Level 11
Drone Explorer
Children meet drones for the first time and explore flight, safety, movement and the science of flying through observation and guided experiments.
- What drones are
- How things fly
- Safety routines
- Movement & direction
STEMWORKS · Powered by DroneDash Technologies
Big Technology.
Little Explorers.
12-Month Preschool STEM Programme · Screen-Free STEM
A 12-month, screen-free preschool STEM programme where children discover science, engineering, computational thinking and problem-solving through hands-on drone missions.
- 48 structured lessons
- K1 & K2
- Screen-free
- Hands-on
- Real-world missions
100% child-facing screen-free
12
Months
48
Structured Lessons
K1 & K2
Age-Appropriate Tracks
100%
Screen-Free Learning
4
Achievement Levels
More than drone flying
The drone is the tool. Thinking is the skill.
Drones are a platform, not the point. Children use them to explore science, engineering, computational thinking, navigation, creativity and real-world problem-solving — with their hands, their bodies and each other.
- Science
- Engineering
- Computational thinking
- Navigation
- Creativity
- Problem-solving
Children are never asked to simply watch a drone fly. Each session sets a problem, and the drone becomes the reason to think it through carefully.
Every mission follows the same thinking cycle
- Observe
- Predict
- Plan
- Build
- Test
- Debug
- Improve
Example command sequence
- Forward
- Forward
- Right
- Land
Screen-free by design
Coding Without Screens.
Computational thinking starts long before a child needs a tablet.
- Physical command cards children can hold, order and reorder
- Human-drone activities where a child follows the sequence step by step
- Large floor grids and mission maps for route planning
- Sequencing, pattern recognition and early algorithmic thinking
- Testing, finding the bug and trying a better plan
- Teamwork, turn-taking and explaining your reasoning out loud
No tablets, laptops or personal devices appear anywhere in the child-facing curriculum.
A full year of discovery
Four learning levels. One connected journey.
48 structured lessons across twelve months, sequenced so each level builds on the thinking developed in the one before.
Level 22
Drone Coder
Sequencing, algorithms, route planning and debugging are introduced entirely through physical activities, command cards and floor-grid missions.
- Sequencing
- Algorithms
- Route planning
- Debugging
Level 33
Drone Mission Specialist
Children apply their thinking to real-world scenarios: agriculture, rescue, navigation and delivery missions with increasing complexity.
- Agriculture
- Rescue
- Navigation
- Delivery
Level 44
Junior Drone Engineer
Engineering thinking comes to the front: frames, sensors, cameras, age-appropriate AI concepts, design decisions and innovation challenges.
- Engineering
- Sensors & cameras
- AI concepts
- Design & innovation
Real technology. Real missions.
Technology children can understand, because they can see the problem it solves.
Mission themes are drawn from how drones are genuinely used — then translated into age-appropriate, hands-on classroom challenges.
Agriculture
Children plan flight routes over farm plots, observe crops and decide which areas need attention.
Rescue
Search patterns, obstacles and no-fly zones turn problem-solving into a purposeful team mission.
Delivery
Packages, addresses and efficient routes introduce sequencing, counting and spatial reasoning.
Engineering
Frames, propellers and structures show why design choices change how something performs.
Sensors
Children explore how machines gather information about the world, and what they do with it.
AI Concepts
Age-appropriate discussions about how machines follow rules, spot patterns and make decisions.
Sample mission
Rescue the Lost Puppy
A Level 2 mission that shows how computational thinking is taught without a single screen.
- Plan
- Test
- Debug
- Improve
- 1
Plan
The team studies the grid: a landing pad, a river, trees, a no-fly zone and the puppy waiting to be found. Together they lay out a sequence of command cards.
- 2
Test
One child becomes the human drone and follows the sequence exactly — one card, one step. The rest of the team calls out each command.
- 3
Debug
The route lands in the river. Children discuss what happened, find the card that caused it and change the sequence.
- 4
Improve
The team runs the mission again with a better plan, then looks for a shorter or safer route.
This is computational thinking — without a screen.
Skills that go beyond drones
What children take with them long after the mission ends.
STEMWORKS is designed to support the thinking habits that matter in every subject — and in everyday life.
Computational Thinking
Introduces sequencing, decomposition, pattern recognition and debugging through physical activity.
Science & Discovery
Provides opportunities to observe, predict and test ideas about air, movement and forces.
Engineering Thinking
Encourages children to build, adjust and rebuild — and to notice why a change made a difference.
Spatial Awareness
Supports understanding of direction, distance, position and orientation on grids and maps.
Numeracy
Introduces counting steps, comparing routes, measuring and simple estimation in context.
Problem Solving
Provides structured opportunities to face a challenge, try an approach and adapt it.
Communication
Encourages children to explain their thinking, give clear instructions and listen carefully.
Teamwork
Supports turn-taking, shared responsibility and working towards a common mission goal.
Creativity
Invites children to imagine new missions, new designs and new solutions to open challenges.
Confidence
Encourages children to try, adjust and try again in a supportive, low-pressure setting.
Designed for how young children learn
Early childhood pedagogy first. Technology second.
Every lesson is built around how preschool children actually make sense of the world.
Purposeful play
Every activity has a learning intention behind the fun.
Movement
Children learn direction and sequence with their whole bodies.
