| What this Unit is about |  |
Exploring the natural world just outside your door is fun and a great way to turn children ages three through five on to science.
How Can I Teach Children Science if I Am not a Scientist?
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Most child care providers are fearful of teaching science. Christina, a family child care provider, says, “How can I teach something that I don't know?” If you are like Christina and feel like you don't know any science, don’t worry. You can still teach kids how to stop, look, and listen to the world around them. Really watch the bugs. Stop and smell the roses. Listen to the birds. You will be teaching the children how to act like scientists, how to observe, and how to ask questions. That is much more important than having all the answers.
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| How Do I Get Started? |  |
Begin by making a nature detective kit. This kit can help children learn how to be science explorers.
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Things you can collect: |
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A nature detective tool you
can make: |
Underwater viewer - Cut off both the top and the bottom of a cardboard milk or juice carton. Cut a piece of heavy plastic wrap big enough to cover the bottom of the carton and about halfway up the sides of the carton. Use rubber bands to hold it in place.
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Instead of taking the children to a pond, stream, or puddle to use the viewer, create your own pond in your backyard or kitchen. Caregivers can safely introduce children to the wonders of pond life by bringing in natural materials and creating a small, safe, pond environment. Find time when you are not caring for the children to visit a pond or stream. Gather a few stones, sediment, and non-poisonous leaves. At your home place the natural materials in a shallow, water-tight container and add tap water to create a mini-pond for children to explore. Put your viewer partway into the water and look inside to see underwater. |
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Caution:
Never leave a child alone when they are playing in or around water. Make sure that you are no more than an arm’s length away; close enough to provide touch supervision.
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Using the Nature Detective
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Bring out the Nature Detective Kit you have assembled and let the children find something to examine. Find some ants crawling under a rock and just watch them. Give the children magnifying glasses to take a closer look at the ants.
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Ask the children questions. "What do you think the ants are doing?" "Why do you think they are going under that rock?" Give children plenty of time to talk about their thoughts. Coming up with the right answer isn't really important. Guessing and wondering is the most important part. Write down their ideas. Then turn the rock over and watch the ants some more. See if the children have any new ideas. |
Ask the children fun questions, not the kind with one right answer. The best questions are the ones that get children to wonder for themselves. "I wonder what the ants’ underground house looks like?" Children can use their imaginations to think about their backyard discoveries. A famous scientist, Albert Einstein, believed that imagination is more important than knowledge.
There will be times when the children will ask you a question and you won't know the answer. These are great times to teach them something even more important than the right answer. Teach them how to learn. Say honestly, "I don't know. Let's see if we can find out by reading some books." Show the children how to find books at the local library. Ask a librarian for help. "We have a question. We want to know what ants eat. Do you have any books that might help us?" If you have a computer with an Internet connection, you could also have the children help you find information by searching the Web.
| You can also ask the children to draw a picture of what they see when they are outside. This is another way to help children become good observers. There are amazing shapes and textures in nature. Use paper and crayon to make rubbings of leaves, bark of different trees, rocks, and other interesting things they find. Teach the children to hold the crayon on the side for the best rubbings. Using more than one color makes especially interesting pictures. Often children's ideas will change while they are rubbing or drawing. Get children to talk about these ideas. A good question to ask is, "Tell me about your picture." Really listen to their answers. |  |
Observe Changes
Another fun thing is to observe the changes in the backyard. Choose an outside spot that you can keep a close eye on. You can use a string or a wire coat hanger. If you use string, tie the string ends together to form a circle. If you use a coat hanger, bend it into a circle. It doesn't need to be perfect. Lay the circle that you have made on the ground, on the spot you have chosen. (If necessary, weigh the string or coat hanger down with some rocks to keep it in place.)
Visit this spot regularly--once a week is good. Notice the changes. Are any new plants growing here that weren't here before? Are any insects living here? Does it become wet with puddles? Write down any of the children's ideas in a nature notebook. Include children's drawings of growing plants. Be sure to put a date down for each time you visit.
You can always move your special spot elsewhere. You can double the learning by comparing what you see in two different spots. Do they both get the same amount of sun, rain, and shade? Which has more insects? Do the same plants or grasses grow there, or different ones? Do the grasses and plants grow at the same rate?
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Summary |
Exploring in the backyard gives you a chance to teach children how to learn. They can learn scientific skills like how to observe, how to ask questions, and how to find answers in books and on the computer. This is far more valuable than always having the right answers to give to the children. Take the time to ask the children questions and really listen to their answers. Extend the learning by writing down ideas, drawing, or making rubbings. These are all ways to help children think more about what they are seeing. Observe one spot over time or compare two different places in the backyard to help children learn how to compare.
Assignments
- Do you have to be a scientist to help children learn about the natural world? Why or why not?
- List three learning activities the children can do using the Nature Detective Kit.
- Why is it important for you to ask the children questions about what they are seeing and hearing in your backyard?
- Children are very curious about the world around them. What can you say to children if you don’t know the answers to their questions?
- What kinds of learning opportunities can you create for the children in your backyard?