Use equipment that fits children’s fine and gross-motor capabilities. For example, young children have difficulty coordinating the movement of a hand-held magnifying glass between their eyes and the object to bring the object into focus. They tend to lay the glass on the object or smash the glass up against their faces. Free-standing magnifiers enable children to successfully view the object because they move their heads and torsos to bring the object into focus.
When you select science equipment and activities, keep in mind that children master gross-motor tasks sooner than fine-motor tasks. Developmentally appropriate equipment frees children to focus on the underlying concepts of the activity.
Set up science activities in a quiet area of the classroom. Shielding children from distractions can help them focus their attention and stick with the activity until it’s completed.

How can we promote scientific thinking?
We promote scientific thinking by asking questions. As children answer questions, they learn the basic science skills—observing more carefully, learning names of objects and processes, or comparing things, for example. Most important, questions encourage communication. Children’s responses provide a window into what they are thinking and learning, making it possible for you to correct misperceptions or extend their learning.

In preparing questions, consider these guidelines:
Listen to what the children are saying and watch what they are doing. Thinking about the activity from the children’s point of view also helps you anticipate and, therefore, prepare for their questions. Asking open-ended questions encourages children to share their perspective on the activity. Their answers give insight into their thinking. You can use this insight when framing follow-up questions.
Ask questions that reinforce children’s observations and encourage them to continue making observations. For example, 3-year-old Jim asks, “Why is the sky blue?” Ms. Hinojosa responds, “Why do you think the sky is blue?” She waits for Jim’s response, and then says, “Yes, the sky is blue sometimes.” She waits for Jim’s response, and then says, “Is it blue like your shirt or blue like the blanket?” She waits for Jim’s response.
Ask open-ended questions. Questions that just test children’s knowledge (“Is it blue or red?”) keep children from sharing their understanding of their experiences. Open-ended questions—what, how, why—stimulate children’s thinking. These questions require children to consider many pieces of information before they answer. For example, “Why do you think snails have shells?”)
Be sincere. Ask questions in a genuine, authentic voice, rather than in an artificial or sing-song voice. Indicate honest interest through your tone of voice and facial expression. Sincerity conveys to children that their responses are important. When you allow time for children to think and respond, you show respect for the children and their ideas.
Focus on things in the here and now. Questions that focus on observable events in the children’s immediate environment are more likely to elicit a response than questions about objects or events remote in time or distance from the children. Young children focus on the present rather than the past. They need concrete cues to help them recall the past: “These are the plants you put in soil last week. How are they the same as the plant you brought to school today?”
Model scientific curiosity by asking questions of yourself and the children. For example, “I wonder what ladybug larvae eat. What do you think they eat?” Ideally, questions enhance the child’s experience, not detract from it.
Balance questions with periods of silence. This provides the child with uninterrupted blocks of time to explore the materials without the distraction of adult questions or comments.

Teachers often express concern that they won’t be able to answer a child’s question. If this is true for you, try these steps.
Anticipate some of the children’s questions and research the answers before offering the activity.
Display basic information of probable interest to the children close to the activity. When the children ask questions, refer to the written display.
Model how to find answers to questions. For example, a 4-year-old expresses an interest in a bug-eating Venus flytrap. Respond immediately by sharing books or pictures of the plant. Visit the library together to look up information about other plants that eat bugs. Provide a globe so you can both see where the plant originated.
Teachers and children can be co-constructors of knowledge. Helping children understand that learning is a life-long skill that can be refined through practice.

Extending science to other areas of the classroom
The first step in extending science to other areas of the classroom is to identify the concepts associated with the science activity. You can integrate these same concepts into other classroom activities. One way to identify concepts is to use the project approach—in particular topic mapping, (Chard, 1994; Katz and Chard, 1997).

Topic mapping is a form of brainstorming. In topic mapping, you write a central idea or concept in the center of a piece of paper. As you brainstorm, write the ideas that branch out from that topic. Draw a line to connect the brainstormed idea to the central concept or to a subtopic that grows out of the original topic. An example follows:

((see PDF for topic map))

The central concept in this example of topic mapping is “sunflower.” The first subtopic branch is
“plant [sunflower] seeds.” Several activities flow from the idea of planting seeds:
observing the seed-to-seed cycle of this plant;
comparing the appearance of the sunflower seeds to other seeds;
classifying seeds by size or color;
communicating thoughts about the taste of sunflower seeds through a dictation posted on the bulletin board; and
using math skills to draw a bar graph of the changing height of the plant.

The second subtopic that branches from the central concept is “native plants.” Ideas flowing from this branch include:
identifying native plants on a field trip;
comparing and matching pictures of native plants to actual plants;
making collages of native plants and communicating ideas about the collages in a videotape;
comparing the taste of edible native plants to vegetables; and
using previously discussed safety rules about edible and nonedible items to create rules specific to plants.

The brainstorming could continue indefinitely—or at least until the paper is filled with ideas. Your finished topic map suggests activities for other areas of the classroom—art, math and manipulatives, library, dramatic play, sand and water play, and outdoor activities. In this way, children learn science in every area, throughout the day.

Putting these tips to work
Science at its most basic is discovery. It requires children to use all their senses and learn through a hands-on approach. In offering science activities, teachers use the principles of developmentally appropriate practice.

Teachers who think through science activities in advance are likely to find that they are benefiting from the science experience as much as the children. By helping children practice the basic scientific skills of observing, identifying, comparing, classifying, communicating and utilizing, you refine your own scientific skills. Science becomes real—and enjoyable.

About the authors
Sandi Dillon, Mary Jamsek, P.D. Jolley, Elizabeth L. Morgan, Diana Peyton, and Hallie Speranza are master teachers at the Priscilla Pond Flawn Child and Family Laboratory at the University of Texas at Austin. Carol Armaga is the program director.

Resources for teachers
Althouse, R. Investigating Science with Young Children. New York: Teachers College Press, 1988.
Bredekamp, S. and C. Copple. Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs, Revised Edition. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1997.
Chard, S.C. The Project Approach: Book One. New York: Scholastic, 1994.
Clark, K. “How do caterpillars make cocoons? An adaptation of the Reggio Emilia approach to a kindergarten science project,” Dimensions of Early Childhood (Spring 1994): 5-9.
Gaylen, N. “Encouraging curiosity at home,” Science and Children (January 1998): 24-25.
Huntington, H.E. Let’s Go Outdoors. New York: Doubleday, 1939.
Katz, L. G. and S.C. Chard. Engaging Children’s Minds: The Project Approach. Norwood, N.J.: Ablex, 1997.
Kilmer, S.J. and H. Hofman. “Transforming science curriculum.” In Reaching Potentials: Transforming Early Childhood Curriculum and Assessment, Volume 2, S. Bredekamp and T. Rosegrant, eds. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1995.
Rivken, M. “Science is a way of life,” Young Children (May 1992): 4-16.
Ross, M.E. “Scientists at play,” Science and Children (May 1997): 35-38.