Kindergarten Inquiry, Projects and STEAM Ideas Across the Seasons

Inside: Each season brings new opportunities for kindergarten inquiry, projects, and STEAM work. In this post, I share links to many of the projects I’ve done with different groups of kindergartners across many school years.

Leaning Into Kindergarten Inquiry and Project Work

When I decided to try teaching in a more student-centered way, there was no teaching manual that showed me how to do it. I read lots books, took online and in-person classes, followed others on social media, and in a sense, started on my own inquiry journey.

I slowly leaned in, tried lots of new things, and documented that journey across the seasons on this blog. I share these experiences with you here, not because they are a textbook definition of kindergarten inquiry or project work, but because they show a teacher pulling back, following her children’s lead, and seeing where it took us.

In this post, I’ve gathered all of these experiences together and organized them by season, hoping that no matter when you land on this page, you’ll find something that will inspire you to begin your own inquiries and projects!

And I’ll be adding to this post, as I continue to explore this way of teaching with future kindergarten classes.

Inquiry Projects by the Season

Fall

Can We Do Whatever We Want?: Exploring Rules in Kindergarten

The Pumpkin Project

A Fall Nature Walk: Before, During, and After Activities

Our Apple Seed Inquiry: Exploring the Scientific Method in Kindergarten

Fall Inquiries and Research Groups in Kindergarten

Winter

Exploring Precipitation (and Going Deeper with Snow)

Growing Our Thinking Around Matter

Gingerbread STEM Challenge: The Toy Boat Project

Our Mystery Bulb: A Plant Inquiry

Our Bald Eagle Research Project

A Kindergarten Inquiry: Investigating Winter

The Envelope Project

Kindergarten STEAM: The Paintbrush Project

Spring

The Green Project

Easy Leprechaun Traps for Kindergarten

Kindergarten Plant Unit: An Inquiry Based Approach

Wind Walk Adventures and Activities

Animal Research Projects: Step-by-Step

Planting Bean Seeds to Welcome Spring

Are Trees Alive? A Mini Inquiry

Learning With Each New Kindergarten Inquiry

Each inquiry or project taught me something new about teaching in a more student-centered way and my “teacher toolbox,” began to grow with strategies that I was then able to use with each new inquiry.

For more ideas on inquiry and project work, visit the Growing with STEAM page inside the Roots & Wings Resource Library. Thanks for stopping by!