Sandbox Scientist: Real Science Activities for Little Kids
Introduction ESPRIORER TH O Kids are scientists at play watch them While they bake mud pies or construct worm playgrounds you might catch them conducting playful experiments Listen to them Amidst the giggling you may hear an exchange of astute observations or sensible theories Playfully explore with them and you may be aston ished at how their attention span far outlasts yours Children use many of the same science process skills as adult scientists Similarly they develop ideas about our world based on experiences with real things Though kids naive notions may often seem silly they are the offspring of serious thought Kid science reaches into two worlds reality and fantasy As children immerse themselves in rich experiences the two worlds become more separate Through experimentation and constant
reality is gently unmasked Adult science facts and prescribed step by step experiments are an inade quate substitute for explorations of a child's own choosing For kid science is divergent rather than lin ear It is process rather than product facts and con cepts It is real science Whether you are a parent teacher or another caretaker of young children you can easily become a patron of kid science All you have to do is let kids explore their world and accumulate a diverse collec tion of experiences Sandbox Scientist is a guide to out fitting young adventurers for playful expeditions at home school or at childcare centers Included are ideas on how to set up environments that stimulate opened ended investigations information on where to get inexpensive or free materials and tips on rec ognizing and nurturing science process skills Sandbox Scientist is a guide not a cookbook Rather than recipes for Gee whiz Dr Science type experi ments you'll discover ideas information and resources to help you assist kids in their own playful science journeys The science activities consist of putting together and using Explorer Kits Gather up the recommended materials and whatever additional things you think will spark the kids and let the learning happen Put kids with the kits in this book and scientific exploration will follow Explorer Kits
To turn your home or classroom into an exploratori um all you need is a variety of materials and tools I have learned to count on kids being interested in most anything if they can explore it in their own way The array of tools and stuff will often suggest explo rations A child provided with water and water drop pers will likely investigate water drops A magnifying lens will guide kids toward little things or textures Play with the materials yourself and see where they lead you O oo 0 O An Explorer Kit contains an array of tools and materials that sends kids off on various paths of play ful investigation Each kit focuses the kids on a gen eral realm of discovery but as you will see children will choose their own routes Kits can and should be modified to fit children's reactions and the materials at hand Allow children to add to and modify the kits Let it become theirs Each Explorer Kit is presented in the following format Each one begins with a preview of the basic types
of activities kids may engage in but remember these are open ended ventures Very likely your kids will do something with the materials that no one else in the universe has ever considered doing Materials The kit materials are the toys that will guide each new exploration The lists can and should be modified Be flexible Use what you have or what is easy to procure Encourage kids to contribute materials Your only major concerns should be the safety of kids and instruments The diversity and quantity of materials will influence the type of explo rations kids embark on The Setup Ideas for setting up activities are provided here Included are suggestions for how to minimize messes and avoid disasters The Science As kids explore they bump into the boundaries of big ideas An understanding of com plex concepts will one day emerge from these experi ences Listed in this section are some of the concepts that may rise out of the experiential mist If you are a teacher and need to justify playful science to ques tioning parents or administrators this section will give you some educationese to spout forth Occasion ally included are examples of types of open ended questions you could ask At all costs refrain from interrupting focused kids Wait until they engage you in verbal inquiry and then ask as a fellow adventurer not as a know it all adult Real Life Science The anecdotes in these sections
