Professional development for early childhood educators at the Amazeum is filled with play! We believe educators need to play too! Through hands-on experiences, early childhood education professionals will be inspired to implement child-driven, play-focused learning opportunities that allow children to become effective learners.

Private Workshops

Registration Details

The Amazeum offers private workshops for early childhood educators looking to dive deeper into playful learning and hands on STEAM. Full descriptions are available below. Each private workshop is 2 hours long with the date determined in collaboration between school and Amazeum. Private workshops are best when held at Amazeum due to the experience and access to resources. However, workshops can be held at your school site.  Professional Development workshops held in-person have new processes and procedures to maintain a healthy and safe environment. More information provided during registration.

Fee*: two-hour workshop at Amazeum for up to 25 teachers: $450
          two-hour workshop at school site** for up to 25 teachers: $500

Advanced registration and payment required by contacting Chief Learning Officer at mporter@amazeum.org

*Fees listed are negotiable with the Chief Learning Officer based upon quantity and frequency.
**Additional fee may apply for sites over 45 miles from Amazeum. 

Professional development workshops are designed for adult only.  

Workshop Descriptions 

Brain Boosting Play | Educators of children 0-5

Play is the vehicle for exploring and learning, developing new skills, and connecting with others. It is the work of childhood! This workshop is designed to inspire confidence in implementing playful learning and in the early  childhood classroom. Through hands-on activities and demonstrations, educators will discover the brain benefits of playful learning and will gain resources and teaching strategies to integrate meaningful play into the early childhood classroom.

Exploring STEAM with Early Learners | Educators of children 0-5

Young children are naturally driven to  explore, play, and wonder about how and why things work. This workshop is designed to inspire confidence in exploring STEAM  (science, technology/tools, engineering, art  and math) in the early childhood classroom. Through hands-on activities and demonstrations, educators will gain an understanding of the importance of STEAM explorations in early childhood as well as  share new teaching strategies and resources to help make STEAM learning accessible for early learners.

Storybook Playground | Educators of children 2-5

Storybooks naturally stretch young children’s thinking as they imagine, guess, describe and wonder. Storybook Playground inspired activities will add a richness to classroom curriculum by encouraging children’s early science explorations, building problem solving skills, and supporting a more inclusive  classroom environment. Through this workshop, early childhood educators and providers will learn to incorporate storybook activities into the curriculum to increase children's mathematical and scientific  discoveries, advance children's language skills by applying open-ended questions that require children to think in more complex ways, and identify strategies to extend and deepen children's understanding and learning  from stories.

Learning with Loose Parts | Educators of children 3-5

Material-rich environments provide meaningful, open-ended learning that is an effective way to help children develop their imagination, creativity, and to deepen critical thinking and problem solving skills. In this workshop we will explore the wonders of loose parts. What are they? Where can you find them? And what are some strategies for early childhood educators to incorporate them into their classroom environment and learning experiences for children?

Developing Focus and Self Control Through Play | Educators of children 3-5

Executive function and self-regulation skills are necessary abilities needed to learn something new. These abilities are tied to brain function that undergoes significant development in the early childhood years and  children who develop these skills have better long range outcomes in adulthood. Early childhood educators can support the development of self-regulation and executive functions by modeling and engaging children in meaningful and active play. Through hands-on activities and demonstrations, educators will gain resources and teaching strategies for supporting children’s development of self-regulation behaviors by exposing children to strong models of self regulation and providing practice through games and other forms of play.

Play Date with the Amazeum

Registration Details

Make a playdate with the Amazeum’s early learning team! Together, we will get hands-on exploring STEAM based activities with children (and educators!) at your program. During the Play Date your educators will receive informal coaching on how to incorporate and facilitate STEAM activities in their classrooms as they see it modeled by our Amazeum team. 

For each Play Date, Amazeum Educators will travel to your early childhood program. The Play Date will include setup and breakdown of engaging activities by the Amazeum team that will inspire curiosity and creativity for all. Complete our Play Date interest form and we’ll bring the fun to you.

To start the Play Date reservation process, please complete this Play Date interest form.  The Early Learning Initiative Manager will contact you via email to finalize your reservation. 

For: early childhood care centers 

Base Rate: $175 (includes mileage up to 40 miles) 

Session: $50 

*Fees listed are negotiable with the Early Learning Initiatives Manager, rkeene@amazeum.org, based upon quantity and frequency.

**Additional fee may apply for sites over 45 miles from Amazeum.