Science in Early Childhood Classrooms

A multitude of reasons now impacting the early childhood community justify the need to prioritize
science education in early childhood classrooms. The strength of young children's thinking and learning is
first and foremost being recognized and understood. Since children have a far higher capacity for learning
than previously believed, research and practice indicate that early childhood programs should offer more
stimulating and demanding learning environments. Children's early experiences in these settings, under
the direction of knowledgeable teachers, can greatly influence their subsequent learning. Furthermore,
science might be a particularly significant field in early infancy, helping to develop critical abilities and
attitudes for science as well as laying the groundwork for future scientific comprehension.

The increasing number and diversity of children in child care settings, as well as the amount of time each
kid spends there, coincide with this growing recognition of the importance of science in early education.
A growing proportion of kids are impoverished. A growing number of children being raised in homes
with just one parent or in which both parents work. The very young now regularly interact with media. As
a result, activities like playing in the sink, taking care of a pet, or traveling to the playground that involve
direct manipulation and experience with items, materials, and phenomena are less likely to take place at
home. This kind of interaction with the natural environment takes place in early childhood classrooms
more often than not.

What Is Science?
Science is both a body of knowledge that represents current understanding of natural systems and the
process whereby that body of knowledge has been established and is continually extended, refined, and
revised. Both elements are essential: one cannot make progress in science without an understanding of
both. Likewise, in learning science one must come to understand both the body of knowledge and the
process by which this knowledge is established, extended, refined, and revised.

It is useful to explain our perspective on science before delving deeper into a discussion of science for the
very young. The purpose of science, as pursued by scientific investigation, is to comprehend the natural
world. Our understanding of the world around us is aided by scientific knowledge, which explains things
like why water evaporates, why plants grow in specific places, what causes sickness, and how electricity
functions. With the aid of science, we can forecast potential outcomes, such as the possibility of a
hurricane striking the coast or the severity of this winter's flu. Additionally, the application of science can
aid in the solution of issues like polluted water and disease outbreaks. When it comes to human demands
and interests, like fast travel and phone calls, science can direct technological advancement.

Science means different things to different people. Some think of it as a list of facts once memorized in
school. Others understand it as a body of knowledge, including facts, concepts, principles, laws, theories,
and models that explain the workings of the natural world. But, as is clear from the quote above, science
is more than knowledge and information; it also is a process of studying and finding out—which we call
scientific inquiry or science practice. According to the National Science Education standards, “Science
inquiry refers to the diverse ways in which scientists study the natural world and propose explanations
based on evidence from their work” (National Science Research Council, 1996, p. 23). Many scientists
also speak of the fun and creativity of doing science. A famous scientist, Richard Feynman, once said of
his work, “Why did I enjoy doing it (physics)? I used to play with it. I used to do whatever I felt like
doing… [Depending on] whether it was interesting and amusing for me to play with” (Feynman, 1997, p.
48).

Some think of scientists as people who work in laboratories, mixing chemicals and examining specimens
under microscopes while wearing white coats. These photos are true, but there are also photos showing
scientists observing comets in the sky, tracking the path of a hurricane, and researching wolf behavior.
However, not everyone who works in science is a scientist. Science is used in many professions,
including that of an electrician, horticulturist, architect, and auto mechanic. Additionally, acts that start to
resemble scientific practice help people of all ages learn about the universe. For instance, when a novice
gardener inquires, "How much light does my geranium need to flower well?", tests out several places, and
records the outcomes.

The Content of Science for Young Children

Children entering school already have substantial knowledge of the natural world, much of which is
implicit…. Contrary to older views, young children are not concrete and simplistic thinkers…. Research
shows that children’s thinking is surprisingly sophisticated…. Children can use a wide range of
reasoning processes that form the underpinnings of scientific thinking, even though their experience is
variable and they have much more to learn. (Duschl, Schweingruber, & Shouse, 2007, pp. 2-3)
The content of science for young children is a sophisticated interplay among concepts, scientific
reasoning, the nature of science, and doing science. It is not primarily a science of information. While
facts are important, children need to begin to build an understanding of basic concepts and how they
connect and apply to the world in which they live. And the thinking processes and skills of science are
also important. In our work developing curriculum for teachers, we have focused equally on science
inquiry and the nature of science, and content—basic concepts and the topics through which they are
explored. In the process of teaching and learning, these are inseparable, but here I discuss them
separately.

Science Inquiry and the Nature of Science

We frequently hear the statement, "Children are naturally scientists." They undoubtedly investigate and
extrapolate hypotheses and conclusions from their experiences because of their curiosity and desire to
make the world a more predictable place. However, they are not quite natural scientists when left on their
own. For children to transform their innate interest and activities into something more scientific, they
require direction and organization. They must participate in rigorous scientific investigation and practice
science.
 Scientific inquiry provides the opportunity for children to develop a range of skills, either
explicitly or implicitly. The following is one such list:
 Explore objects, materials, and events.
 Raise questions.
 Make careful observations.
 Engage in simple investigations.
 Describe (including shape, size, and number), compare, sort, classify, and order.
 Record observations using words, pictures, charts, and graphs.
 Use a variety of simple tools to extend observations.
 Identify patterns and relationships.
 Develop tentative explanations and ideas.
 Work collaboratively with others.
 Share and discuss ideas and listen to new perspectives.

