Chapter 1: Science in Early Childhood Education PDF

**CHAPTER 1 - ECE 13 (SCIENCE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION)** 'Where there is a child there is curiosity and where there is curiosity there is science' (Howitt & Blake, 2010, p. 3). Young children continually engage in science practices. But they do not call it science -- they call it curiosity. Th...

**CHAPTER 1 - ECE 13 (SCIENCE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION)** 'Where there is a child there is curiosity and where there is curiosity there is science' (Howitt & Blake, 2010, p. 3). Young children continually engage in science practices. But they do not call it science -- they call it curiosity. This chapter describes children's wonder and curiosity towards the world as it outlines what science looks like in the early years. As part of the definition of science, the chapter introduces conceptual, procedural and attitudinal science knowledge, and outlines important aspects of each for young children's learning of science. The ability of science to engage and stimulate children makes it an ideal vehicle to assist in all aspects of child development. **What does science look like in the early years?** Fourteen-month-old Zara has her gumboots on. Holding Dad's hand tightly, she walks into the edge of the mud. Zara stands still and smiles, looking down at her feet as they slowly sink. She pulls her gumboots out of the mud, feeling the resistance. On dry land Zara stands still and looks down at her feet. She then walks back into the mud with another smile on her face. Best friends Lily and Sam (both 3 years old) have noticed a caterpillar crawling along the branch of a bush. For 10 minutes they watch the caterpillar move, engaged in their own private conversation about what the caterpillar is doing, where it could be going, what it might eat and how it might stay dry in the rain. Every morning 6-year-old Fatima plays with the magnets at the science learning centre. She explores the different sized and shaped magnets, watching how they 'attract' and 'repel' each other and a range of materials. When asked how she thought the magnets worked, Fatima confidently replied: 'They stick together because they have honey on the ends. I know this because honey is sticky.' These three stories illustrate how young children are constantly exploring their world. They demonstrate a sense of wonder about all things around them and delight in the natural aspects of the world. This is demonstrated with Zara and her fascination with the feel (and possibly sounds) of the mud, and with the intensity of Lily and Sam's engagement while observing the caterpillar. D'Arcangelo (2000) referred to the term 'scientist in a crib' to describe how young children constantly explore their world through play. She noted that if we look into a crib 'we find a little scientist peering back at us -- a child who is desperately interested in making sense of the people, the objects, and the languages around him or her, a child doing mini-experiments to try to sort everything out' (pp. 8--9). Children learn as they grow. Through curiosity, play, observation, trial, conversations and questioning children develop their own explanations and understanding of the world. This is often termed 'everyday science', referring to the way children interpret their science experiences based on their everyday experiences. This is clearly illustrated with Fatima and her explanation of how magnets work. Science learning can occur in planned situations or incidentally as children are involved or engaged in other activities. While the educator provides set activities for planned learning, incidental learning can occur in the home environment or early childhood centres as children undertake their normal play activities. Incidental science understandings can arise through observation of others or specific things (such as Zara exploring the mud and Lily and Sam watching the caterpillar), through problem-solving (working out how to balance on a tree stump) and through social interactions in which discussions with others may present new information. Incidental learning can also occur through the mistakes that children make when they adapt or accept an alternative way of doing or understanding something. **PRACTICAL TASK 1: OBSERVING A CHILD** Watch a child for an extended period of time to see how they are exploring their world. How do their actions reflect curiosity and wonder? How is their whole body engaged in their exploration? What do you think they are learning? Have a conversation with the child afterwards. Do your observations match up with their experiences? If not, what does this tell you about learning to see the world from a child's perspective ### What is science? - practical skills of observation, using all the senses, manual dexterity, fine motor control, hand--eye coordination and construction - reasoning and thinking skills, such as questioning, speculating and inferring, problem-solving, noticing similarities and differences and reflecting - communication skills, including speaking, listening, discussing, representing, recording and reporting - social skills of cooperation, negotiation, leadership, following instructions and behaving in a safe manner (Brunton & Thornton, 2010, p. 15). ### The importance of science in the early years ### Children's capacity for science