{"id":683,"date":"2025-05-02T20:45:01","date_gmt":"2025-05-02T20:45:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintroductiontoece\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=683"},"modified":"2025-06-22T19:33:37","modified_gmt":"2025-06-22T19:33:37","slug":"8-4-introducing-the-foundation","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintroductiontoece\/chapter\/8-4-introducing-the-foundation\/","title":{"raw":"8.4: Understanding the Foundation","rendered":"8.4: Understanding the Foundation"},"content":{"raw":"&nbsp;\r\n<div class=\"textbox\">\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: start\">The preschool learning foundations for science are organized into three broad categories or strands:<\/p>\r\n\r\n<ol style=\"margin-top: 1.42857em;margin-bottom: 1.42857em\">\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Scientific Inquiry<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Reasoning and Problem Solving<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Life Sciences[1]<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\"><strong>Science Knowledge &amp; Skills<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">The Science Knowledge &amp; Skills domain describes the child\u2019s abilities to observe and gather information about the natural and physical world around them. Children use their natural curiosity to explore and ask questions about their environment, through which they learn about living things and natural processes. The indicators in science also describe ways in which children process information by making connections, predictions, and generalizations based on their observations<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div id=\"section_1\" class=\"mt-section\" style=\"text-align: center\">\r\n<h2 class=\"lt-socialsci-39382 editable\">Supporting Scientific Inquiry<\/h2>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Young children\u2019s experience of science is an interplay between content knowledge (what children learn about) and inquiry skills (the skills and processes they apply to explore and develop knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas). Children build knowledge and understanding of concepts through active participation in the process of scientific inquiry. Like scientists, children have a natural desire to inquire, but they need guidance in developing the skills of scientific inquiry:<\/p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Observation and investigation skills involve ways to observe, compare, measure, classify, predict, and check and investigate objects and events.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Documentation and communication skills are employed to record information and to communicate findings and explanations with others.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">The skills of scientific inquiry provide children with the tools for investigating and learning about science topics. Such experiences build habits of questioning, critical thinking, innovative problem solving, communication, collaboration, and decision making.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Scientific inquiry skills are integral to children\u2019s ongoing play and explorations and are not taught in isolation. Children develop their abilities to make observations, ask questions, and gather information as part of meaningful exploration and investigation experiences. Teachers can establish an environment with a culture of inquiry and facilitate children\u2019s use of scientific skills and language through everyday explorations and planned experiences of scientific inquiry.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>Scientific Inquiry:<\/strong>\u00a0The skills to observe and collect information and use it to ask questions, predict, explain, and draw conclusions.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<table class=\"grid aligncenter\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\r\n<thead>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th scope=\"col\" valign=\"top\" width=\"312\">\r\n<p class=\"mt-align-center lt-socialsci-39382\"><b>Indicators<\/b><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"mt-align-center lt-socialsci-39382\"><b>Children may....<\/b><\/p>\r\n<\/th>\r\n<th scope=\"col\" valign=\"top\" width=\"312\">\r\n<p class=\"mt-align-center lt-socialsci-39382\"><b>Examples<\/b><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"mt-align-center lt-socialsci-39382\"><b>Children may....<\/b><\/p>\r\n<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"vertical-align: top\" valign=\"top\" width=\"312\" data-th=\"IndicatorsChildren may....\">\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>Observe and describe observable phenomena (objects, materials, organisms, and events).<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Engage in scientific talk.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Compare and categorize observable phenomena.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Use senses to explore the properties of objects and materials (e.g., solids, liquids).*<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Make simple observations, predictions, explanations, and generalizations based on real-life experiences.*<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Notice a change in matter.*<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Observe, describe, and discuss properties of materials and the transformation of substances.*<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Observe and discuss common properties, differences, and comparisons among objects.* [1]<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"vertical-align: top\" valign=\"top\" width=\"312\" data-th=\"ExamplesChildren may....\">\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>Use senses to gather information about objects, living things, and Earth materials.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Ask and pursue questions through simple investigations and observations of living things.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Observe nature and make predictions about natural events (e.g., growing seeds, caring for animals, charting weather).<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Investigate changes in liquids and solids when substances are heated, cooled, combined, etc.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Predict outcomes when altering materials (liquids and solids) and record using journals, charts, graphs, technology, or drawings.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Participate in experiments and ask \u201chow\u201d and \u201cwhy\u201d questions.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Draw connections between classroom experiments\/investigations and real-world experiences (e.g., \u201cThe water turned to ice like the lake next to my house because it was cold.\u201d).<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Other related scientific processes, such as classifying, ordering, and measuring, are addressed in the foundations for mathematics.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"624\"]<img class=\"internal\" src=\"https:\/\/socialsci.libretexts.org\/@api\/deki\/files\/28064\/clipboard_e7f01b1b0536fa6fcc0de541b0c7b8e7f.png?revision=1\" alt=\"clipboard_e7f01b1b0536fa6fcc0de541b0c7b8e7f.png\" width=\"624\" height=\"556\" \/> Figure 8.2 Image by Ian Joslin is licensed by\u00a0CC-BY-4.0[\/caption]<\/figure>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>Reasoning and Problem Solving:<\/strong>\u00a0Gathering information to make predictions, conduct investigations and experiments, draw conclusions, and analyze and communicate results.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<table class=\"grid aligncenter\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\r\n<thead>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th scope=\"col\" valign=\"top\" width=\"312\">\r\n<p class=\"mt-align-center lt-socialsci-39382\"><b>Indicators<\/b><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"mt-align-center lt-socialsci-39382\"><b>Children may...<\/b><\/p>\r\n<\/th>\r\n<th scope=\"col\" valign=\"top\" width=\"312\">\r\n<p class=\"mt-align-center lt-socialsci-39382\"><b>Examples<\/b><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"mt-align-center lt-socialsci-39382\"><b>Children may....<\/b><\/p>\r\n<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"vertical-align: top\" valign=\"top\" width=\"312\" data-th=\"IndicatorsChildren may...\">\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>Ask a question, gather information, and make predictions.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Plan and conduct investigations and experiments.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Analyze results, draw conclusions, and communicate results. [1]<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"vertical-align: top\" valign=\"top\" width=\"312\" data-th=\"ExamplesChildren may....\">\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>Identify the common needs, such as food, air, and water of familiar living things.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Make and record by drawing, acting out, or describing observations of living things and how they change over time<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Observe and explore the natural processes of growing, changing, and adapting to the environment.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<figure>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"624\"]<img class=\"internal\" src=\"https:\/\/socialsci.libretexts.org\/@api\/deki\/files\/28093\/clipboard_e49c799c7d451ace28cc837189a8fb1f1.png?revision=1\" alt=\"clipboard_e49c799c7d451ace28cc837189a8fb1f1.png\" width=\"624\" height=\"445\" \/> Figure 8.3: Image by Ian Joslin is licensed by CC-BY-4.0[\/caption]<\/figure>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Teachers can support children\u2019s development of the scientific inquiry foundations with the following:<\/p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Facilitate children\u2019s observation skills by using the term \u201cobserve\u201d and introduce the process with a familiar item<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Talk with children and ask questions to guide their observations<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Invite children to observe objects and phenomena related to the current focus of inquiry<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Promote the use of scientific tools to extend children\u2019s observations and investigations of objects<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Introduce children to scientific tools and their function, and support their appropriate use<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Encourage children to make predictions first and then check their predictions<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Remind children that predictions do not have to be right<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Record children\u2019s predictions<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Facilitate children\u2019s ability to make inferences and draw conclusions (when inferring and drawing conclusions, children observe what happened and make an assumption about the cause)<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Use everyday observations to model inferring<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Encourage children to explain the reasoning behind their inferences<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Encourage children to record observations and document investigations, and findings<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Promote the use of different forms to record and document information<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Consider adaptations for children with special needs<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Encourage children to describe their representations while you write their words<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Encourage different means of communication, including home language, sign language, and communication devices<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Invite children to record collaboratively, using charts, graphs, or models<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Ask open-ended questions to\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Encourage children to share their observations<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Facilitate problem-solving and investigations<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Elicit predictions and explanations<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Engage children in collaborative discussions[2]<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<div class=\"box-note\">\r\n<div class=\"mt-section\">\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--learning-objectives\"><header class=\"textbox__header\">\r\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">Vignettes<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">While exploring the play yard, children became fascinated with pill bugs (usually called a roly-poly by children). In the yard, they would look for pill bugs and enjoy watching them curl into balls. One day, Ms. Lopez noticed that a group of children collected pill bugs in a bucket. She invited the children to put the \u201croly polies\u201d on a tray and observe them closely at the outdoor investigation table. Ms. Lopez said, \u201cLet\u2019s use our tools and look closely at the pill bugs. What do you notice about their body?\u201d Ms. Lopez assisted Jennifer in holding the magnifier above the pill bug: \u201cWow, it looks so big,\u201d Jennifer said. Jose observes the pill bug with a magnifier and gets excited: \u201cI can see its head.\u201d Ryan asked, \u201cWhen is it going to open up again? I want to see how many legs it has.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr align=\"center\" size=\"2\" width=\"100%\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Ms. Brown presented the children with a big cube of ice. She asked the children to touch or hold it and tell her what they notice about it: \u201cWhat does it feel like? What does it look like?\u201d Children shared their observations: \u201cIt is cold.\u201d \u201cIt is slippery.\u201d \u201cIt is very smooth.\u201d \u201cIt is wet.\u201d \u201cIt is white.\u201d \u201cIt is square.\u201d Ms. Brown asked the children, \u201cWhat do you know about ice?\u201d Some children shared their ideas: \u201cWe keep it in the freezer,\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s very, very cold.\u201d \u201cIf you put it in water, it disappears.