Destination Imagination
Research shows children who are involved in formal early learning programs do better in school at all levels, and are more successful throughout their lives. According to news reports, families are seeking out effective early learning programs to give their kids a competitive advantage in school and life.
To support parents seeking those positive outcomes, youth-oriented Radio Disney AM 590 in Atlanta and Destination Imagination (DI), a global leader in teaching the creative process from imagination to innovation, are teaming up to tell the world about Pathways, America’s newest program that helps both teachers and early learners embrace STEM, literacy and the arts.
STEM and Literacy Pathways for Early Learners (Pathways) is the most recent and innovative product to be developed by Destination Imagination (DI) for Early Childhood. The national launch of the program kicks off in Atlanta this month. Radio Disney AM 590 will be the brand ambassador in the Atlanta market for the Pathways program launch.
Pathways has numerous benefits, including:
- It is a fun and engaging program that prepares early learners for elementary grades
- It teaches STEM concepts, social and emotional skills, creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking
- It has a parent engagement activity that allows children to positively interact with parental support
- Each set comes with a teacher training guide
Radio Disney
Pathways is designed to prepare 3-6-year-olds with a jump start in literacy as well as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) concepts, while engaging a child’s imagination to foster critical and creative thinking skills and social and emotional skills. These skills are developed using 16 early learning themes, which consist of 90 days of activities that provide for significant parent engagement.
“Preparing our early learners for elementary grades is the goal of this unique program,” declares Chuck Cadle, CEO of Destination Imagination Inc. “Developed by educators, parents, and practitioners, this fun and engaging program enables children, teachers, and parents to work together for this purpose.”
The Destination Imagination early learning program provides teachers with a framework enabling them to relate more effectively with students while preparing them for elementary grades. The Pathways set includes Social and Emotional Learning, STEM and Literacy concepts, and plenty of fun and engaging activities for school and at home, along with a teacher training guide. Pathways is beneficial to both parents and teachers as well as students.
As with all DI programs, Pathways teaches the creative process from imagination to innovation through a process called “inquiry-guided” group learning, helping even the youngest students deal with new material or equipment.
- Parent involvement is encouraged not only with the take-home activities, but a variety of other initiatives as well.
- Pathways is designed to assist teachers and parents in teaching STEM and literacy concepts to very young learners. For classrooms where the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) is used (for example, Head Start centers), Pathways will aide teachers in the “Instructional Support” domain.
- We hope teachers will delight in such a wonderful and simple program to help them promote STEM and literacy in their preschool classrooms and home schools.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Organized into 16 themes, Pathways offers five activities for each theme. Each activity requires about 15-30 minutes. Pathways also includes:
- A take-home component for every theme
- An adult and child activity for each theme
- 10 feedback loop questions for each theme
- 10 transitions for each theme
- A suggested book to read for each theme
- 5 books from the suggested book list
- 12 extra fun and engaging challenges that can be used to complement the learning experience
