Knowledge and understanding of the world: Journey of discovery

You can help children develop their scientific knowledge and understanding by giving them ample opportunities to question, explore and investigate, as Jane Drake explains

Knowledge and understanding of the world covers a wide spectrum of learning. According to the QCA's Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage, it encompasses the early stages of development in 'science, design and technology, history, geography, and information and communication technology (ICT)'.

Within each of these five 'sub' areas there are a range of aspects to consider. Science in the early years involves children in learning about properties of materials, features of living things, physical and life processes.

Every early years practitioner will know what a privilege it is to share in young children's enthusiasm for 'finding out' and their delight in making discoveries. It is these positive attitudes to learning that provide a firm basis for future scientific learning.

Practitioners should aim to offer children an environment that will inspire and excite them, and one to which they will readily respond and with which they will interact to make progress in their learning.

Within this environment there should be opportunities for children to build on their own interests and to revisit an activity or idea a number of times.

The provision of such an environment is an ongoing challenge requiring careful consideration of resources and organisation in areas of provision and also, very importantly, of the role of the adult in the learning process.

Areas of the setting

Certain areas of the setting spring immediately to mind when considering opportunities for scientific development - for example, water power, floating and sinking investigations and observations of bubbles in the water tray. Opportunities in other areas may be less obvious but should not be overlooked - for example, observing the changes that occur when mixing powder paint with water in the paint area.

Team discussions of observed scientific learning in different areas of provision can help to raise awareness among children and can be quite enlightening for practitioners as well.

The organisation of furniture will also influence the experience. There should be ample room for children to work co-operatively and to set up investigations. Equipment should be easily accessed by children and storage containers clearly labelled.

Children should be able to develop concepts in a range of contexts through activities in different areas of the setting. When learning about freezing and melting, they could try:

• handling ice cubes (perhaps containing glitter) in the water tray
• making ice lollies in the food preparation area
• placing ice blocks around the outside area on a warm day (on the grass, buried underground, on a window sill) and watching what happens to them
• observing icicles on a cold day.

Access to a well-planned outdoor area allows children to explore the natural world in a safe environment. Children are enabled to learn first- hand about features of different weather conditions from activities such as:

• kite flying
• rain water collections
• shadow games on a sunny day
• snow-people building.

And there is a wealth of opportunities for observing living things and finding out about life processes from experiences such as:

• following a minibeast trail
• planting and growing activities
• setting up and stocking a bird table.

Outside areas enable children to take part in large-scale investigations such as finding out about forces by:

• pushing and pulling wheeled toys
• rolling balls up and down lengths of guttering using various inclines.

Practitioners can plan activities or visits with a particular goal in mind. For example, they could say to the children, 'Look closely at similarities, differences, patterns and change.' Activities could then include:

• baking biscuits
• making playdough
• working with cornflour and water mixture
• observing caterpillars changing into butterflies over a period of time (butterfly farms will provide caterpillars)
• visiting a garden centre to observe stages in the development of seedlings.

Adults working in a setting should be aware of their role in supporting learning. It may be that focused questioning is needed in order to extend children's thinking or prompt them to make predictions. Sometimes the practitioner may decide to introduce other resources to encourage further investigation - for example, at the discovery of a woodlouse under a log, a magnifying glass helps children to identify its features more easily.

Practitioners must respond to the children's needs at the time of an investigation but, generally, their role is to encourage children to predict, make and talk about observations, set up their own investigations, discuss plans with others, ask questions, reason, compare, reflect, interpret findings and solve problems.

Jane Drake is a nursery teacher at Cottingley Primary School, Leeds, and author of the book Planning Children's Play and Learning in the Foundation Stage (published by David Fulton, January 2001)

Case study: Zoe

Zoe is a three-year-old attending Cottingley Primary School nursery for a daily three-hour session. In the setting she shows a keen interest in water play and also spends much time imitating adults in 'home' play. Her mother says that these enthusiasms are mirrored at home and that some of Zoe's favourite activities are helping to wash up the pots after a meal, bathing her dolls, making drinks and sandwiches for tea.

At nursery, having noted from observations Zoe's fascination with 'wet and dry', the team decided to provide for further scientific investigation of 'wet and dry' through home play activities. They provided a large, shallow tray containing dry sand and added cups, saucers, plates, bowls, spoons, pans and a jug of water.

Zoe was delighted with the tools and 'ingredients' and immediately began to 'make dinner', mixing the sand and adding water carefully until she had produced a sloppy mixture. As the mixture dried out, she added more water, talking about her observations, predicting what would happen when the water was added.

This activity was available all week and Zoe returned every day to continue her investigations and present other children with her culinary masterpieces. Staff also built a 'home' den with children in the outside area and hung a washing line in the 'garden'.

The provision of a washing-up bowl filled with water, some dolls' clothes and a pile of clothes pegs attracted many children, including Zoe. She spent quite a few minutes soaking the clothes with water, squeezing them out and watching the water drip into the bowl before hanging them on the line. Throughout the session she checked the clothes by feeling them to see if they were dry. Practitioners in the setting helped to challenge Zoe's thinking by asking questions such as 'What will happen if it rains?' and 'Do you think the clothes will dry before you go home?'

10 key points

Use these ten key points as possible lead-ins for discussion at a staff meeting or with parents and carers.

1. Is the basic provision constant enough to allow children to revisit activities and develop ideas over a period of time?

2. Do children know where to find equipment such as magnifying glasses, 'bug boxes', magnets and information books?

3. Are opportunities available for children to apply their scientific knowledge and understanding in practical problem-solving activities?

4. Does your planning address the full range of needs within the setting and take into account children's current interests? Looking at how observations and assessments of children's learning inform planning is a good starting point.

5. How do you support children in setting up their own scientific investigations in the setting? Are the resources appropriate and accessible?

6. Do you talk with parents about children's individual interests, and ways in which scientific learning takes place, at home and in the setting?

7. Are all adults in the setting aware of key vocabulary to be used - wet, dry, float, sink - and appropriate questions to ask in order to extend scientific learning?

8. Do all practitioners value the process of 'finding out' and not just the end discovery? Do displays and celebrations of children's work reflect this?

9. How are children encouraged to record their findings in ways other than verbal? These could include picture tick lists, picture card weather chart, floating/sinking symbol cards attached to 'sorting boxes', or weekly chalk marks on an outside wall to measure the height and monitor the growth of sunflowers.