\u201d She invited children to draw their observations of the ice cube in their notebooks. The next day, Ms. Brown told the children that together they were going to explore what would happen to ice when it is left outside of the freezer. She has asked children: \u201cWhat do you think will happen to this ice cube if we leave it in this bowl? What is your prediction?\u201d \u201cWill it stay the same?\u201d \u201cWhat will be different?\u201d Children made predictions, and she wrote them on a chart (e.g., \u201cIt will not be so cold anymore.\u201d \u201cIt will turn into water\u201d). After lunch, we\u2019ll check our ice cube and find out what happened.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\nThe children in Ms. Moreno\u2019s group are taking turns bringing home the picture book they created as a group. Today, it is Emilia\u2019s turn to take home this book. This picture book was created to document the growth of their plant. Emilia points to the photos in the book (taken by Ms. Moreno to document the process) and to the children\u2019s drawings. She tells the story out loud to her grandmother, who is picking her up, \u201cFirst we had to buy seeds (points to a photo of the seeds packet on the first page), then we put the soil, and then we put the seeds inside the dirt . . .\u201d Emilia continues with more details while looking at the pictures in the book: how they put the pot in the sun, watered the plant, and measured its growth. \u201cHere it was one inch, and here it was bigger, and here it was very tall, and it has many leaves.\u201d At home, Emilia will share it with her family, and together they will retell the story in her home language.[3]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"box-note\">\r\n<div class=\"mt-section\">\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--examples\"><header class=\"textbox__header\">\r\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">Pause to Reflect<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\r\n\r\nHow would you facilitate children\u2019s thinking skills through everyday observations and interactions?\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Cormorant Garamond', serif;font-size: 1.602em;font-weight: bold\">Supporting Physical Sciences<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div id=\"section_2\" class=\"mt-section\" style=\"text-align: center\">\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Young children\u2019s inquiry in physical science involves the active exploration of nonliving objects and materials and physical events in their everyday environment. When children build with blocks, play with different balls, push or slide objects of different kinds, play with water, sand, clay, and other objects in the preschool environment, they explore materials in different ways and begin to form ideas about the physical properties. They manipulate objects, act on them, and observe what happens. They may try a certain strategy over and over to see if the same result happens again. Through such exploratory interactions with objects and solid and nonsolid materials, children can learn about cause-and-effect relationships, the physical properties of objects and materials (e.g., size, shape, rigidity, texture), and about changes and transformations of objects and materials. For example, when building with various kinds of blocks, children may learn about the size and shape of the blocks and about the characteristics of the materials used to make the blocks (e.g., wood, foam, plastic). They may discover that the big cardboard blocks should be used at the bottom of a tower and the small unit blocks on top to create a strong and stable tower. When playing at the water table, they experience how water flows down and takes the shape of the container.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure>[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"346\"]<img class=\"internal\" src=\"https:\/\/socialsci.libretexts.org\/@api\/deki\/files\/28102\/clipboard_eea77e0dee14f4576d0001ad19911e578.png?revision=1\" alt=\"clipboard_eea77e0dee14f4576d0001ad19911e578.png\" width=\"346\" height=\"230\" \/> Figure 8.4: What containers could be added to this water table to expand the children\u2019s exploration?[4][\/caption]<\/figure>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">With teachers\u2019 guidance, children\u2019s everyday play can become rich, hands-on inquiry experiences of the key concepts in physical sciences. Teachers can provide children with materials to broaden their investigation. They encourage children to try out their ideas, even if the teacher knows the child\u2019s strategy will not create the desired result. Teachers challenge children\u2019s thinking by asking questions that focus attention on key science concepts being investigated: \u201cWhat can you do to make the bridge higher?\u201d \u201cHow can we make mud?\u201d \u201cWhy did the ball roll down in this direction?\u201d Interactions of this kind provide children with opportunities to extend their experimentations with objects, to notice patterns of cause-and-effect, to reason and think more deeply about the phenomena they observe, and to use language to describe, explain, and reflect on their work.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Cormorant Garamond', serif;font-size: 1.26562em\">Key Concepts in Physical Sciences<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"box-note\">\r\n<div class=\"mt-section\">\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">In exploring objects and materials, children develop an understanding of key concepts about the physical world:<\/p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">They learn about the size, shape, weight, texture, and other properties of objects and materials.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">They learn about the form and function of objects and that the form of an object supports its function.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">They continue to learn about cause and effect\u2014that certain actions lead to certain reactions.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">They learn about changes in objects and materials. For instance, mixing, heating, or cutting will produce changes in materials, and some changes are reversible and some are irreversible.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">They begin to understand that objects not in motion are in a state of balance.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">They learn more about force and motion (inanimate objects are set in motion; pushing and pulling put objects in motion; objects can move in different ways).<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\"><b>See Scientific Inquiry Indicators above.<\/b><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Teachers can support children\u2019s development of the physical sciences foundations with the following:<\/p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Provide children with opportunities to explore a variety of objects and materials in the daily environment.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Prepare yourself and be purposeful about the scientific concepts children will investigate while engaged with objects and materials.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Engage children in projects that allow them to explore, experiment, and invent with objects and materials for an extended time.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Experiment with materials and objects before offering them to children.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Invite children to observe and describe the characteristics and physical properties of the objects and materials they investigate.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Plan opportunities for children to sort and classify objects and materials and reflect on similarities and differences.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Provide children with opportunities to build and experiment with simple machines. Simple machines refer to six mechanical devices that make it easier to move or lift something: levers, a wheel on an axle, a pulley, an inclined plane, a wedge, and a screw.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Provide children with opportunities to investigate the form and function of different tools and machines.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Avoid presenting children with activities of \u201cmagical\u201d science (such as chemical \u201csnow\u201d and exploding volcanoes) that are done for entertainment purposes and with the children as observers (not participants).<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Select activities or projects in which children can vary their actions on objects and observe the immediate reactions to their actions.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Use cooking activities as opportunities to reason about transformations in materials.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Invite children to set up an experiment and collect and analyze data.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Focus children\u2019s attention on the effect of one aspect (variable) at a time.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Lead children to make predictions about what they expect to happen.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Ask questions to raise children\u2019s awareness of how they produced an effect.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Encourage children to record and document investigations with objects and materials.[5]<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<figure>[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"412\"]<img class=\"internal\" src=\"https:\/\/socialsci.libretexts.org\/@api\/deki\/files\/28128\/clipboard_ecfb58221023f40c115b7d0822f4a6358.png?revision=1\" alt=\"clipboard_ecfb58221023f40c115b7d0822f4a6358.png\" width=\"412\" height=\"301\" \/> Figure 8.5: There is science at play when making tamales.[6][\/caption]<\/figure>\r\n<div class=\"box-note\">\r\n<div class=\"mt-section\">\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--learning-objectives\"><header class=\"textbox__header\">\r\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">Vignettes<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Ms. Yen introduced children to a variety of solid materials, including feathers, wood chips, pennies, foam pieces, marbles, and eggshells. After the materials were introduced, she left them for children\u2019s free exploration in the discovery center. The center also included tools such as magnifiers, trays, cups, and a balance scale to expand their observations of the materials, and the children were familiar with how to use them. Children enjoyed exploring these materials, especially finding out how they are similar or different from each other. One question they investigated was, \u201cWhich materials are rigid and which are soft?\u201d Children tried pressing, poking, twisting, tearing, and breaking the different materials and shared their conclusions with their classmates as they worked: \u201cThe pennies are hard.\u201d \u201cThe feathers are very soft. You can bend them, and they do not break.\u201d \u201cThe eggshell breaks when you press on it, and these (points to foam pieces) are soft, and you can break them like this (the child demonstrates how they break easily).\u201d \u201cThe wood chips are very hard, too.\u201d With the teacher\u2019s assistance, some children recorded their findings on the chart by gluing a sample of each material under \u201cRigid\u201d or \u201cSoft.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr align=\"center\" size=\"2\" width=\"100%\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">During the last cooking activity, Ms. Moreno noticed that the children were fascinated when they mixed the flour with water. The children\u2019s reactions gave Ms. Moreno an idea for extending the group\u2019s explorations with dry materials and engaging them in exploring mixtures. In small-group time, Ms. Moreno introduced the children to different dry materials, such as salt, flour, cornstarch, and sugar, and invited them to explore them. She then suggested that they mix some of these materials with water. The teacher asked the children questions to invite them to make predictions: \u201cWhat do you think will happen if we add salt to water...\u201d As the children watched the salt crystals disappear, they discovered that when salt is mixed with water, it cannot be seen anymore. The teacher immediately asked questions that encouraged the children to check their predictions. Ms. Moreno asked the children, \u201cWhat happened when you stirred the salt in water?\u201d Children came up with different answers: \u201cIt disappears.\u201d \u201cIt is inside the water, but you cannot see it anymore.\u201d Ms. Moreno invited the children to taste plain water and the water stirred with salt, and tell the difference. When the children communicated that they tasted the salt and that it was still in the water, the teacher introduced the word dissolve to the children and explained that the salt dissolved in water to make salt water. The children tried out different materials and discovered that some dissolve in water and others, such as flour or sand, do not. The next day, the children tried mixing other materials such as glue, lemonade powder, tea leaves, and play-dough to find out what happens to each of these materials when mixed with water.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr align=\"center\" size=\"2\" width=\"100%\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">The children were playing at the water table and taking turns tossing an object into the water to find out which objects sink and which float. Ms. Schultz held a plastic cup and asked, \u201cWhat do you predict will happen to this cup when you put it in the water? Will it sink or float?\u201d David said, \u201cIt will float like the other cup,\u201d referring to the Styrofoam cup they tested earlier. Dana said, \u201cIt will sink because it is harder than the white cup.\u201d Gaby said, \u201cMaybe if we put it in like this (facing up), it will not sink.\u201d Ms. Schultz asked, \u201cWhy do you think so?\u201d Gaby said, \u201cBecause the water will not go inside.\u201d She put the cup in the water, facing up, and the children observed the cup floating. \u201cYou see! It is floating.\u201d David said, \u201cNow, let\u2019s put it in like this (facing down).\u201d Ms. Shultz said, \u201cThat\u2019s a great idea. Let\u2019s put the cup in the water face down to see what happens. What is your prediction? Will the cup sink or float?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">The children predicted that the plastic cup would float again. Ms. Shultz asked, \u201cWhy do you think it will float?\u201d David answered, \u201cBecause it was floating before.