LEAP INTO SCIENCE

Empowering Educators to Offer Programs in Community Settings

Leap into Science is a national program with a mission to integrate open-ended science activities with children’s books and literacy efforts in libraries, museums, and out-of-school time programs. LiS was developed by The Franklin Institute Science Museum with the National Girls Collaborative Project. Learn more at leap.fi.edu.

Download the Leap into Science Guides for Light & Shadow and Wind!

About Light & Shadow: Our sense of sight relies on the presence of light. However, since light is not visible as it travels through air, it is not always obvious how important light is in creating the world we see. Light bouncing off objects gives them their color and creates reflections in shiny surfaces. Objects that block light create shadows that move and change as the object moves. The Leap into Science light and shadow workshops invite children and families to experiment with light and explore the ways that light interacts with objects to create shadows, reflections, and more. Download the Light & Shadow Guide

About Wind: Air is everywhere—but how do we know it exists if we can’t see it? Air is most noticeable when we feel it in the form of wind. Wind can be a light breeze that blows our hair on a spring day, or a strong gust that knocks down trees during a powerful storm. We can also see air when it fills up space inside a bubble or a balloon. The Leap into Science wind workshops invite children and families to experiment with air and explore the ways that an invisible substance can produce visible effects. Download the Wind Guide

About Balance: For preschoolers, the goal of these explorations is not for them to fully understand or define balance. Very few young children can explain why tests of balance work, but they intuitively understand the idea based on their experiences with their bodies and toys. By comparing and contrasting things that are balanced and unbalanced, children learn new ideas in the context of what they already know and understand. Download the Balance Guide

Thanks to our partners Paige Bredenkamp, the School Library Consultant with the Wyoming State Library and Susan McGuire, the Executive Director of the Wyoming Alliance for Environmental Education (WyAEE) for helping to launch Leap into Science in Wyoming!

Learn About Building the STEAM Mindset in Wyoming

Creating a STEAM mindset in young children may seem daunting, especially if there’s an end goal in mind. But instead, focus on the experience rather than the outcome, working together to ask questions about the world around us, learning together through observation and experimentation. Read the full story!