Encouraging Future Scientists

Little C, transfixed by the movement of the water and colorful rocks beneath it

How do you get more kids interested in math and science? This was the question posed to me in a conversation this weekend about education after I made my claim that standardization and high stakes testing are boring students out of pursuing math and science careers. Being an introvert, I froze up on the spot and my response was pretty long winded and ended up as more of a general introduction to the Reggio Approach and the difference between what I do and how science is traditionally taught in schools. But I didn't really say much about my actual science curriculum and what it looks like in practice and I have been thinking about how to better answer the question all week. So today I flipped through all of my documentation folders for some good examples of how I "teach" science in my preschool classrooms and what I do to keep kids interested in these important subjects.

I spent one morning with a group of toddlers smelling, naming, touching, and looking at a rosemary bush in the back garden patch during outside time at Bella Mente. This impromptu lesson on plants was the result of little L's curiosity about this big green thing beside her, inspiring each of her classmates to have a smell. Engaging all of the senses is a great way to figure out how each of my students learns most effectively.

Back in Hawaii, K and I learned about the local farm flora by exploring the pigeon pea bush. She preferred a more hands on approach, working her fine motor skills by plucking the peas from their pods. We got in a great vocabulary lesson along with our science as K inquired about the name of each part of the plant and practiced saying leaf, pea, pod, bush, branch, and more as she pinched the pods carefully to get her pea.

Learning distance and landscape was something my buddy little E was particularly drawn to, he loved to look at maps and took great pride in his ability to name the places he recognized. Each time we brought out the world map he always showed me where Africa was, followed by England and Seattle. Here he's trying to find our school on a map of our neighborhood, West Seattle, Washington. He had a blast showing me all his favorite places as we looked over the streets together, naming them and putting his memories on the map.

Here is another example of a day when maps were one of the provocations set up on the science table but little E was onto something else and little M barely noticed the maps, fascinated instead by the magnetic sand boxes, first examining them, then manipulating the magnetic sand with a magnet wand. I always set up multiple materials and ways to explore them so there are options speaking to a number of different interests.

When the kids in my 4s class seemed a bit bored with our typical outdoor options one day, I pulled out a sensory table and filled it with birdseed  and these two practiced scooping, dumping, and measuring, and learning the physics of a water wheel. Later we observed from the other side of the window as the crows came to feast. I try to seek out activities with multiple dimensions because they tend to draw in more students and allow for more chances to inspire learning. Not everyone wanted to play with the birdseed when we were outside but many who didn't were thrilled to watch the birds gather to feed on it later on. 

The school age kids couldn't seem to get enough of math when we introduced the woodworking table where they also learned valuable lessons about the concepts of balance, weight, adhesive strengths, texture, and so much more. But best of all, they had so much fun stretching their imaginations and bringing their ideas to life. These kinds of hands on activities that engage multiple senses are a fantastic way to reach kids who just don't learn their best seated at a desk. They're learning the same concepts but their senses are awakened and engaged in all new ways from the smell and feel of the wood in their hands and the sounds of hammering and working with tools. Through the application of math and science concepts they understand their relevance.

On this particular day at the block table a few boys were experimenting with height, testing the impact of using the different shape blocks, trying to figure out which blocks or combination of blocks would make the tallest tower. They worked hard, challenged their patience, and experienced the thrill of discovery in the end. I asked, as I often do, to share their hypothesis, which blocks they thought would win out, I don't remember their specific response but through narrating their process I taught them the language of the scientific method.

There are so many ways for kids to learn scientific and mathematical concepts but most importantly I want them to learn how to think like scientists so whatever they don't learn from me or other teachers they will have the motivation and capability to resolve their queries for themselves. I've found that when I observe my kids carefully and play alongside them frequently they will show me exactly what they are most motivated to learn, making my job of curriculum planning a whole lot easier if I pay attention to their cues. Joining my buddy little N in observation of the tadpoles, we told each other what we liked about frogs and shared our ideas on why some of the tadpoles seemed to be growing faster than the others. Our conversation inspired research on what frogs eat and the details of their natural ecosystems. And in retrospect now I would have shared that interest with the class by reading a story like Mo Willems's City Dog, Country Frog, and  reach across disciplines again to paint a frog using water colors just like Jon J. Muth does in the illustrations. The possibilities for scientific exploration and discovery and are endless in any environment and once I got in the habit of looking for them, I started to wonder why anyone ever bothered with the traditional methods of lecture and test when this is so much more effective and a million times more fun for both my students and myself. Now that I've discovered the benefits of an emergent curriculum, I am in love and I will never go back.