Physical exploration
Real materials children can hold, arrange and rearrange.
Storytelling
Missions give children a reason to care about solving the problem.
Experimentation
Predict, try, observe and discuss what actually happened.
Teamwork
Small groups plan together and share the outcome.
Repetition
Concepts return across the year in new, richer contexts.
Age-appropriate challenge
Difficulty is matched to K1 and K2 readiness.
Reflection
Short guided conversations help children name what they learnt.
Discover & Explore
Shorter sequences, more guided demonstration, sensory exploration and lots of movement. The emphasis is on curiosity, vocabulary and safe routines.
- 2–4 step command sequences
- Guided, teacher-led missions
- Emphasis on observation and language
- Simple grid work and direction games
Think, Plan & Engineer
Longer sequences, independent planning within small teams, structured debugging conversations and early engineering and design challenges.
- Longer multi-step routes and loops
- Team planning with less scaffolding
- Structured debugging and reflection
- Design and build challenges
The programme has been designed with reference to relevant principles within Singapore's Nurturing Early Learners framework.
Programme format
Structured, repeatable and built for a preschool timetable.
12
Months
48
Structured Lessons
45 min
Typical Lesson
4
Learning Levels
K1–K2
Age-Appropriate Tracks
- Instructor-led sessions
- Structured lesson plans
- Physical STEM activities
- Protected educational drones
- Physical coding materials
- Mission environments
- Progress observations
- Achievement milestones
The classroom kit
The STEMWORKS Classroom Kit
Everything the programme needs arrives as physical classroom equipment — and not a single device.
- Protected educational microdrones
- Landing pads
- Large coding grid
- Direction cards
- Command cards
- Obstacle markers
- Mission cards
- Miniature buildings
- Trees & terrain pieces
- Farm markers
- Delivery markers
- Rescue markers
- Engineering materials
- Activity sheets
- Achievement materials
Exact equipment configuration may vary depending on programme implementation.
Achievement journey
Progress children can feel, and parents can see.
Recognition is built around encouragement, participation and development rather than academic grading.
- 1
Drone Explorer
Recognises drones, flight ideas and safety routines.
- 2
Drone Coder
Plans, tests and corrects physical command sequences.
- 3
Drone Mission Specialist
Applies thinking to real-world mission scenarios.
- 4
Junior Drone Engineer
Explores design, sensors and innovation challenges.
STEMWORKS Junior Drone Engineer Certificate
Awarded at the close of the 12-month journey. Recognition focuses on participation, effort and development across the year rather than academic grading.
For preschool principals
A STEM Programme Built for Preschools.
STEMWORKS gives preschool operators a structured way to introduce emerging technology and STEM concepts without increasing children's personal screen exposure.
Full-year structured curriculum
48 lessons sequenced across four learning levels.
Screen-free child experience
No tablets, laptops or personal devices in child-facing activities.
K1 / K2 differentiation
Two age-appropriate tracks from the same curriculum spine.
Hands-on learning
Physical materials, grids, missions and building challenges.
Professional teaching materials
Lesson plans, mission cards and classroom guidance.
Instructor delivery framework
A consistent structure for how each session runs.
Physical STEM kit
Equipment and mission materials supplied for classroom delivery.
Parent communication materials
Clear explanations of what children are learning and why.
Progress observations
Simple, developmentally appropriate observation prompts.
Achievement programme
Four levels leading to a closing certificate.
For parents
Building Tomorrow's Problem Solvers Through Play.
Children think they are completing a rescue, farm or delivery mission. What they are practising is planning, sequencing, communication, observation, teamwork and problem-solving.
How a mission actually unfolds
- Play
- Discover
- Think
- Try
- Make a mistake
- Debug
- Try again
- Succeed
Failure Isn't the End of the Mission. It's Part of the Learning.
When a plan doesn't work, children are guided to look for the reason, adjust the sequence and try again — calmly, together, and without pressure.
Read the parent guide
Meet Dash
Dash is the friendly guide who introduces each mission to the children — asking questions, setting challenges and cheering on second attempts.
Why drones?
One platform. Many ways to learn.
A drone touches almost every strand of early STEM at once — which makes it an unusually efficient teaching platform.
- Flightintroduces science — air, lift, forces and movement.
- Motors and framesintroduce engineering — structure, balance and design.
- Routesintroduce mathematics and spatial reasoning.
- Commandsintroduce computational thinking — sequence, logic and debugging.
- Sensorsintroduce data — what machines notice and record.
- Real-world missionsintroduce problem-solving with purpose.
- Future technologiesintroduce curiosity about what children could one day build.
About DroneDash Technologies
Built by People Who Work With Real Drone Technology.
DroneDash Technologies works with drone technology across real-world applications. STEMWORKS brings that practical technology perspective into age-appropriate early-childhood STEM education.
Our aim is simple: help children understand that technology is not something they only consume. It is something they can understand, question, design and one day create.
More about DroneDash TechnologiesIn their words
What Preschool Partners Say
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School enquiry
Bring STEMWORKS to Your Preschool.
Tell us a little about your centre and we will send through programme information, delivery options and next steps.
The future will be built by curious minds.
Let Them Start Exploring Today.
Bring a year of hands-on, screen-free STEM discovery to your preschool.