What do preschool children need to know about science?
Today I looked at my 3.5-years-old daughter’s Winter school curriculum. In addition to the usual Thanksgiving and Christmas/Hanukah preparations, I’ve noticed that this season, she will be learning about Amphibians. As a relatively new father, I quivered with the perspective of being unexpectedly quizzed on a crowded bus about the steps of the aquatic gill-breathing larval stage.. If you are also a parent of a preschooler, and similarly find science education on your child’s curriculum, you might join me in slight wonder as to why kids at this early age are asked to learn about Amphibians at all.
In the spirit of scientific inquiry, I looked at recent studies about the reasons for teaching science for preschoolers. One of the most interesting paper by Swedish researchers found that successful teachers did not try to drill the kids about the facts of cold-blooded vertebrates, instead they focused on empowering them to feel self-confident to explore any question of biology in the future. When teachers and parents engage children in complex topics as competent partners, encourage them to ask their questions and stimulate further investigations, they naturally raise the next generation of scientists, researchers and smart adults.
In the US, the American Association for the Advancement of Science published its Benchmarks for Science Literacy, and recommended for teachers in K-2 grades that
Students should be actively involved in exploring phenomena that interest them both in and out of class. These investigations should be fun and exciting, opening the door to even more things to explore. An important part of students’ exploration is telling others what they see, what they think, and what it makes them wonder about. Children should have lots of time to talk about what they observe and to compare their observations with those of others. A premium should be placed on careful expression, a necessity in science, but students at this level should not be expected to come up with scientifically accurate explanations for their observations. (AAAS 1993, 10).
After reading these and dozens of similar findings on science education for preschoolers, I feel less scared about losing my status of omniscience on a bus because I cannot answer my daughter’s question about a toad. Instead, I start to look at the calendar to pick a Sunday when the whole family will visit the nearby lake, and we can set up our very own laboratory experiment. And you guessed it right, the lead researcher will be a sweet little girl in her favorite pink princess boots.