieger Center at the University of California, Los Angeles. Moisés Román, B.A., is Director for Early Care and Education at the University Village Center at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Brenneman and Mr. Roman serve as educational consultants to the PBS KIDS® show Sid the Science Kid.

About Brookes Publishing:

For more than 30 years, Brookes Publishing has been a leading provider of resources on child development, early intervention, education, disabilities, communication and language, behavior, and mental health. An independent company, Brookes Publishing is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. Please visit www.brookespublishing.com to learn more.

About Sid the Science Kid™:

Sid the Science Kid™ is a co-production of The Jim Henson Company and KCET/Los Angeles for PBS KIDS®. The Emmy-nominated show has 40 episodes airing in syndication on PBS stations across the country. Major funding for Sid the Science Kid™ is provided by First 5 California, the Boeing Company, the Rose Hills Foundation, and the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations. The Jim Henson Company has remained an established leader in family entertainment for over 50 years and is recognized worldwide as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics and digital animation. KCET, the West Coast flagship station of PBS, is public television for Southern and Central California. To learn more about Sid the Science Kid™, please visit www.pbskids.org/sid.