Transcript Nature and Science ECERS

All About the ECERS - R
Nature & Science
Georgia CTAE Resource Network
Instructional Resources Office
July 2009
Developmentally Appropriate
• Most young children are curious about
and fascinated by the natural world
around them
• Children use their senses
• Need hands on opportunities
• Explore natural things indoors and
outdoors
• There are four categories of materials
and experiences that need to be
considered – must be 3-5 examples of
each category accessible to children
1/3 of the day
1. Collections of natural objects
• Groups of similar natural objects
• Must be of natural things – plastic
collections are counted as science
TOYS
• Science books, toys, and games
should be located in different part
of the room
• Examples:
– Leaves, seashells, rocks, types of
wood, pinecones, bird’s nests
2. Living Things
• Include plants and living creatures
that children actively care for and
observe
• Must be observable in children’s
immediate environment
• Examples:
– House plants, terrarium, seeds that
grow, garden class planted, class
pet, window bird feeder, aquarium
with fish or other animals, ant farm
with ants, worm farm, butterfly
hatching kit, eggs that hatch, etc.
3.
Nature/Science books, games, or toys
• Can be scattered throughout the
classroom rather than collected in one
place
• Books must have realistic pictures and
facts
• Games must be realistic and fact-based
• Toys should realistically portray
natural life. Stuffed animals are not
counted unless they are very natural
looking rather than fantasy-based
portrayals
4. Nature/Science Activities
• Encourage or allow children to
experiment with scientific
concepts or
• Observe scientific processes
unfold
• Require more than just making
materials accessible
• Staff support is usually needed
• Some activities to consider (next
slide)…
Scaffold experimentation
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Magnets with objects to experiment with
Magnifying glasses with things to look at
Sink and float activity
Racing cars down slope that vary in length
and incline
Shaking cans filled with differing substances
to match and compare sounds
Smelling different scents to compare and
contrast
Using plastic translucent color paddles to
make colors match objects
Sand & Water Activities
Activities that require more staff input
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Completing weather chart
Using rain guage
Planting seeds and watching plants grow
Planting a garden and caring for it
Cooking foods that change when mixed,
cooled, cooked, etc..
Lifting objects with levers and pulleys
Using different length pendulum with different
weights
Tasting and comparing sweet, sour, bitter,
salty
Using thermometers to measure hot and cold
Looking at objects under a simple
microscope
Making a bird feeder and keeping track of
birds using it
• Encourage Children
• Materials should be well organized
• There are many everyday events that children
experience
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Erosion of soil after wind or rain
How fast ball rolls down slope
What happens as a result of feeding fish
How rain evaporates from a puddle on a hot
sidewalk or how it drains into the ground
Why the plant dried out
How the days lengthen and shorten with the
seasons
Playground grass turning green in spring
New birds in spring
How plants around the building change with the
seasons
The moon appearing during the day
How the sun makes shadows
Supplemental Materials
• Books, pictures, posters, audio/visual
materials
• Must be related to current hands-on activities
that the children are experiencing
• Examples:
– Books about fish used when aquarium is added
– Video about how snowflakes are formed is used
when weather forecasts snow or after a snowfall
– CD of bird songs used when bird feeder is busy
with birds
– Poster of how seeds sprout is displayed next to
seeds children have planted
– DVD of butterflies is playing next to the butterfly
hatchery kit