As many of our blog readers will know, Kids Konnect is passionate about our play-based curriculum and it has been at the heart of our programmes since we opened our very first preschool more than 10 years ago.
We love a play-based curriculum because it engages children in topics they might otherwise find difficult. This includes science, technology, engineering and mathematical (STEM or STEAM) subjects. A play-based curriculum allows children to learn basic scientific concepts while still getting to be children! They can enjoy and express themselves outside the traditional classroom environment.
For example, a lesson about different type of buildings could feature a sing-song and some stories about famous landmarks before the children build a tower out of toy blocks. This is a basic trial and error experiment where the children will learn about balance and gravity. STEM learning for preschoolers at its finest!
Because of our love for STEM subjects, we think it’s a great idea to celebrate iconic women in science and technology in honor of Women’s History Month!
We think it’s important to celebrate women in history and especially glass-ceiling smashing women like VP Kamala Harris or Katherine Johnson. It’s vital that we celebrate women in science and tell their untold stories to inspire the next generation of female scientists, engineers and mathematicians.
The women on this list broke the sound barrier and the gender barrier too. We are sharing their stories hoping they will inspire young children to pursue a career in science and help make STEM industries truly equal.
10 Inspiring Women in Science and Technology
Lydia Villa-Komcroft
Lydia Villa-Komcroft is a trailblazer in molecular biology. After one of her professors said that women didn’t belong in chemistry, she switched majors to biology. Facing a lot of adversity as she pursued her dreams, in 1978 she published her notable paper that detailed her discovery that bacteria could be used to make human insulin.
Dr Shirely Jackson
Dr Shirely Jackson is a theoretical physicist and the first African-American woman to graduate with a PhD in any subject from MIT. She is credited with helping create Caller ID and call waiting. President Obama presented Jackson with the National Medal of Science in 2015, and she currently serves as the president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. This makes her the first African-American woman to lead a top-ranked research university.
Rachel Carson
Quite simply, there is no environmentalist movement, a push for greater sustainability without Rachel Carson. A marine biologist, Carson wrote the groundbreaking book, Silent Spring, which is credited as the catalyst for modern environmentalism.
Katherine Johnson
Arguably the most famous woman on the list, Katherine Johnson was part of the team that got a man on the moon. Her mathematical knowledge and skill was a fundamental reason Niel Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed safely as she calculated their trajectories. A NASA and Space Race legend, she also calculated the trajectory of Alan Shepard, the first American in Space.
Read more about African-American female scientific pioneers in science
Dr Ellen Ochoa
Another NASA legend, Dr Ellen Ochoa is the first Hispanic woman in space and has logged almost 1,000 hours in orbit. She is also the second woman to be director of Johnson Space Center. Before she was an astronaut, she was an inventor and holds 3 patents for optical systems.
Dr Gladys West
The woman who invented the Global Positioning System (GPS). She also helped produce a study that proved the regularity of Pluto’s motion relative to Neptune. In 2018, Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers inducted Dr West into their hall of fame.
Edith Clark
Edith Clark paved the way for women in STEM subjects. She was one of the first female ‘computers’, the name for someone who performed difficult mathematical calculations before modern computers and calculators were invented. In 1922 she struggled to find a job outside of “traditional” roles for women. But, she preserved and became the first female electrical engineer in the US. She was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2015.
Ana Roque de Duprey
Born in Puerto Rico in 1853, Ana Roque de Duprey was leading geologist, geographist, biologist, educator and activist. She founded several schools and colleges. The Department of Education of Puerto Rico used her geography textbooks. She wrote the Botany of Antilles, the most comprehensive study of flora in the Caribbean at the beginning of the 20th century. Oh, and she was instrumental in Puerto Rico women getting the right to vote.
Dr Marie M Daly
Dr Marie M Daly specialised in one thing – groundbreaking research. Her intelligence and skill are responsible for our knowledge on the effects of sugar and other nutrients on the health of our arteries, the effects of cholesterol on how our hearts work and the breakdown of our circulatory system as a result of advanced age or hypertension.
One to watch: Sabrina Gonzalez Pasterski
We’re always on the lookout for the next genius. Many experts, including Stephan Hawking, believe 27-year-old Sabrina Gonzalez Pasterski is the next Einstein. Stephan Hawking even cited her in one of his papers! Her plaudits and resume make most veteran scientists jealous. At the age of 10, she learned to fly. By the age of 15, she had built a plane. Her job today, trying to explain how gravity works within the context of quantum mechanics. Sabrina Gonzalez Pasterski is a woman in STEM young girls can look up to right now.
Learn more about Sabrina Gonzalez Pasterski and other Hispanic women in STEM
Teaching resources
If you’re looking to teach your children about amazing women in history this International Women’s Day or during Women’s History Month, Scholastic has a good selection of interactive online teaching resources perfect for children ages Pre-K and up.
This includes women beyond STEM subjects including adventurer Amelia Earhart and civil rights legend Melba Patillo.
This also includes book lists, classroom activities and interactive projects.
Access Scholastic’s resources here
Join the Kids Konnect family
If you’re interested in your children taking part in a play-based curriculum that foregrounds STEM subjects, feel free to book a tour of one of our preschools. You can ask us questions, see our schools and meet our teachers.
