The March 10-13, 2011 National Science Teachers Association’s national conference in San Francisco promises many good sessions for early childhood (preK-2) teachers as well as for the older grades. Take a look at the preliminary schedule on the NSTA conference website and read more about these sessions, just a few of the many offered:
 (HINT: search for keywords such as “childhood”, “preschool”, “primary” and “kindergarten”)
Thursday, March 10
8:00–9:00 AM

• Budding Scientist

2:00–3:00 PM

• Newton’s Laws for Preschoolers…Who Knew?!
• Parents as Partners in a Dual Language After-School Program

3:30–4:30 PM

• An Online Assessment Tool for Preservice Early Childhood and Elementary Students

Friday, March 11
8:00–11:00 AM

• SC-10: The Young Scientist: Engaging Three- to Five-Year-Old Children in Science (Ticketed Event)

9:30–10:30 AM

• Mathematically Rich Preschool Environments as the Foundation for Scientific Inquiry

Teachers engage in science inquiry at a conference.

• Creating Scientific Drawings and Recordings with Kindergartners
• NSTA Press Session: Picture-Perfect Science K–4

3:30–4:30 PM

• Learning, Teaching, and Science Curricula in Preschool Contexts

Saturday, March 12
8:00–9:00 AM

• BLOCKS Presents: Let’s Talk Dirt!
• Small Children and Inquiry-based Science: A Reggio Emilia Approach
• You Can’t Catch ME! I’m the Gingerbread Man! Developing Science-based Units Using Children’s Literature

Learn new ideas for teaching science concepts at conferences.

• Blocks Presents: Little Hands Making Big Moves in Science

11:00 AM–12:00 PM

• Getting Started with Farm to School Projects: Teaching Across the Curriculum and Fighting Childhood Obesity
• Young Learners Meet the Scientific Process
• K–12 Multiculutral Share-a-Thon

2:00–3:00 PM

• Exuberant Exploration: Creating a Strong Preschool Science Program
• They Weren’t Teaching Science!

Teachers experience deep thinking at a conference.

• Science, Technology, and the Northern Ohio and Erie Canal

Sunday, March 13
8:00–9:00 AM

• Advantages of Open-ended vs. Directed Activities
• Exploring the Myth of “The” Scientific Method
• Inside the Body: The View from Grades K–3

Learn about teaching science to young children from veteran teachers.

• Thinking BIG, Learning BIG: Connecting Science, Math, Literacy, and Language in Early Childhood
• Using Notebooks to Enhance Science Skills

11:00 AM–12:00 PM

• Designing Lessons to Impact Environmental Identity Development in Children 
• The Language of Science: “I See What You Mean”
• How Do You Engage Minority Families in Science Education?
• Fight Bac! Integrating Food Safety into Your Elementary Classroom
• Flutter and Float

Tell us about your best ever conference session, or one that you are presenting at a conference this year. What should we look for in planning our conference schedule?
Peggy