Your little learners don’t need a plane ticket to explore the world this summer. They just need rocks, mud, a magnifying glass, and a little imagination.
This month inside the Member Lab, the Nature Lab Play Guide is ready and waiting. If you’re new to the Play Guide, here’s how it works: every month, members get a themed guide that maps out four weeks of STEAM activities. Each activity is linked directly inside the guide — just click and the full lesson opens with step-by-step directions, real photos, and guided STEAM questions. Every lesson also has a downloadable one-page guide you can print and bring straight to your table, backyard, or classroom. Book recommendations and video links are built right in too.
This month’s Nature Lab covers four themes your little learners are naturally drawn to:
Earth and Rocks
Rocks are everywhere, and most of us walk right past them. The first week your little learners slow down and explore what rocks and earth materials can really do. They’ll make mud animal sculptures, build with DIY mud bricks, and discover that the ground beneath their feet is full of STEAM possibilities. Pair it with If You Find a Rock by Peggy Christian or A Rock Is Lively by Dianna Hutts Aston for a Storytime STEAM connection.
Rainforest Discovery
What would it feel like to stand inside a rainforest? The second week takes your little learners into the layers of the jungle. They’ll investigate rainfall, solve engineering challenges, and explore what makes the rainforest unique. Read The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry and suddenly your room becomes a canopy full of wonder.
Reptiles and Habitats
Reptiles fascinate young children, and this week leans all the way in. Your little learners will investigate habitats, compare cold-blooded and warm-blooded animals, and take on challenges that get them thinking like real scientists. What does a sea turtle need to survive? How would you catch a frog?
Safari and Wild Animals
Your learning space transforms into the wild savanna. Little learners explore camouflage, create hybrid animals, and discover what makes safari animals unique. Read Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae and open up conversations about differences, creativity, and what makes each child special.
Your July STEAM Lessons Are Already Waiting
Each theme is fully planned inside the Nature Lab Play Guide in the Preschool STEAM Member Lab. Four themed weeks, 16 ready-to-go lessons, a curated book guide and video links for every theme, and a Moment of Wonder to kick off each week. Just pick your adventure and go.
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