\u201d She put the cup in the water, facing down, and everyone, including Ms. Schultz, was surprised when they saw the cup sinking in the water. The children were fascinated with what they discovered. They kept putting the cup in the water, one time facing up and one time facing down, watching it turn from a \u201cfloater\u201d to a \u201csinker.\u201d<a title=\"title\" href=\"https:\/\/socialsci.libretexts.org\/Bookshelves\/Early_Childhood_Education\/Book%3A_Introduction_to_Curriculum_for_Early_Childhood_Education_(Paris_Beeve_and_Springer)\/04%3A_Section_IV-_Planning_for_Childrens_Learning\/10%3A_Science\/10.04%3A_Introducing_the_Foundations#_ftn7\" rel=\"internal\" name=\"_ftnref7\">[7]<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"box-note\">\r\n<div class=\"mt-section\">\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--examples\"><header class=\"textbox__header\">\r\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">Pause to Reflect<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">How can different interest areas in the preschool environment (e.g., the block area, the water table, the sensory table, and the playground) be used to enhance children\u2019s explorations of objects and materials?<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: 'Cormorant Garamond', serif;font-size: 1.602em;font-weight: bold\">Supporting Life Sciences<\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div id=\"section_3\" class=\"mt-section\" style=\"text-align: center\">\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Life sciences for young children are about nurturing children\u2019s curiosity and fascination with the natural world and building their understanding and appreciation of living things. Preschool children have various opportunities to engage with living things in their preschool environment. When playing in the yard, they may come across small animals or bugs, or notice changes in the trees. They may help take care of the class pet or plants in the room. They participate in different planned activities related to living things, such as going on a neighborhood walk to collect different leaves, searching for bugs or other small animals in the yard, sorting and classifying fruits and vegetables, exploring various seeds, plant bulbs, sprout seeds, or growing a garden. Such experiences in the preschool environment can provide the context for rich experiences of scientific inquiry about properties and characteristics of living things.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">The goal is to provide children with opportunities that allow them to closely observe living things, including human beings, and to encourage them to question, explore, and investigate physical characteristics, behaviors, habitats, and needs. Through ongoing opportunities to observe and discuss what they have seen, children develop their ideas about living things, how they are the same, and how they differ from one another. They start to sort and classify, and look for patterns. They begin to recognize commonalities such as the physical structure and basic needs of different living things, but also the diversity and variation among different organisms.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure>[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"350\"]<img class=\"internal\" src=\"https:\/\/socialsci.libretexts.org\/@api\/deki\/files\/28149\/clipboard_ee1280b576f284c3fda4f5d7e2b25974c.png?revision=1\" alt=\"clipboard_ee1280b576f284c3fda4f5d7e2b25974c.png\" width=\"350\" height=\"262\" \/> Figure 8.6: Classrooms can get a butterfly kit to experience the life cycle of butterflies[8][\/caption]<\/figure>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">The teacher has an important role in guiding children through experiences of exploring and observing animals and plants around them, whether outdoors, as they exist in nature, or indoors in an environment that is as natural as possible. They deepen children\u2019s understanding of living things, including features of their body parts and processes, by encouraging children to observe closely, raise questions, investigate more about a topic, describe and represent their observations, and by creating opportunities for discussion and reflection. At the same time, they model wonder and excitement of the natural world and an attitude of respect for living things and their habitats.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"box-note\">\r\n<div class=\"mt-section\">\r\n<h5 class=\"box-legend editable\"><span class=\"lt-icon-default\">Key Concepts in Life Sciences<\/span><\/h5>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">In studying animals, plants, and humans, children develop an understanding of key concepts related to living things, such as:<\/p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">All living things have basic needs that must be met for them to grow and survive.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">The body parts of living things are useful to them in meeting their needs.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">The physical characteristics of living things reflect how they move and behave.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Living things have their habitats in different environments.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">All living things grow over time and go through changes related to the life cycle.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">There is variation and diversity in living things<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>Life Science:<\/strong> Make sense of natural phenomena and solve problems that require understanding how individual organisms are configured and how these structures function to support life, growth, behavior, and reproduction<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<table class=\"grid aligncenter\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\r\n<thead>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th scope=\"col\" valign=\"top\" width=\"312\">\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\"><b>Indicators<\/b><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\"><b>Children may.....<\/b><\/p>\r\n<\/th>\r\n<th scope=\"col\" valign=\"top\" width=\"312\">\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\"><b>Examples<\/b><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\"><b>Children may.....<\/b><\/p>\r\n<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"vertical-align: top\" valign=\"top\" width=\"312\" data-th=\"Indicators Children may.....\">\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>Observe, describe, and discuss living things and natural processes.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Observe similarities and differences in the needs of living things.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Observe and describe how natural habitats provide for the basic needs of plants and animals concerning shelter, food, water, air, and light.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Ask and pursue questions through simple investigations and observations of living things.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Collect, describe, and record information about living things through discussion, drawings, graphs, technology, and charts.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Identify differences between living and nonliving things.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Identify the common needs, such as food, air, and water of familiar living things.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Predict, explain, and infer patterns based on observations and representations of living things, their needs, and life cycles.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Observe and document changes in living things over time using different modalities such as drawing, dramatization, description, or using technology.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Recognize that plants and animals grow and change. [1]<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"vertical-align: top\" valign=\"top\" width=\"312\" data-th=\"ExamplesChildren may.....\">\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>Match photographs of different habitats to the things that occupy them (i.e., worms live in the ground; fish live in water).<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Sequence a series of photographs\/pictures of a plant\u2019s growth.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Sequence a series of photographs\/pictures of the life cycle of a butterfly from caterpillar to chrysalis\/cocoon to butterfly.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Document the life cycle of living things.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Recognize that living things require water, air, and food.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Identify and describe through a variety of modalities the changes in living things over time (e.g., bears hibernate when it is cold outside).<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Investigate living things by caring for animals and plants in the classroom.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Document the human life cycle (i.e., babies grow into children, children grow to be adults, adults get older).<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<figure>[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"401\"]<img class=\"internal\" src=\"https:\/\/socialsci.libretexts.org\/@api\/deki\/files\/28170\/clipboard_e908b44300afb6b4e1166e424339b2702.png?revision=1\" alt=\"clipboard_e908b44300afb6b4e1166e424339b2702.png\" width=\"401\" height=\"281\" \/> Figure 8.7: Children can help plant, maintain, and harvest from a garden.[9][\/caption]<\/figure>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Teachers can support children\u2019s development of the life sciences foundations with the following:<\/p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Focus children\u2019s explorations on key concepts of living things<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Take children on outdoor explorations of plants and animals.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Model curiosity and interest in nature<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Remind children to be respectful of nature<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Engage children in conversations about what they notice and point their attention to important aspects of living things<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Document children\u2019s outdoor explorations<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Provide children with tools for the exploration of living things<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Include plants and animals indoors<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Engage children in close observations of living things (animals, plants, fruits, and vegetables)<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Invite children to share in-home experiences with living things<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Use books to enrich and extend children\u2019s study of living things<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Provide children with opportunities to care for plants and animals<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Provide children with opportunities to observe and monitor plants\u2019 growth and development<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Engage children in reflective conversations in small or large groups<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Involve caregivers in children\u2019s planting and gardening experiences<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Provide children with opportunities to observe changes and transformations in animals passing through stages of the life cycle<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Provide children with opportunities to observe changes and transformations in animals passing through stages of the life cycle<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Discuss the death of living things from the scientific perspective of death, and explain to them that all living things die (caregivers should be informed of the discussions to be prepared to answer questions).<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Invite children to investigate their growth[10]<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<div class=\"box-note\">\r\n<div class=\"mt-section\">\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--learning-objectives\"><header class=\"textbox__header\">\r\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">Vignettes<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">While playing outdoors, Gregory pointed up to the oak tree and shouted, \u201cLook, a squirrel up in the tree.\u201d Joanna whispered, \u201cShhh... You will scare the squirrel away.\u201d They stood there silently, watching the squirrel. Soon, more children joined them. Ms. Leon watched them observing the squirrel and asked, \u201cWhat do you think the squirrel is doing?\u201d (Pause) \u201cWhat do you think he is looking for?\u201d She listened carefully to the children\u2019s ideas and questions while observing the squirrel: \u201cIt is climbing up.\u201d \u201cHe is looking at us.\u201d \u201cI think he is looking for something to eat.\u201d Joanna asked Ms. Leon, \u201cIs that where he lives?\u201d Ms. Leon turned the question right back to her and asked, \u201cWhat do you think?\u201d Ms. Leon expected this question to come up because recently they were talking about the habitats of different animals and commented that some animals live in trees. Later, during group time, Ms. Leon invited children to share with the group their observations of the squirrel. She brought up her question again: \u201cWhat do you think the squirrel was looking for in the tree?\u201d Some children said that squirrels were looking for food. Ms. Leon asked, \u201cWhat kind of food do you think squirrels may find in the tree?\u201d Joanna suggested, \u201cMaybe they eat leaves.\u201d Miguel said, \u201cMaybe the squirrel was looking for seeds.\u201d Ms. Leon answered, \u201cOh, so you think that squirrels may eat leaves, nuts, and seeds. Let\u2019s get our small binoculars and journals and observe the squirrels to find out what squirrels are doing in the tree and what they like to eat.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr align=\"center\" size=\"2\" width=\"100%\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">The teacher cut open the avocado, and Danny got very excited. \u201cI knew there was going to be a big seed inside.\u201d Ms. Wilson replied, \u201cYou did predict that there was going to be a big seed inside.\u201d She invited children to observe the inside of the avocado. Rena said, \u201cIt has this thing inside.