Children of all ages at Milestones Early Learning Kinross enjoyed a week of exploration and discovery for National Science Week.
Science, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) in general, helps provide children with experiences that foster a sense of exploration. Science inquiry and discovery is ideally suited to young learners, through the hands-on approach that is the natural way that children learn.
STEM is about the process as much as the outcome – giving children exposure to important approaches such as inquiry, exploration, problem posing as well as solving, hypothesizing, collaboration, communication and resilience.
Exploring Play Dough
Nursery children certainly didn’t miss out on the fun – they loved exploring their tactile sense with play dough!
The act of making play dough together with our Nursery children can lead to lots of questioning and prediction skills. Here we have some solid materials (flour and salt) to which we are going to add some liquids (oil and water). What do you think will happen? What can we make?
Our children get to explore and observe the changing state of materials in a hands-on way and be filled with wonder as the bowl of unrelated ingredients comes together to form a sticky then smooth and squishy ball of dough! We often take these things for granted, but in the eyes and hands of our children that’s quite a transformation!
Dissolving Materials
The fun continued in the Toddler and Pre-Kindergarten room, where children posed the question, ‘What will dissolve?’.
Children expanded their resourcefulness, skills in goal setting, planning and problem-solving as they decided what ingredients to use and the process of testing. The children were encouraged to lead their problem-solving by asking questions, which nurtured their intellectual curiosity.
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Float or Sink?
A great experiment for all ages – children were asked to guess what objects they think would float or sink when dropped in water.
Although a seemingly simple experience, children are prompted to problem solve and hypothesize about what will happen. Conversations are then sparked with educators on why some objects float and others don’t!
Learn more about the programs and learning experiences at your local Lifelong Learning Centre. Find your closest centre online or call 1800 CHILD CARE.