Pictured students are Hudson Goodin, Haddon Collins, Anna Beth Brady, Addy Harrod, Xander Haynie, and Clay Hicks.

One reason that it’s so important to encourage STEM learning early in a child's academic experience is that the process of inquiry that is integral to STEM is the way young children naturally learn. Young children explore, ask questions, and discuss their findings. 

Our youngest students have the gift for exploration and experimentation already. When those natural impulses are matched with fundamental science concepts and instruction in inquiry methods such as controls, communication, and record keeping, students gain a solid foundation in science that can help them move ahead and excel in STEM fields.  Southland Academy first graders immerse themselves in the STEM activity that tests the effects of mass and weight distribution on a floating object.