\u201d Sara pointed to the empty half and said, \u201cThis is where it was.\u201d The teacher replied, \u201cIt is the avocado seed.\u201d She took out the seed and handed it to Rena. \u201cOh, it is slippery.\u201d Ms. Wilson put it on a tray and said, \u201cIt does feel very slimy.\u201d She invited children to observe the seed. \u201cWhat does it look like? What does it feel like?\u201d After she gave the children time to observe the avocado seed, she pointed to the other fruits in the basket and said, \u201cI wonder if these fruits are also going to have seeds inside. What do you think?\u201d Rena said, \u201cMaybe the orange will not have very big seeds.\u201d Danny said, \u201cThe avocado has a big seed inside, not the orange.\u201d Ms. Wilson asked, \u201cWhat do you think is inside the orange?\u201d The teacher invited the children to predict what kind of seeds are inside an orange, a mango, a butternut squash, a papaya, and a plum, and wrote down their predictions. She then invited the children to cut open the fruits and check what was inside[11]<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"box-note\">\r\n<div class=\"mt-section\">\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--examples\"><header class=\"textbox__header\">\r\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">Pause to Reflect<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">How can you find out what ideas, interests, cultural beliefs, or fears the children in your group bring to their study of living things?<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div id=\"section_4\" class=\"mt-section\" style=\"text-align: center\">\r\n<h2 class=\"lt-socialsci-39382 editable\">Supporting Earth Sciences<\/h2>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">When children play with dirt, jump in puddles, collect rocks, observe the rain, or feel the heat of the sun, they have direct contact with aspects of the earth. Daily interactions and direct contact with objects and earth events provide children with the context to observe and explore properties of earth materials and to identify patterns of change in the world around them (for example, patterns of day and night, and temperature changes). With teachers\u2019 guidance, children\u2019s everyday interactions and direct contact with objects and earth events can become rich, inquiry-based experiences of earth sciences.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure>[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"404\"]<img class=\"internal\" src=\"https:\/\/socialsci.libretexts.org\/@api\/deki\/files\/28184\/clipboard_ec5a6ec0310bc662cb14343d6ed6e2c51.png?revision=1\" alt=\"clipboard_ec5a6ec0310bc662cb14343d6ed6e2c51.png\" width=\"404\" height=\"241\" \/> Figure 8.8: Exploring outdoors helps connect children with nature.[12][\/caption]<\/figure>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Teachers can provide children with opportunities to explore the physical properties of earth materials and to observe, record, and track changes in the weather and how it affects the living world. Exploratory interactions with earth materials and ongoing observations of earth phenomena enhance children\u2019s connection to nature and raise their awareness of the importance of caring for and respecting the natural world. The box below summarizes key concepts in Earth sciences. The following section provides practical strategies to engage children in rich, focused explorations of earth materials and phenomena.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Cormorant Garamond', serif;font-size: 1.26562em\">Key Concepts in Earth Sciences<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"box-note\">\r\n<div class=\"mt-section\">\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">In studying Earth materials and phenomena, children become aware of key characteristics of Earth:<\/p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Earth materials (soil, sand, rocks, air, water) are part of the natural environment.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Earth materials have different properties.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">There are patterns of change in Earth phenomena (day\/night; seasons). Natural objects in the sky (sun, moon) are not always in the same place.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Temperature and weather changes can be tracked over time.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Weather and seasonal changes affect the environment.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">People should respect and care for the environment.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Teachers can support children\u2019s development of the earth science foundations with the following:<\/p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Take children on a search for earth materials in nature.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Invite children to observe, compare, and classify earth materials.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Invite children to explore and experiment with earth materials.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Use opportunities to explore earth materials in the context of studying living things or when exploring other solid and non-solid materials.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Invite children to share in-home experiences with earth materials.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Engage children in observing and describing the sun and the moon, and other natural objects in the sky.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Provide children with opportunities to observe, record, and discuss the weather.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Develop an awareness of the daily weather<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Invite children to record and discuss changes in the weather<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Invite children to observe and discuss the effects of weather and seasonal changes on their lives and the environment around them<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Engage caregivers in children\u2019s explorations of weather and seasonal change<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Model and discuss respect for the environment.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Engage children in caring for and protecting the environment through everyday routines in the preschool environment.<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Collect and use recycled materials.[13]<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<div class=\"box-note\">\r\n<div class=\"mt-section\">\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--learning-objectives\"><header class=\"textbox__header\">\r\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">Vignettes<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Ms. Tina observes the children playing at the sandbox. Ted fills up the bucket with water and pours it on the sand. Olivia and Ted watch as the water is absorbed by the sand. Next, they begin to pile the sand into a mound. Olivia says, \u201cIt\u2019s like a mountain. Let\u2019s make it bigger.\u201d They add more sand and compact it together. Their mountain is beginning to take shape and gets bigger and bigger. Olivia says, \u201cI am going to get water.\u201d She gets a small bucket and gently pours it on top of the mountain. She notices how the water creates a depression in the sand and then flows down. Ted says, \u201cLike a river.\u201d He gets more water in the bucket and pours it again in the same place. The depressed part gets bigger. Ms. Tina gets closer and asks, \u201cWhat happens when the water is flowing down your mountain?\u201d Ted describes, \u201cThe water makes a hole in the mountain. Olivia says, \u201cIt takes the sand down.\u201d Ms. Tina said, \u201cA little bit of water at the beginning helped to hold the mountain together, but pouring a large amount of water causes the sand to slip and slide away. It can also happen in nature, when water breaks down the land.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr align=\"center\" size=\"2\" width=\"100%\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Today, Rena\u2019s father came to school to share with the group some of his kites and to build a kite with the children. First, he invited the children to observe him flying one of his kites in the air, and then the children took turns flying the kite together with him. After they came inside, Rena\u2019s father asked the children, \u201cSo what do you think makes the kite fly up?\u201d Children came up with different answers. \u201cThe wind touches the kite all around, and it goes up in the sky. It pushes the kite up, up, up, up in the sky.\u201d Another child said, \u201cThe air goes through the holes of the kite, and it moves the kite to the sky.\u201d Rena\u2019s dad invited children to notice the shape of the kite, and together they discovered that the kites he brought have a similar shape, \u201clike a diamond.\u201d He also asked them why they think the kite needs to be light and not heavy, and one of the children said, \u201cBecause it needs to fly up.\u201d Rena\u2019s dad told them, \u201cA long time ago, kites were invented in China. People used bamboo sticks and silk to make kites.\u201d He then invited children to build a kite. \u201cNow we are going to build our own kite. What do you think we need to build a kite?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr align=\"center\" size=\"2\" width=\"100%\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Every month the children observe the oak tree outdoors and keep records of how it changes from month to month. Ms. B. encourages children to make drawings of the tree, and together with the children, she takes photos of it once a month. While observing the tree, Ms. B invites them to share their observations: \u201cWhat changes do you see?\u201d \u201cWhy do you think the tree changed like that?\u201d Through such discussions, Ms. B helps children to begin to draw the connection between the changes they observe in the tree and the changes in the weather and seasons. In the fall, children collected fallen oak acorns and leaves. They were fascinated with its deeply lobed leaves, and some of them made drawings of the oak leaves in their journals. They also observed the acorns and talked about them, as well as other trees around the yard that have dry fruit similar to the acorn. Ms. B creates a class book with the observational drawings, children\u2019s words, and photographs documenting the changes the children observe each month. By the end of the school year, the book will include their documentation of the tree in order of the seasons: fall, winter, spring, and summer.<a title=\"title\" href=\"https:\/\/socialsci.libretexts.org\/Bookshelves\/Early_Childhood_Education\/Book%3A_Introduction_to_Curriculum_for_Early_Childhood_Education_(Paris_Beeve_and_Springer)\/04%3A_Section_IV-_Planning_for_Childrens_Learning\/10%3A_Science\/10.04%3A_Introducing_the_Foundations#_ftn14\" rel=\"internal\" name=\"_ftnref14\">[14]<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div id=\"section_5\" class=\"mt-section\">\r\n<h2 class=\"lt-socialsci-39382 editable\">References<\/h2>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">[1] (n.d.). Colorado Early Learning &amp; Development Guidelines. Retrieved June 22, 2025, from <a href=\"https:\/\/earlylearningco.org\/\">https:\/\/earlylearningco.org\/<\/a><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">[2]\u00a0The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 3\u00a0by the California Department of Education is used with permission;<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 3\u00a0by the California Department of Education is used with permission<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">[3]\u00a0The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 3\u00a0by the California Department of Education is used with permission<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">[4]\u00a0Image\u00a0by Staff Sgt. Oshawn Jefferson is in the public domain.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">[5]\u00a0The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 3\u00a0by the California Department of Education is used with permission;<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 3\u00a0by the California Department of Education is used with permission<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">[6]\u00a0The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 3\u00a0by the California Department of Education is used with permission<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">[7]\u00a0The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 3\u00a0by the California Department of Education is used with permission<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">[8]\u00a0Image\u00a0by\u00a0Stamford Museum &amp; Nature Center\u00a0is licensed by\u00a0CC-BY-3.0<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">[9]\u00a0The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 3\u00a0by the California Department of Education is used with permission<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">[10]\u00a0The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 3\u00a0by the California Department of Education is used with permission;<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 3\u00a0by the California Department of Education is used with permission<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">[11]\u00a0The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 3\u00a0by the California Department of Education is used with permission<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">[12]\u00a0Image by the Preschool at Charles Wright Academy is licensed by\u00a0CC-BY-3.0<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">[13]\u00a0The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 3\u00a0by the California Department of Education is used with permission;<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 3\u00a0by the California Department of Education is used with permission<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">[14]\u00a0The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 1\u00a0by the\u00a0California Department of Education\u00a0is used with permission<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<footer class=\"mt-content-footer\">\r\n\r\n<hr class=\"autoattribution-divider\" \/>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"autoattribution\">\r\n\r\nThis page titled 8.4: Understanding the Foundation is shared under a <a href=\"https:\/\/socialsci.libretexts.org\/Courses\/Arapahoe_Community_College\/Introduction_to_Curriculum_for_Early_Childhood_Education\/08%3A_Science\/8.04%3A_Introducing_the_Foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">not declared\u00a0<\/a>license and was authored, remixed, and\/or curated by Erin Jones, EdS, ECSE, MBA.