Nursery World - My Best course - Experimental learning

A course on nursery science has helped Nicola Fraser's setting in
Scotland to learn the value of experimentation. Hannah Crown finds out more

What do you get if you put a packet of Mentos into a bowl of Coke? A volcano, apparently. Training company Experiential Play's We Are Scientists course, which aims to support the development of scientific thinking and skills in children, teaches practitioners this and other imagination-firing ways with household items.

According to course attendee Nicola Fraser, childcare practitioner at Abbey Mill Childcare, Paisley, near Glasgow, it boosted her confidence by reminding her how 'science' often features in everyday play - in activities such as making playdough, gloop, or experimenting with shaving foam.

Ms Fraser says she went on the course because she doesn't have 'much background knowledge in science.' She says, 'It was an area I would avoid, which sounds terrible, but I felt I didn't know enough exciting things to do. Now we have a cupboard full of everyday things like vinegar and food colouring that the kids have a lot of fun with. I always thought for science you had to go and buy lots of big expensive equipment, but the kids have a lot more fun with these materials.'

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