Science in the Child-Centered Curriculum

A curriculum that is "child-centered" can be defined in a variety of ways that follow a spectrum. The
assumption that a large portion of the curriculum is based on the thoughts and inquiries of the students is
at one extreme. The teacher and the student co-create it. A solid scientific curriculum actually lies
somewhere in the middle, with an organized program at one end and minimal child input outside of "free
time." The teacher chooses the phenomena and the fundamental ideas; this may be due to an interest she
has seen in the students, but it is not always the case. When youngsters are first introduced to a
phenomenon and start to explore it, a lot of what happens next may be influenced by their inquiries.

Materials for Science

Access to and the choice of materials are essential to science. Children interact with and manipulate the
phenomenon in issue through the materials. The materials should be transparent, open-ended, and
carefully chosen to enable kids to concentrate on significant facets of the phenomenon. This is in contrast
to materials that influence children's actions and thoughts simply by virtue of their look and
manipulability. The prefabricated marble run serves as one illustration of the distinctions. The marble run
has done the thinking for the kids, saving them the trouble of building their own marble roadway and
struggling to make it function. All they have to do is let the stone fall and observe its movement.

Time and Space for Science

Excellent scientific research is done over a long period of time, both in the short and long terms. Children
who are interested in something can stick with it for extended periods of time, whereas other kids could
take longer to get interested. The standard curriculum in early childhood education frequently works
against inquiry-based science education. Children can begin work during short choice or activity periods
of twenty or thirty minutes, but they cannot finish it. Additionally, continuity is lost and the chance to
make conclusions is diminished if science work is episodic and not provided consistently throughout the
week. Science must also be discussed and recorded. This also requires time. Science need room. It could
be necessary to divide up the activity if kids are going to interact with phenomena in a variety of ways.
Interesting collections from outside as well as plants developing in various ways need to be placed
somewhere, as do seeds that are starting to germinate. A shadow puppet theater, a dimly lit alcove for
playing with flashlights, and a lamp and screen to investigate shapes might all be part of a shadow study.
This requirement for time and space implies that concentrating on a scientific topic can necessitate putting
other activities on hold or altering them. A science talk may replace the morning circle ritual a couple of
times a week. The water table may be blocked off from dishwashing and baby doll bathing, and the
dramatic play nook may transform into a shadow puppet theater.

The Teacher’s Role

The teacher’s role is critical to children’s science learning, and it is a complex one that is informed by her
knowledge of children, of teaching and learning, and of pedagogical science knowledge. I want to
highlight just one of these—pedagogical science knowledge. Children’s scientific inquiry is guided by the
teacher’s explicit understanding of the important underlying science concepts of the focus she has chosen.
For example, the children’s work with water in the teacher journal above is indeed about pipes and
“Water Town,” but it is also about how water flows—a basic property of liquids. While explicit teaching
of the concept is not appropriate, the structure of the experiences and the teacher’s facilitation is guided
by her understanding of the concepts and how children learn them. Her questions, comments, and probes
draw the children’s attention to the concept—in this case, that water flows and flows down. In the study
of snails, described earlier, the children were interested in lots of things—whether snails liked each other,
how they had babies, how they got in their shells. In the notes, we see the teacher picking up on one of
those interests and a basic characteristic of animal behavior and adaptation—how they move. This kind of
teacher guidance and facilitation is based in each teacher’s understanding of the concepts behind the
children’s work and enables her to encourage children to notice and reflect on key aspects of the
phenomenon they are exploring.

Conclusion
Early childhood education has long placed a strong emphasis on helping young children develop their
social, emotional, and physical abilities as well as their very fundamental language and math skills. While
material activity is an essential part of early childhood education, it is uncommon to have children's
thinking focused on the science involved in these encounters. Science-related activities are frequently
viewed as means of fostering the growth of vocabulary and abilities like counting, small motor
coordination, and the ability to recognize colors and shapes. These activities don't belong in long-term
research projects or are organized in a way that highlights scientific inquiry methods and science topics.
This is made worse when educators feel uneasy teaching science to kids, have little experience teaching
science, and lack confidence in their ability to do so.
The increased understanding of children's cognitive capacities is not being applied in many contexts to
expand and enhance the scientific curriculum to incorporate more complex and demanding experiences.
Rather, the growing anxiety surrounding reading has strengthened the nearly exclusive emphasis on
acquiring the fundamentals of reading, math, and sociability. Additionally, it is placing more
accountability pressure on early childhood educators, which leaves limited time for kids to engage in rich
play and explore their surroundings.
Childhood is filled with exploration of the natural world. When science is seen as a method of creating
concepts and understanding, it makes sense for the early childhood program to concentrate on it. As
elucidated below, children's investigation of suitable phenomena serves as a rich source of cognitive skill
development as well as a means of laying the groundwork for later science study. Additionally, it
provides an environment where kids can learn and practice a variety of foundational reading and
numeracy abilities. Lastly, science is a collaborative field where idea sharing and teamwork are essential
components of the discipline.