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/footer>","rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox\">\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: start\">The preschool learning foundations for science are organized into three broad categories or strands:<\/p>\n<ol style=\"margin-top: 1.42857em;margin-bottom: 1.42857em\">\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Scientific Inquiry<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Reasoning and Problem Solving<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Life Sciences[1]<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\"><strong>Science Knowledge &amp; Skills<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">The Science Knowledge &amp; Skills domain describes the child\u2019s abilities to observe and gather information about the natural and physical world around them. Children use their natural curiosity to explore and ask questions about their environment, through which they learn about living things and natural processes. The indicators in science also describe ways in which children process information by making connections, predictions, and generalizations based on their observations<\/p>\n<div id=\"section_1\" class=\"mt-section\" style=\"text-align: center\">\n<h2 class=\"lt-socialsci-39382 editable\">Supporting Scientific Inquiry<\/h2>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Young children\u2019s experience of science is an interplay between content knowledge (what children learn about) and inquiry skills (the skills and processes they apply to explore and develop knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas). Children build knowledge and understanding of concepts through active participation in the process of scientific inquiry. Like scientists, children have a natural desire to inquire, but they need guidance in developing the skills of scientific inquiry:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Observation and investigation skills involve ways to observe, compare, measure, classify, predict, and check and investigate objects and events.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Documentation and communication skills are employed to record information and to communicate findings and explanations with others.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">The skills of scientific inquiry provide children with the tools for investigating and learning about science topics. Such experiences build habits of questioning, critical thinking, innovative problem solving, communication, collaboration, and decision making.<\/p>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Scientific inquiry skills are integral to children\u2019s ongoing play and explorations and are not taught in isolation. Children develop their abilities to make observations, ask questions, and gather information as part of meaningful exploration and investigation experiences. Teachers can establish an environment with a culture of inquiry and facilitate children\u2019s use of scientific skills and language through everyday explorations and planned experiences of scientific inquiry.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>Scientific Inquiry:<\/strong>\u00a0The skills to observe and collect information and use it to ask questions, predict, explain, and draw conclusions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table class=\"grid aligncenter\" cellpadding=\"0\" style=\"border-spacing: 0px;\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"col\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 312px;\">\n<p class=\"mt-align-center lt-socialsci-39382\"><b>Indicators<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"mt-align-center lt-socialsci-39382\"><b>Children may&#8230;.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 312px;\">\n<p class=\"mt-align-center lt-socialsci-39382\"><b>Examples<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"mt-align-center lt-socialsci-39382\"><b>Children may&#8230;.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"vertical-align: top; width: 312px;\" valign=\"top\" data-th=\"IndicatorsChildren may....\">\n<ol>\n<li>Observe and describe observable phenomena (objects, materials, organisms, and events).<\/li>\n<li>Engage in scientific talk.<\/li>\n<li>Compare and categorize observable phenomena.<\/li>\n<li>Use senses to explore the properties of objects and materials (e.g., solids, liquids).*<\/li>\n<li>Make simple observations, predictions, explanations, and generalizations based on real-life experiences.*<\/li>\n<li>Notice a change in matter.*<\/li>\n<li>Observe, describe, and discuss properties of materials and the transformation of substances.*<\/li>\n<li>Observe and discuss common properties, differences, and comparisons among objects.* [1]<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"vertical-align: top; width: 312px;\" valign=\"top\" data-th=\"ExamplesChildren may....\">\n<ol>\n<li>Use senses to gather information about objects, living things, and Earth materials.<\/li>\n<li>Ask and pursue questions through simple investigations and observations of living things.<\/li>\n<li>Observe nature and make predictions about natural events (e.g., growing seeds, caring for animals, charting weather).<\/li>\n<li>Investigate changes in liquids and solids when substances are heated, cooled, combined, etc.<\/li>\n<li>Predict outcomes when altering materials (liquids and solids) and record using journals, charts, graphs, technology, or drawings.<\/li>\n<li>Participate in experiments and ask \u201chow\u201d and \u201cwhy\u201d questions.<\/li>\n<li>Draw connections between classroom experiments\/investigations and real-world experiences (e.g., \u201cThe water turned to ice like the lake next to my house because it was cold.\u201d).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Other related scientific processes, such as classifying, ordering, and measuring, are addressed in the foundations for mathematics.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<figure style=\"width: 624px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"internal\" src=\"https:\/\/socialsci.libretexts.org\/@api\/deki\/files\/28064\/clipboard_e7f01b1b0536fa6fcc0de541b0c7b8e7f.png?revision=1\" alt=\"clipboard_e7f01b1b0536fa6fcc0de541b0c7b8e7f.png\" width=\"624\" height=\"556\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Figure 8.2 Image by Ian Joslin is licensed by\u00a0CC-BY-4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>Reasoning and Problem Solving:<\/strong>\u00a0Gathering information to make predictions, conduct investigations and experiments, draw conclusions, and analyze and communicate results.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table class=\"grid aligncenter\" cellpadding=\"0\" style=\"border-spacing: 0px;\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"col\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 312px;\">\n<p class=\"mt-align-center lt-socialsci-39382\"><b>Indicators<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"mt-align-center lt-socialsci-39382\"><b>Children may&#8230;<\/b><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 312px;\">\n<p class=\"mt-align-center lt-socialsci-39382\"><b>Examples<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"mt-align-center lt-socialsci-39382\"><b>Children may&#8230;.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"vertical-align: top; width: 312px;\" valign=\"top\" data-th=\"IndicatorsChildren may...\">\n<ol>\n<li>Ask a question, gather information, and make predictions.<\/li>\n<li>Plan and conduct investigations and experiments.<\/li>\n<li>Analyze results, draw conclusions, and communicate results. [1]<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"vertical-align: top; width: 312px;\" valign=\"top\" data-th=\"ExamplesChildren may....\">\n<ol>\n<li>Identify the common needs, such as food, air, and water of familiar living things.<\/li>\n<li>Make and record by drawing, acting out, or describing observations of living things and how they change over time<\/li>\n<li>Observe and explore the natural processes of growing, changing, and adapting to the environment.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<figure>\n<figure style=\"width: 624px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"internal\" src=\"https:\/\/socialsci.libretexts.org\/@api\/deki\/files\/28093\/clipboard_e49c799c7d451ace28cc837189a8fb1f1.png?revision=1\" alt=\"clipboard_e49c799c7d451ace28cc837189a8fb1f1.png\" width=\"624\" height=\"445\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Figure 8.3: Image by Ian Joslin is licensed by CC-BY-4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Teachers can support children\u2019s development of the scientific inquiry foundations with the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Facilitate children\u2019s observation skills by using the term \u201cobserve\u201d and introduce the process with a familiar item<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Talk with children and ask questions to guide their observations<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Invite children to observe objects and phenomena related to the current focus of inquiry<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Promote the use of scientific tools to extend children\u2019s observations and investigations of objects<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Introduce children to scientific tools and their function, and support their appropriate use<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Encourage children to make predictions first and then check their predictions<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Remind children that predictions do not have to be right<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Record children\u2019s predictions<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Facilitate children\u2019s ability to make inferences and draw conclusions (when inferring and drawing conclusions, children observe what happened and make an assumption about the cause)<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Use everyday observations to model inferring<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Encourage children to explain the reasoning behind their inferences<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Encourage children to record observations and document investigations, and findings<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Promote the use of different forms to record and document information<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Consider adaptations for children with special needs<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Encourage children to describe their representations while you write their words<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Encourage different means of communication, including home language, sign language, and communication devices<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Invite children to record collaboratively, using charts, graphs, or models<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Ask open-ended questions to\n<ul>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Encourage children to share their observations<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Facilitate problem-solving and investigations<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Elicit predictions and explanations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Engage children in collaborative discussions[2]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"box-note\">\n<div class=\"mt-section\">\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--learning-objectives\">\n<header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">Vignettes<\/p>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">While exploring the play yard, children became fascinated with pill bugs (usually called a roly-poly by children). In the yard, they would look for pill bugs and enjoy watching them curl into balls. One day, Ms. Lopez noticed that a group of children collected pill bugs in a bucket. She invited the children to put the \u201croly polies\u201d on a tray and observe them closely at the outdoor investigation table. Ms. Lopez said, \u201cLet\u2019s use our tools and look closely at the pill bugs. What do you notice about their body?\u201d Ms. Lopez assisted Jennifer in holding the magnifier above the pill bug: \u201cWow, it looks so big,\u201d Jennifer said. Jose observes the pill bug with a magnifier and gets excited: \u201cI can see its head.\u201d Ryan asked, \u201cWhen is it going to open up again? I want to see how many legs it has.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr style=\"text-align: center; size: 2px; width: 100%;\" \/>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Ms. Brown presented the children with a big cube of ice. She asked the children to touch or hold it and tell her what they notice about it: \u201cWhat does it feel like? What does it look like?\u201d Children shared their observations: \u201cIt is cold.\u201d \u201cIt is slippery.\u201d \u201cIt is very smooth.\u201d \u201cIt is wet.\u201d \u201cIt is white.\u201d \u201cIt is square.\u201d Ms. Brown asked the children, \u201cWhat do you know about ice?\u201d Some children shared their ideas: \u201cWe keep it in the freezer,\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s very, very cold.\u201d \u201cIf you put it in water, it disappears.\u201d She invited children to draw their observations of the ice cube in their notebooks. The next day, Ms. Brown told the children that together they were going to explore what would happen to ice when it is left outside of the freezer. She has asked children: \u201cWhat do you think will happen to this ice cube if we leave it in this bowl? What is your prediction?\u201d \u201cWill it stay the same?\u201d \u201cWhat will be different?\u201d Children made predictions, and she wrote them on a chart (e.g., \u201cIt will not be so cold anymore.\u201d \u201cIt will turn into water\u201d). After lunch, we\u2019ll check our ice cube and find out what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>The children in Ms. Moreno\u2019s group are taking turns bringing home the picture book they created as a group. Today, it is Emilia\u2019s turn to take home this book. This picture book was created to document the growth of their plant. Emilia points to the photos in the book (taken by Ms. Moreno to document the process) and to the children\u2019s drawings. She tells the story out loud to her grandmother, who is picking her up, \u201cFirst we had to buy seeds (points to a photo of the seeds packet on the first page), then we put the soil, and then we put the seeds inside the dirt . . .