Kids are Curious Scientists
Are you finding potions here and there around your home? Are bugs presented to you on a regular basis? Do you have a little person who tests out random ideas that don’t always make sense to you? Children are naturally curious about the world around them and that means that you may experience some interesting moments like these with your young scientist! Embrace them with as much positivity as you can!
Many people might think of science as doing experiments to make something happen. There certainly is a place for these. Children should watch the process of doing experiments to give them ideas for when they want to do their own experiments. Children need to develop an understanding that specific steps are taken to get desired results when doing experiments. It shouldn’t be just about observing experiments for kids. They should be encouraged as much as possible to explore their own ideas after a demonstrated experiment by having a go and trying different ideas. Opportunities to repeat experiments and make changes to see what happens is great science learning. Developing their own theories and then testing these is also important. Hands-on experiments help to develop the skills that kids need to be scientists. While experiments are intriguing and great for science learning, there are many opportunities to extend science learning in play too. Consider the scientific learning in the following stories.
Observe the child who doesn’t hesitate to plunge his hands into the muddy puddle. He splashes in the water. He presses his hands down into the mud. The joy of the mud sticking to his hands is apparent by his smile. He squishes his hands together and the mud oozes between his fingers. He claps his hands and the mud splats onto his face. He giggles and does it all again but this time he scoops up even more mud into his hands. He may have worked out a theory of what could happen when he claps his hands together. Will more mud make a difference? Only the action of doing it will give him the answers he is looking for.
Observe the child with a ball and a tube. The tube is flat on the grass and she notices that the ball goes a little way into the tube but not out the other end. She lifts one end of the tube slightly and the ball rolls through the tube and pops out the other side. She looks around. There is a chair which she moves to the tube. She places the tube on the chair. The ball rolls through successfully and is faster. She decides to try something higher. This time it’s a big box. She thinks she knows what will happen but only when she pushes the ball in the tube will she know for sure.
Observe the child who is a kitchen scientist. As he carefully squeezes the bottle of tomato sauce on his bread, you wonder what will be next. Layered on top goes the mustard followed by aioli. You think it’s done but wait there’s more. Raisins are added as a bonus to tickle the taste buds. You watch as he downs his personalised sandwich. He expresses very convincingly that the sandwich is yummy. This chef is experimenting with ingredients and uses his sense of taste to make discoveries that he may or may not like to use for future recipes.
If we want to tap into the scientific potential of our children, we need to let them work out their own theories. Encouragement to seize the moment will steer them in a scientific direction. Let them find out the perfect consistency of the mud. Let them find out that elevating the tube increases the speed of the ball. Let them find out what tickles the taste buds in a nice way! We could give all the answers on the spot but by letting children work it out for themselves, we are supporting thinking and knowledge. Our children need to take risks and try new ideas. They need to work out their theories by having successes and failures. They need to persevere until they are satisfied with the results or outcomes. They need the time and freedom to put their scientific work into action. Allow them to explore and experiment even if it looks random or illogical to you. As long as it is safe, let them give it a go.
Curiosity needs to be taken outdoors too. The natural world offers so much to explore. The bees taking pollen from a flower, the autumn leaves changing colour and the snail slowly making its way to the next leaf are a few examples of exploration opportunities for budding scientists. Making discoveries of how the natural world functions are important for young children to understand their world around them. Don’t hurry the child who stops to look at the flower, pick up the leaf or watch the snail. We need to pause and appreciate kids when they stop, wonder, explore and discover. Bring nature indoors too. For example, have houseplants, grow herbs, have flowers in a vase, involve your child with looking after pets and have lots of nature books easily available.
We urge you to marvel at the scientist that your child is right now. Allow your child the time to follow their thoughts and add to their knowledge. Let your child continue to be a scientist but be there for support. You never know. You might learn a thing or two from your young scientist!
Use our free ‘My Discoveries’ printable booklet if your young scientist would like to record and explore their discoveries further.
