Supporting Young Scientists

“Science is the pursuit of meaning, patterns, and truths about our world,” write Kelly K. Twibell and Diane Harkins in their article, “Beyond Nature Hikes and Butterflies,” that is the foundation for an Out of the Box Training Kit. “Through everyday encounters at home and school, children naturally acquire knowledge about the world they live in…

As children grow, their search for meaning takes on new intentionality and focus; they begin to experiment. Scientific thinking involves both a predication and a method of testing the prediction. It comes about when a child both predicts and plays with an outcome.” The authors present characteristics of preschool scientific inquiry. Here are just a few:

“Preschool-age children explore materials, ask questions, investigate, record, and represent their work, reflect on what they have done, and what it means.

They create new theories or ideas about how the world works.

They demonstrate strong initiative in pursuing new information…”

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