\u201d Emilia continues with more details while looking at the pictures in the book: how they put the pot in the sun, watered the plant, and measured its growth. \u201cHere it was one inch, and here it was bigger, and here it was very tall, and it has many leaves.\u201d At home, Emilia will share it with her family, and together they will retell the story in her home language.[3]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"box-note\">\n<div class=\"mt-section\">\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--examples\">\n<header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">Pause to Reflect<\/p>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<p>How would you facilitate children\u2019s thinking skills through everyday observations and interactions?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Cormorant Garamond', serif;font-size: 1.602em;font-weight: bold\">Supporting Physical Sciences<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"section_2\" class=\"mt-section\" style=\"text-align: center\">\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Young children\u2019s inquiry in physical science involves the active exploration of nonliving objects and materials and physical events in their everyday environment. When children build with blocks, play with different balls, push or slide objects of different kinds, play with water, sand, clay, and other objects in the preschool environment, they explore materials in different ways and begin to form ideas about the physical properties. They manipulate objects, act on them, and observe what happens. They may try a certain strategy over and over to see if the same result happens again. Through such exploratory interactions with objects and solid and nonsolid materials, children can learn about cause-and-effect relationships, the physical properties of objects and materials (e.g., size, shape, rigidity, texture), and about changes and transformations of objects and materials. For example, when building with various kinds of blocks, children may learn about the size and shape of the blocks and about the characteristics of the materials used to make the blocks (e.g., wood, foam, plastic). They may discover that the big cardboard blocks should be used at the bottom of a tower and the small unit blocks on top to create a strong and stable tower. When playing at the water table, they experience how water flows down and takes the shape of the container.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<figure style=\"width: 346px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"internal\" src=\"https:\/\/socialsci.libretexts.org\/@api\/deki\/files\/28102\/clipboard_eea77e0dee14f4576d0001ad19911e578.png?revision=1\" alt=\"clipboard_eea77e0dee14f4576d0001ad19911e578.png\" width=\"346\" height=\"230\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Figure 8.4: What containers could be added to this water table to expand the children\u2019s exploration?[4]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">With teachers\u2019 guidance, children\u2019s everyday play can become rich, hands-on inquiry experiences of the key concepts in physical sciences. Teachers can provide children with materials to broaden their investigation. They encourage children to try out their ideas, even if the teacher knows the child\u2019s strategy will not create the desired result. Teachers challenge children\u2019s thinking by asking questions that focus attention on key science concepts being investigated: \u201cWhat can you do to make the bridge higher?\u201d \u201cHow can we make mud?\u201d \u201cWhy did the ball roll down in this direction?\u201d Interactions of this kind provide children with opportunities to extend their experimentations with objects, to notice patterns of cause-and-effect, to reason and think more deeply about the phenomena they observe, and to use language to describe, explain, and reflect on their work.<\/p>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Cormorant Garamond', serif;font-size: 1.26562em\">Key Concepts in Physical Sciences<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"box-note\">\n<div class=\"mt-section\">\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">In exploring objects and materials, children develop an understanding of key concepts about the physical world:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">They learn about the size, shape, weight, texture, and other properties of objects and materials.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">They learn about the form and function of objects and that the form of an object supports its function.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">They continue to learn about cause and effect\u2014that certain actions lead to certain reactions.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">They learn about changes in objects and materials. For instance, mixing, heating, or cutting will produce changes in materials, and some changes are reversible and some are irreversible.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">They begin to understand that objects not in motion are in a state of balance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">They learn more about force and motion (inanimate objects are set in motion; pushing and pulling put objects in motion; objects can move in different ways).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\"><b>See Scientific Inquiry Indicators above.<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Teachers can support children\u2019s development of the physical sciences foundations with the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Provide children with opportunities to explore a variety of objects and materials in the daily environment.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Prepare yourself and be purposeful about the scientific concepts children will investigate while engaged with objects and materials.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Engage children in projects that allow them to explore, experiment, and invent with objects and materials for an extended time.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Experiment with materials and objects before offering them to children.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Invite children to observe and describe the characteristics and physical properties of the objects and materials they investigate.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Plan opportunities for children to sort and classify objects and materials and reflect on similarities and differences.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Provide children with opportunities to build and experiment with simple machines. Simple machines refer to six mechanical devices that make it easier to move or lift something: levers, a wheel on an axle, a pulley, an inclined plane, a wedge, and a screw.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Provide children with opportunities to investigate the form and function of different tools and machines.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Avoid presenting children with activities of \u201cmagical\u201d science (such as chemical \u201csnow\u201d and exploding volcanoes) that are done for entertainment purposes and with the children as observers (not participants).<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Select activities or projects in which children can vary their actions on objects and observe the immediate reactions to their actions.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Use cooking activities as opportunities to reason about transformations in materials.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Invite children to set up an experiment and collect and analyze data.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Focus children\u2019s attention on the effect of one aspect (variable) at a time.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Lead children to make predictions about what they expect to happen.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Ask questions to raise children\u2019s awareness of how they produced an effect.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Encourage children to record and document investigations with objects and materials.[5]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure>\n<figure style=\"width: 412px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"internal\" src=\"https:\/\/socialsci.libretexts.org\/@api\/deki\/files\/28128\/clipboard_ecfb58221023f40c115b7d0822f4a6358.png?revision=1\" alt=\"clipboard_ecfb58221023f40c115b7d0822f4a6358.png\" width=\"412\" height=\"301\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Figure 8.5: There is science at play when making tamales.[6]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<div class=\"box-note\">\n<div class=\"mt-section\">\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--learning-objectives\">\n<header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">Vignettes<\/p>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Ms. Yen introduced children to a variety of solid materials, including feathers, wood chips, pennies, foam pieces, marbles, and eggshells. After the materials were introduced, she left them for children\u2019s free exploration in the discovery center. The center also included tools such as magnifiers, trays, cups, and a balance scale to expand their observations of the materials, and the children were familiar with how to use them. Children enjoyed exploring these materials, especially finding out how they are similar or different from each other. One question they investigated was, \u201cWhich materials are rigid and which are soft?\u201d Children tried pressing, poking, twisting, tearing, and breaking the different materials and shared their conclusions with their classmates as they worked: \u201cThe pennies are hard.\u201d \u201cThe feathers are very soft. You can bend them, and they do not break.\u201d \u201cThe eggshell breaks when you press on it, and these (points to foam pieces) are soft, and you can break them like this (the child demonstrates how they break easily).\u201d \u201cThe wood chips are very hard, too.\u201d With the teacher\u2019s assistance, some children recorded their findings on the chart by gluing a sample of each material under \u201cRigid\u201d or \u201cSoft.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr style=\"text-align: center; size: 2px; width: 100%;\" \/>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">During the last cooking activity, Ms. Moreno noticed that the children were fascinated when they mixed the flour with water. The children\u2019s reactions gave Ms. Moreno an idea for extending the group\u2019s explorations with dry materials and engaging them in exploring mixtures. In small-group time, Ms. Moreno introduced the children to different dry materials, such as salt, flour, cornstarch, and sugar, and invited them to explore them. She then suggested that they mix some of these materials with water. The teacher asked the children questions to invite them to make predictions: \u201cWhat do you think will happen if we add salt to water&#8230;\u201d As the children watched the salt crystals disappear, they discovered that when salt is mixed with water, it cannot be seen anymore. The teacher immediately asked questions that encouraged the children to check their predictions. Ms. Moreno asked the children, \u201cWhat happened when you stirred the salt in water?\u201d Children came up with different answers: \u201cIt disappears.\u201d \u201cIt is inside the water, but you cannot see it anymore.\u201d Ms. Moreno invited the children to taste plain water and the water stirred with salt, and tell the difference. When the children communicated that they tasted the salt and that it was still in the water, the teacher introduced the word dissolve to the children and explained that the salt dissolved in water to make salt water. The children tried out different materials and discovered that some dissolve in water and others, such as flour or sand, do not. The next day, the children tried mixing other materials such as glue, lemonade powder, tea leaves, and play-dough to find out what happens to each of these materials when mixed with water.<\/p>\n<hr style=\"text-align: center; size: 2px; width: 100%;\" \/>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">The children were playing at the water table and taking turns tossing an object into the water to find out which objects sink and which float. Ms. Schultz held a plastic cup and asked, \u201cWhat do you predict will happen to this cup when you put it in the water? Will it sink or float?\u201d David said, \u201cIt will float like the other cup,\u201d referring to the Styrofoam cup they tested earlier. Dana said, \u201cIt will sink because it is harder than the white cup.\u201d Gaby said, \u201cMaybe if we put it in like this (facing up), it will not sink.\u201d Ms. Schultz asked, \u201cWhy do you think so?\u201d Gaby said, \u201cBecause the water will not go inside.\u201d She put the cup in the water, facing up, and the children observed the cup floating. \u201cYou see! It is floating.\u201d David said, \u201cNow, let\u2019s put it in like this (facing down).\u201d Ms. Shultz said, \u201cThat\u2019s a great idea. Let\u2019s put the cup in the water face down to see what happens. What is your prediction? Will the cup sink or float?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">The children predicted that the plastic cup would float again. Ms. Shultz asked, \u201cWhy do you think it will float?\u201d David answered, \u201cBecause it was floating before.\u201d She put the cup in the water, facing down, and everyone, including Ms. Schultz, was surprised when they saw the cup sinking in the water. The children were fascinated with what they discovered. They kept putting the cup in the water, one time facing up and one time facing down, watching it turn from a \u201cfloater\u201d to a \u201csinker.\u201d<a title=\"title\" href=\"https:\/\/socialsci.libretexts.org\/Bookshelves\/Early_Childhood_Education\/Book%3A_Introduction_to_Curriculum_for_Early_Childhood_Education_(Paris_Beeve_and_Springer)\/04%3A_Section_IV-_Planning_for_Childrens_Learning\/10%3A_Science\/10.04%3A_Introducing_the_Foundations#_ftn7\" rel=\"internal\" name=\"_ftnref7\" id=\"_ftnref7\">[7]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"box-note\">\n<div class=\"mt-section\">\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--examples\">\n<header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">Pause to Reflect<\/p>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">How can different interest areas in the preschool environment (e.g., the block area, the water table, the sensory table, and the playground) be used to enhance children\u2019s explorations of objects and materials?