Science

CDEC 1313

Nita Thomason, Ed.D.

Please touch!Please explore!

What would happen if . . .?Why?

What’s in my environment?What effect do I have?

We should nurture young children’s natural curiosity and they need to know why, which

will lead to scientific exploration and enthusiasm.

Science

• Process Skills - how children learn

• Content - what children learn

Strands of Science

• Life science - study of living things, people, plants, and animals

• Ecology - the relationship between living things and their environment

• Physical science - study of non-living things• Earth and space science - study of earth

materials, objects in the sky and changes in the earth and sky

Learning about Science through Discovery

• Provide open-ended opportunities to investigate, self-discover, and problem solve

• Use the “hands-on, minds-on” approach

• Be guided by the interests of your students

Create a Scientific Environment

• Investigate water

• Discover rainbows

• Explore shadows

• Grow plants

• Focus on nature

• Ecology

Science Materials and Equipment

• aluminum foil pans• aquarium• ant farm• binoculars• bird house and feeders• collection boxes & net• compass• corks, plugs, and stoppers• disposable cameras• dried plants• egg beaters

• eye droppers• feathers• flashlights• food coloring• fossils• garden hose• kitchen timer• magnets• magnifying glasses• pinecones• pipe cleaners

Science Materials and Equipment

• plants• plastic bottles, jars, trays• prisms• rain gauge• rocks• seashells• rulers, tape measure• yard stick• scales• seeds and catalogs• sieves, sifters, funnels

• Shallow pans• soil samples• stethoscope• sundial• tape recorder & cassettes• telescope• terrarium• thermometers• tongs and tweezers• watering cans• x-rays

Tips for Teachers• Provide hands-on experiences making science a part

of every school day• Preserve and value a child’s natural curiosity• Avoid telling them about science, involve them in

experiencing science• Give them time to discover, make mistakes and

learn• Ask open-ended questions• Integrate science across the curriculum

Sharing Science with Parents• Look at science around you - plants, insects, animals,

rocks, sunsets

• Go for walks in the park and woods

• Feel trees and discuss parts of the tree

• Collect all kinds of nature objects

• Help your child use her senses - sight, smell, touch, hearing and taste

• Let child water plants

• Recycle (involve child in process and why)

Assessment

• Anecdotal records

• Evaluate children’s attitudes, skills, and knowledge

• On-going