Blocks, Building, and Beyond!

The right accessories can add so much depth to block play.

There are nearly six weeks between my last day working with K in Hawaii and my first day working with my new group of sweet little munchkins at the Battenkill Summer Camp starting July 8th. That is a long time for me to go without hanging out with little ones, but it has given me a wonderful (and rare) opportunity to catch up on all those projects I've been meaning to do but never have enough time to work on. I get to hang out in the children's section at the Northshire Bookstore, one of my favorite places in Manchester, VT to check out some new children's books and look over a few classics to provide inspiration for a few aforementioned projects, which I'm sure I'll tell you about later this summer. While I was there, I found this awesome block play set which I couldn't not share because it inspired me to get on Pinterest and pull together an entire board dedicated to block play which I have titled, Blocks, Building, and Beyond.

Plain wood blocks of varying shapes and sizes inspire creative, innovative play

There are so many different kinds of blocks and building toys and accessories to accompany them and they are so important to play and the development of creativity, innovation, and provoking children's interest in concepts of mechanics, engineering, physics, and design, among other things. If you don't have a block & building station in your classroom and/or playroom, then check out my pinboard immediately for inspiration to create one today. There are so many benefits to playing with blocks, and though they are often marketed to boys, girls get just as into them and get just as much out of them. When it comes to blocks and accessories, I say the simpler the better. The simpler the blocks the less restricted kids will feel when deciding how to use them. Too much detail and too specific of design means fewer ways they can be used and the more parts are needed to reach the same level of creativity and really, who has the space and money to fill an entire room with different blocks and accessories?

Set up a track with the kiddos and watch story after beautiful story unfold.

Building isn't limited to just blocks either, when I was a kid I loved playing with Lincoln Logs and Brio Trains as well. When I was in college I used to nanny for a family down the road and their son, little Ray, who was a toddler at the time, had a near-obsessive love of Thomas the Tank Engine, like so many other little ones have and probably still do. Ray and I used to play trains for hours together and when we weren't playing with his train table and set, we were watching train movies and reading Thomas books. He knew the stories so well that he would set up the scene on his table just as it happened in the stories and then point, shouting at me to "read it!" I did not know the stories as well as he and so often when I would try to "read" the story to him he would correct me and tell me what really happened. This was my first experience narrating a child's play and from little Ray I learned just how powerful this practice can be. Together we brought his favorite stories to life and after a while, it didn't matter as much how well I knew the story because I could simply watch him move the trains and narrate the scene as he unfolded the action. I would put a train table, or something like it in every classroom and home if I could. If only I had a picture of that sweet boy playing at his trains to share.

Posters and photos in the block station are a must.

Block play has more benefits than simply provoking interest in an array of scientific concepts, though I'd be perfectly happy if that was the only one. Little Ray build his vocabulary from playing with trains, he worked his memory and learned the literary concepts of storytelling, and he brought something from his imagination to life in a way that left his filled with joy and satisfaction. Block play builds motor skills, dexterity, balance, and concentration and it teaches kids to think outside the box and pay attention and care to their surroundings else they might knock over their creations. Building together with friends creates invaluable opportunities to practice social skills, problem-solving, out-side-of-the-box thinking, cooperation and teamwork, and so much more. I really cannot say enough about this kind of play, which is why I finally created a pinboard on which to showcase all the exciting block and building related materials I come across in my research, including complementary books, accessories, building materials, organizational tips, and so much more. I have seen so many projects and extended learning evolve from block and building play over the years, there is no limit to the benefits that come from these kinds of open-ended, child-directed activities. If you have any stories to share about blocks and building with kids, please share you experiences in the comments below, I'd love to hear from you!