The Curriculum
Six pillars. Two years. One foundation.
The lessons are scripted. The conversations are not. Every week of the Kids Innovate year touches at least three of the six pillars — they overlap, the way the world overlaps.
Cosmic Curiosity
The world above us. Astronomy, light, gravity, weather, scale.
- →Walk the Solar System. Roll eight pieces of colored paper into eight planets, sized to scale, then walk them across the playground until the children realize the Sun is much further away than they thought.
- →A Week with the Moon. Track the moon's shape every evening for seven days with chalk on construction paper.
- →The Stick That Tells Time. Plant a stick upright in the dirt and place a stone where its shadow falls.
Living World
The world around us. Plants, animals, ecosystems, the body.
- →The Bean in the Jar. Plant a bean against the side of a clear jar. Predict what happens before you observe what happens.
- →Following the Snail. Mark a snail's path with chalk on a sidewalk. Argue about whether the snail is fast or slow.
- →Inside an Apple. Cut an apple two ways: across, and lengthwise. Then predict the inside of a pear.
Maker Mind
How things work. Engineering, physics, structure, cause and effect.
- →The Paper Bridge. Build a bridge out of one sheet of paper that holds a toy truck. Then a heavier truck.
- →The Ramp Race. Race three ramps at three different angles. Chart the winner. Run it again with heavier marbles.
- →Three Cups, One Question. Build three different 'cups' out of paper. Test which holds water the longest.
Number Sense
Quantity, pattern, sequence, geometry — built before the worksheet ever shows up.
- →The Leg Census. Count the legs on every animal you can think of. Group by twos, fours, sixes, eights. Argue about jellyfish.
- →Five Patterns in This Room. Find five patterns. Then invent a sixth and put it on the wall.
- →Symmetry on the Lawn. Sort fallen leaves into perfect, almost, and not-at-all symmetrical.
Word & Story
Language as a tool, not a test.
- →The Wordless Book. Make a book without words. Tell the same story twice — once happy, once sad.
- →Name a New Color. Mix two colors and invent a name for what you got. (Last year's favorite: jungle.)
- →The Wolf's Side. Retell 'The Three Little Pigs' from the wolf's point of view. Then from the chimney's.
Heart & Self
How to live with a self, and with others.
- →Inside-Weather Report. What's the weather inside you today? Sunny, stormy, foggy, calm? Build the forecast on the wall.
- →What Is the Bear Feeling? Watch a 30-second clip of a real animal. Describe what it might be feeling, and why.
- →The Silent Tower. Build a tower with a partner. Neither of you is allowed to speak. Only point.
A sample week
One week, mid-year, in an Age 4 classroom.
Materials philosophy.
A Kids Innovate classroom doesn't need a thousand-dollar STEM kit. It needs construction paper, a few jars, some chalk, a stick, a flashlight, an apple, and a teacher who knows what to ask.
The lesson is the thing. The materials are the bait.
Request a sample week