By: Elidia Anaya Los Angeles Mission College Child Development Conference April 26, 2014 Science Exploration

“Young children, like scientists, have a sense of wonder and natural curiosity about objects and events in their environment.” (p.48, CA Preschool Learning Foundations)

Basic Scientific Process/Inquiry Skills  Process/Inquiry Skills  Are based on concrete experiences  Opposite of rote learning  Support curiosity and exploration  Child-directed and child-centered  Inquiry is thought of as a questioning process  Full inquiry involves asking a simple question, completing an investigation, answering the question, and presenting the results to others.

Process Skill Terminology  Observation at the core of doing science  Investigation skills  Comparing  Classifying  Measuring  Communicating  Inferring  Predicting  Recording

Children Learn Science Concepts in a Social Setting  Work with others in learning centers, cooperative groups, and paired activities  Engage in projects  Exchange of ideas  Discuss findings ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

7 Content (Concepts) of Science based on NRC 1. Science as inquiry —offers frequent opportunities for children to question, investigate, classify, predict, and communicate with others 2. Life science  People  Plants  Animals

©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Content (Concepts) of Science 3. Physical science  Physics  Chemistry 4. Earth and space science  Geology  Meteorology  Astronomy

©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Content (Concepts) of Science 5. Science in personal and social perspectives - Children develop an understanding of personal health, changes in the environments, and ways to conserve and recycle 6. Ecology  Relationship between living things and their environment

Content (Concepts) of Science 7. Science and technology  Establishing connections between natural and man-made items. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Methods of Discovery  Open-ended opportunities  Investigations  Self-discovery  Problem solve  Hands-on  Explore  Discover  Verify  Record

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving  Remember that young children think in concrete terms and learn in the context of playing  Build on what children already know  Emphasize sensory awareness, explore manipulate question, discover, and use other process skills  Take advantage of the children’s real world as you introduce new materials  Enable them to revisit their work so they can reflect and expand on ideas  Give children TIME

Rainbow Stew  Ingredients: 1 cup cornstarch, 1/3 cup sugar, and 4 cups water. Cook at medium heat until all water evaporates. Then, add food coloring red, blue, yellow.

Magnet Painting  Materials: Magnet balls, paint, magnet wands, and paper.

Absorption  Materials: cups, food coloring, paper towels, water.

Roller Coaster  Materials: Pipe insulation, marbles