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Cormorant Garamond', serif;font-size: 1.602em;font-weight: bold\">Supporting Life Sciences<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"section_3\" class=\"mt-section\" style=\"text-align: center\">\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Life sciences for young children are about nurturing children\u2019s curiosity and fascination with the natural world and building their understanding and appreciation of living things. Preschool children have various opportunities to engage with living things in their preschool environment. When playing in the yard, they may come across small animals or bugs, or notice changes in the trees. They may help take care of the class pet or plants in the room. They participate in different planned activities related to living things, such as going on a neighborhood walk to collect different leaves, searching for bugs or other small animals in the yard, sorting and classifying fruits and vegetables, exploring various seeds, plant bulbs, sprout seeds, or growing a garden. Such experiences in the preschool environment can provide the context for rich experiences of scientific inquiry about properties and characteristics of living things.<\/p>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">The goal is to provide children with opportunities that allow them to closely observe living things, including human beings, and to encourage them to question, explore, and investigate physical characteristics, behaviors, habitats, and needs. Through ongoing opportunities to observe and discuss what they have seen, children develop their ideas about living things, how they are the same, and how they differ from one another. They start to sort and classify, and look for patterns. They begin to recognize commonalities such as the physical structure and basic needs of different living things, but also the diversity and variation among different organisms.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<figure style=\"width: 350px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"internal\" src=\"https:\/\/socialsci.libretexts.org\/@api\/deki\/files\/28149\/clipboard_ee1280b576f284c3fda4f5d7e2b25974c.png?revision=1\" alt=\"clipboard_ee1280b576f284c3fda4f5d7e2b25974c.png\" width=\"350\" height=\"262\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Figure 8.6: Classrooms can get a butterfly kit to experience the life cycle of butterflies[8]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">The teacher has an important role in guiding children through experiences of exploring and observing animals and plants around them, whether outdoors, as they exist in nature, or indoors in an environment that is as natural as possible. They deepen children\u2019s understanding of living things, including features of their body parts and processes, by encouraging children to observe closely, raise questions, investigate more about a topic, describe and represent their observations, and by creating opportunities for discussion and reflection. At the same time, they model wonder and excitement of the natural world and an attitude of respect for living things and their habitats.<\/p>\n<div class=\"box-note\">\n<div class=\"mt-section\">\n<h5 class=\"box-legend editable\"><span class=\"lt-icon-default\">Key Concepts in Life Sciences<\/span><\/h5>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">In studying animals, plants, and humans, children develop an understanding of key concepts related to living things, such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">All living things have basic needs that must be met for them to grow and survive.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">The body parts of living things are useful to them in meeting their needs.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">The physical characteristics of living things reflect how they move and behave.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Living things have their habitats in different environments.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">All living things grow over time and go through changes related to the life cycle.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">There is variation and diversity in living things<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>Life Science:<\/strong> Make sense of natural phenomena and solve problems that require understanding how individual organisms are configured and how these structures function to support life, growth, behavior, and reproduction<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table class=\"grid aligncenter\" cellpadding=\"0\" style=\"border-spacing: 0px;\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"col\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 312px;\">\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\"><b>Indicators<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\"><b>Children may&#8230;..<\/b><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 312px;\">\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\"><b>Examples<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\"><b>Children may&#8230;..<\/b><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"vertical-align: top; width: 312px;\" valign=\"top\" data-th=\"Indicators Children may.....\">\n<ol>\n<li>Observe, describe, and discuss living things and natural processes.<\/li>\n<li>Observe similarities and differences in the needs of living things.<\/li>\n<li>Observe and describe how natural habitats provide for the basic needs of plants and animals concerning shelter, food, water, air, and light.<\/li>\n<li>Ask and pursue questions through simple investigations and observations of living things.<\/li>\n<li>Collect, describe, and record information about living things through discussion, drawings, graphs, technology, and charts.<\/li>\n<li>Identify differences between living and nonliving things.<\/li>\n<li>Identify the common needs, such as food, air, and water of familiar living things.<\/li>\n<li>Predict, explain, and infer patterns based on observations and representations of living things, their needs, and life cycles.<\/li>\n<li>Observe and document changes in living things over time using different modalities such as drawing, dramatization, description, or using technology.<\/li>\n<li>Recognize that plants and animals grow and change. [1]<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"vertical-align: top; width: 312px;\" valign=\"top\" data-th=\"ExamplesChildren may.....\">\n<ol>\n<li>Match photographs of different habitats to the things that occupy them (i.e., worms live in the ground; fish live in water).<\/li>\n<li>Sequence a series of photographs\/pictures of a plant\u2019s growth.<\/li>\n<li>Sequence a series of photographs\/pictures of the life cycle of a butterfly from caterpillar to chrysalis\/cocoon to butterfly.<\/li>\n<li>Document the life cycle of living things.<\/li>\n<li>Recognize that living things require water, air, and food.<\/li>\n<li>Identify and describe through a variety of modalities the changes in living things over time (e.g., bears hibernate when it is cold outside).<\/li>\n<li>Investigate living things by caring for animals and plants in the classroom.<\/li>\n<li>Document the human life cycle (i.e., babies grow into children, children grow to be adults, adults get older).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<figure>\n<figure style=\"width: 401px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"internal\" src=\"https:\/\/socialsci.libretexts.org\/@api\/deki\/files\/28170\/clipboard_e908b44300afb6b4e1166e424339b2702.png?revision=1\" alt=\"clipboard_e908b44300afb6b4e1166e424339b2702.png\" width=\"401\" height=\"281\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Figure 8.7: Children can help plant, maintain, and harvest from a garden.[9]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Teachers can support children\u2019s development of the life sciences foundations with the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Focus children\u2019s explorations on key concepts of living things<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Take children on outdoor explorations of plants and animals.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Model curiosity and interest in nature<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Remind children to be respectful of nature<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Engage children in conversations about what they notice and point their attention to important aspects of living things<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Document children\u2019s outdoor explorations<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Provide children with tools for the exploration of living things<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Include plants and animals indoors<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Engage children in close observations of living things (animals, plants, fruits, and vegetables)<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Invite children to share in-home experiences with living things<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Use books to enrich and extend children\u2019s study of living things<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Provide children with opportunities to care for plants and animals<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Provide children with opportunities to observe and monitor plants\u2019 growth and development<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Engage children in reflective conversations in small or large groups<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Involve caregivers in children\u2019s planting and gardening experiences<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Provide children with opportunities to observe changes and transformations in animals passing through stages of the life cycle<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Provide children with opportunities to observe changes and transformations in animals passing through stages of the life cycle<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Discuss the death of living things from the scientific perspective of death, and explain to them that all living things die (caregivers should be informed of the discussions to be prepared to answer questions).<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Invite children to investigate their growth[10]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"box-note\">\n<div class=\"mt-section\">\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--learning-objectives\">\n<header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">Vignettes<\/p>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">While playing outdoors, Gregory pointed up to the oak tree and shouted, \u201cLook, a squirrel up in the tree.\u201d Joanna whispered, \u201cShhh&#8230; You will scare the squirrel away.\u201d They stood there silently, watching the squirrel. Soon, more children joined them. Ms. Leon watched them observing the squirrel and asked, \u201cWhat do you think the squirrel is doing?\u201d (Pause) \u201cWhat do you think he is looking for?\u201d She listened carefully to the children\u2019s ideas and questions while observing the squirrel: \u201cIt is climbing up.\u201d \u201cHe is looking at us.\u201d \u201cI think he is looking for something to eat.\u201d Joanna asked Ms. Leon, \u201cIs that where he lives?\u201d Ms. Leon turned the question right back to her and asked, \u201cWhat do you think?\u201d Ms. Leon expected this question to come up because recently they were talking about the habitats of different animals and commented that some animals live in trees. Later, during group time, Ms. Leon invited children to share with the group their observations of the squirrel. She brought up her question again: \u201cWhat do you think the squirrel was looking for in the tree?\u201d Some children said that squirrels were looking for food. Ms. Leon asked, \u201cWhat kind of food do you think squirrels may find in the tree?\u201d Joanna suggested, \u201cMaybe they eat leaves.\u201d Miguel said, \u201cMaybe the squirrel was looking for seeds.\u201d Ms. Leon answered, \u201cOh, so you think that squirrels may eat leaves, nuts, and seeds. Let\u2019s get our small binoculars and journals and observe the squirrels to find out what squirrels are doing in the tree and what they like to eat.<\/p>\n<hr style=\"text-align: center; size: 2px; width: 100%;\" \/>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">The teacher cut open the avocado, and Danny got very excited. \u201cI knew there was going to be a big seed inside.\u201d Ms. Wilson replied, \u201cYou did predict that there was going to be a big seed inside.\u201d She invited children to observe the inside of the avocado. Rena said, \u201cIt has this thing inside.\u201d Sara pointed to the empty half and said, \u201cThis is where it was.\u201d The teacher replied, \u201cIt is the avocado seed.\u201d She took out the seed and handed it to Rena. \u201cOh, it is slippery.\u201d Ms. Wilson put it on a tray and said, \u201cIt does feel very slimy.\u201d She invited children to observe the seed. \u201cWhat does it look like? What does it feel like?\u201d After she gave the children time to observe the avocado seed, she pointed to the other fruits in the basket and said, \u201cI wonder if these fruits are also going to have seeds inside. What do you think?\u201d Rena said, \u201cMaybe the orange will not have very big seeds.\u201d Danny said, \u201cThe avocado has a big seed inside, not the orange.\u201d Ms. Wilson asked, \u201cWhat do you think is inside the orange?\u201d The teacher invited the children to predict what kind of seeds are inside an orange, a mango, a butternut squash, a papaya, and a plum, and wrote down their predictions. She then invited the children to cut open the fruits and check what was inside[11]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"box-note\">\n<div class=\"mt-section\">\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--examples\">\n<header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">Pause to Reflect<\/p>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">How can you find out what ideas, interests, cultural beliefs, or fears the children in your group bring to their study of living things?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"section_4\" class=\"mt-section\" style=\"text-align: center\">\n<h2 class=\"lt-socialsci-39382 editable\">Supporting Earth Sciences<\/h2>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">When children play with dirt, jump in puddles, collect rocks, observe the rain, or feel the heat of the sun, they have direct contact with aspects of the earth. Daily interactions and direct contact with objects and earth events provide children with the context to observe and explore properties of earth materials and to identify patterns of change in the world around them (for example, patterns of day and night, and temperature changes). With teachers\u2019 guidance, children\u2019s everyday interactions and direct contact with objects and earth events can become rich, inquiry-based experiences of earth sciences.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<figure style=\"width: 404px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"internal\" src=\"https:\/\/socialsci.libretexts.org\/@api\/deki\/files\/28184\/clipboard_ec5a6ec0310bc662cb14343d6ed6e2c51.png?revision=1\" alt=\"clipboard_ec5a6ec0310bc662cb14343d6ed6e2c51.png\" width=\"404\" height=\"241\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Figure 8.8: Exploring outdoors helps connect children with nature.[12]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Teachers can provide children with opportunities to explore the physical properties of earth materials and to observe, record, and track changes in the weather and how it affects the living world. Exploratory interactions with earth materials and ongoing observations of earth phenomena enhance children\u2019s connection to nature and raise their awareness of the importance of caring for and respecting the natural world. The box below summarizes key concepts in Earth sciences. The following section provides practical strategies to engage children in rich, focused explorations of earth materials and phenomena.<\/p>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\"><span style=\"font-family: 'Cormorant Garamond', serif;font-size: 1.26562em\">Key Concepts in Earth Sciences<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"box-note\">\n<div class=\"mt-section\">\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">In studying Earth materials and phenomena, children become aware of key characteristics of Earth:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Earth materials (soil, sand, rocks, air, water) are part of the natural environment.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Earth materials have different properties.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">There are patterns of change in Earth phenomena (day\/night; seasons). Natural objects in the sky (sun, moon) are not always in the same place.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Temperature and weather changes can be tracked over time.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Weather and seasonal changes affect the environment.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">People should respect and care for the environment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Teachers can support children\u2019s development of the earth science foundations with the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Take children on a search for earth materials in nature.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Invite children to observe, compare, and classify earth materials.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Invite children to explore and experiment with earth materials.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Use opportunities to explore earth materials in the context of studying living things or when exploring other solid and non-solid materials.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Invite children to share in-home experiences with earth materials.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Engage children in observing and describing the sun and the moon, and other natural objects in the sky.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Provide children with opportunities to observe, record, and discuss the weather.\n<ul>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Develop an awareness of the daily weather<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Invite children to record and discuss changes in the weather<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Invite children to observe and discuss the effects of weather and seasonal changes on their lives and the environment around them<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Engage caregivers in children\u2019s explorations of weather and seasonal change<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Model and discuss respect for the environment.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Engage children in caring for and protecting the environment through everyday routines in the preschool environment.<\/li>\n<li class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\" style=\"text-align: left\">Collect and use recycled materials.[13]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"box-note\">\n<div class=\"mt-section\">\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--learning-objectives\">\n<header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">Vignettes<\/p>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Ms. Tina observes the children playing at the sandbox. Ted fills up the bucket with water and pours it on the sand. Olivia and Ted watch as the water is absorbed by the sand. Next, they begin to pile the sand into a mound. Olivia says, \u201cIt\u2019s like a mountain. Let\u2019s make it bigger.\u201d They add more sand and compact it together. Their mountain is beginning to take shape and gets bigger and bigger. Olivia says, \u201cI am going to get water.\u201d She gets a small bucket and gently pours it on top of the mountain. She notices how the water creates a depression in the sand and then flows down. Ted says, \u201cLike a river.\u201d He gets more water in the bucket and pours it again in the same place. The depressed part gets bigger. Ms. Tina gets closer and asks, \u201cWhat happens when the water is flowing down your mountain?\u201d Ted describes, \u201cThe water makes a hole in the mountain. Olivia says, \u201cIt takes the sand down.\u201d Ms. Tina said, \u201cA little bit of water at the beginning helped to hold the mountain together, but pouring a large amount of water causes the sand to slip and slide away. It can also happen in nature, when water breaks down the land.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr style=\"text-align: center; size: 2px; width: 100%;\" \/>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Today, Rena\u2019s father came to school to share with the group some of his kites and to build a kite with the children. First, he invited the children to observe him flying one of his kites in the air, and then the children took turns flying the kite together with him. After they came inside, Rena\u2019s father asked the children, \u201cSo what do you think makes the kite fly up?\u201d Children came up with different answers. \u201cThe wind touches the kite all around, and it goes up in the sky. It pushes the kite up, up, up, up in the sky.\u201d Another child said, \u201cThe air goes through the holes of the kite, and it moves the kite to the sky.\u201d Rena\u2019s dad invited children to notice the shape of the kite, and together they discovered that the kites he brought have a similar shape, \u201clike a diamond.\u201d He also asked them why they think the kite needs to be light and not heavy, and one of the children said, \u201cBecause it needs to fly up.\u201d Rena\u2019s dad told them, \u201cA long time ago, kites were invented in China. People used bamboo sticks and silk to make kites.\u201d He then invited children to build a kite. \u201cNow we are going to build our own kite. What do you think we need to build a kite?<\/p>\n<hr style=\"text-align: center; size: 2px; width: 100%;\" \/>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">Every month the children observe the oak tree outdoors and keep records of how it changes from month to month. Ms. B. encourages children to make drawings of the tree, and together with the children, she takes photos of it once a month. While observing the tree, Ms. B invites them to share their observations: \u201cWhat changes do you see?\u201d \u201cWhy do you think the tree changed like that?\u201d Through such discussions, Ms. B helps children to begin to draw the connection between the changes they observe in the tree and the changes in the weather and seasons. In the fall, children collected fallen oak acorns and leaves. They were fascinated with its deeply lobed leaves, and some of them made drawings of the oak leaves in their journals. They also observed the acorns and talked about them, as well as other trees around the yard that have dry fruit similar to the acorn. Ms. B creates a class book with the observational drawings, children\u2019s words, and photographs documenting the changes the children observe each month. By the end of the school year, the book will include their documentation of the tree in order of the seasons: fall, winter, spring, and summer.<a title=\"title\" href=\"https:\/\/socialsci.libretexts.org\/Bookshelves\/Early_Childhood_Education\/Book%3A_Introduction_to_Curriculum_for_Early_Childhood_Education_(Paris_Beeve_and_Springer)\/04%3A_Section_IV-_Planning_for_Childrens_Learning\/10%3A_Science\/10.04%3A_Introducing_the_Foundations#_ftn14\" rel=\"internal\" name=\"_ftnref14\" id=\"_ftnref14\">[14]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"section_5\" class=\"mt-section\">\n<h2 class=\"lt-socialsci-39382 editable\">References<\/h2>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">[1] (n.d.). Colorado Early Learning &amp; Development Guidelines. Retrieved June 22, 2025, from <a href=\"https:\/\/earlylearningco.org\/\">https:\/\/earlylearningco.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">[2]\u00a0The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 3\u00a0by the California Department of Education is used with permission;<\/p>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 3\u00a0by the California Department of Education is used with permission<\/p>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">[3]\u00a0The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 3\u00a0by the California Department of Education is used with permission<\/p>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">[4]\u00a0Image\u00a0by Staff Sgt. Oshawn Jefferson is in the public domain.<\/p>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">[5]\u00a0The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 3\u00a0by the California Department of Education is used with permission;<\/p>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 3\u00a0by the California Department of Education is used with permission<\/p>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">[6]\u00a0The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 3\u00a0by the California Department of Education is used with permission<\/p>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">[7]\u00a0The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 3\u00a0by the California Department of Education is used with permission<\/p>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">[8]\u00a0Image\u00a0by\u00a0Stamford Museum &amp; Nature Center\u00a0is licensed by\u00a0CC-BY-3.0<\/p>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">[9]\u00a0The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 3\u00a0by the California Department of Education is used with permission<\/p>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">[10]\u00a0The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 3\u00a0by the California Department of Education is used with permission;<\/p>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 3\u00a0by the California Department of Education is used with permission<\/p>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">[11]\u00a0The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 3\u00a0by the California Department of Education is used with permission<\/p>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">[12]\u00a0Image by the Preschool at Charles Wright Academy is licensed by\u00a0CC-BY-3.0<\/p>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">[13]\u00a0The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 3\u00a0by the California Department of Education is used with permission;<\/p>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 3\u00a0by the California Department of Education is used with permission<\/p>\n<p class=\"lt-socialsci-39382\">[14]\u00a0The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 1\u00a0by the\u00a0California Department of Education\u00a0is used with permission<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<footer class=\"mt-content-footer\">\n<hr class=\"autoattribution-divider\" \/>\n<div class=\"autoattribution\">\n<p>This page titled 8.4: Understanding the Foundation is shared under a <a href=\"https:\/\/socialsci.libretexts.org\/Courses\/Arapahoe_Community_College\/Introduction_to_Curriculum_for_Early_Childhood_Education\/08%3A_Science\/8.04%3A_Introducing_the_Foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">not declared\u00a0<\/a>license and was authored, remixed, and\/or curated by Erin Jones, EdS, ECSE, MBA.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/footer>\n","protected":false},"author":154,"menu_order":4,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[48],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-683","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","chapter-type-numberless"],"part":342,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintroductiontoece\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintroductiontoece\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintroductiontoece\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintroductiontoece\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/154"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintroductiontoece\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=683"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintroductiontoece\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/683\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":685,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintroductiontoece\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/683\/revisions\/685"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintroductiontoece\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/342"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintroductiontoece\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/683\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintroductiontoece\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintroductiontoece\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=683"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintroductiontoece\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=683"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintroductiontoece\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}