SciencePlay Kids

I have developed SciencePlay Kids from a combination of my love for science (I have a PhD in Biochemistry) and the pleasure I get from watching my children investigate and explore. I hope you enjoy it too!!

Science is everywhere. We encounter it 1000’s of times everyday without even realising. Food is science, weather is science, textures and materials are science, nature is science, the body is science, everything in the kitchen is science, patterns are science, light is science, fluids are science, solids and gas are science, vision is science. There is science EVERYWHERE!!! SciencePlay is structured so that in each class we address one or two scientific concepts and see how they apply in everyday life. You are encouraged to prompt the children in the week following the class to point out things that are related to the class content. I have tried to design it so that many of the activities can be continued/extended at home and continued throughout the week or in the weeks to follow. I also hope to have some experiments that are interactive and involve the children bringing things into class with them to investigate.

How are colours made?? How come a kitchen sponge ‘absorbs’?, what’s milk made of? Why do things float? How come we see rainbows? Why is a lemon sour? How do plants drink? What makes bubbles? Where do they go when they pop?

Each core experiment, usually 2 per class, are designed to last about 15 min. However, if your little scientist is on the verge of a breakthrough and wants to keep exploring, they can continue. Conversely, if it seems that they have exhausted all hypotheses then there are extensions for every experiment to go on with. These will be written up on the main board and on a handout so please encourage them to progress at their own pace.

These classes are not intended for children to master or even really understand scientific concepts but to allow them to explore the ideas in their own way, make predictions and think critically about the world around them. The introduction to the idea/concept is what I’m presenting, where the child goes with that information is totally up to them. I aim to introduce them to possibilities that are not necessarily obvious or accessible in everyday play, but once identified, I hope they will find examples or parallels in their daily lives.

The children will be guided through the experiments in a step by step manner. Although these activities are structured, I encourage you to let the children investigate the materials/tools/textures etc etc as they wish. Children play, explore, understand and learn differently so there is no one size fits all. I will repeat words and concepts throughout the class that are the focus. How they use these words and concepts is open to interpretation. Mess is allowed, in fact its encouraged. And there is no pressure to reach the completion of any experiment. In fact, change in the method will often result in a change in the outcome, this is also an important concept to understand. It is still an experiment if it does not reach the intended outcome. It’s worth pointing out any variations to the child and discuss the different outcome. “When you added that extra water, the reaction stopped and the bubbles no longer appeared. What do you think we could do this time to try and make more bubbles? How about we only add a small amount if water this time and see if it makes a difference??” By doing this you are encouraging your little scientist to think about what’s happening. By testing different possibilities you are teaching cause and effect, and promoting scientific thinking (including making predictions, observations, comparisons, reasoning, data gathering, experimentation and evaluation). This type of problem solving can be applied in many life situations and is a very valuable tool.

I will, and I encourage you to do the same, ask questions throughout the class. Open-ended questions are great but also ask the child to describe what the see, feel, smell. This encourages language development by using descriptive words to express ideas and opinions (wet, cold, slimy, heavy, frothy, squishy, shiny, sticky). I will also include a list of alternative words to use that are a little different from the more commonly used words (eg opaque, transparent).

These classes are also aimed to elicit concentration, although lack of it will never be punished. I have tried to ensure the classes are engaging with enough flexibility to keep all kids focused for as long as possible. I often see children loose interest when they become frustrated with a task that is difficult to do. I have tried to provide alternatives to address this. For example, if your child cannot use the pipettes easily, feel free to use a squeezy bottle or a spoon to transfer the liquid. However, the use of scientific equipment is encouraged as it develops motor skills. Perhaps alternate the use of the pipette with a spoon so a happy medium is reached, or using fingers instead of tweezers. The more practice the child gets, the easier they will find handling the equipment. I found by the 3rd or 4th experiment, my daughter had perfected the use of a pipette.

We begin each class by allowing the children to gather their own equipment. This may consume a few minutes but it is important to allow the children to have complete ownership of their experiments. This can foster an extra level of confidence in exploration too, not having to be concerned with making mistakes and freely exploring their own ideas. It also means that distractions associated with sharing (or not sharing for that matter) are avoided. This activity also promotes organisation. As we progress through the class, children will be asked to take used equipment to wash stations and tidy up after themselves.

Most importantly, I hope to encourage creativity: “What happens if we mix these together?” “Mmmmm, What do you think?? Let’s try it and see”!!!!!!

All children will be required to wear a labcoat and goggles for the duration of the class. Although we don't work with chemicals or anything toxic, we still use vinegar and other types of things that may irritate the eyes. We also use food colour so please don't put on your ‘Sunday bests’. Although the materials we use are non-toxic, it is not a good idea to consume anything in large quantities. If something we are using is not ‘taste safe’ I will let you know days before the class. You can then choose to skip this class if you have a little one that really, really wants to put everything in their mouth. This will be rare, and in most situations, I have sought a ‘taste safe’ alternative. We will use some materials that are vegan sensitive (gelatine, milk, bones etc) so please be mindful of that if you do not feel comfortable with attending these classes. I will ensure that this information is advertised in the week prior to these classes.

All classes require adult supervision. Your child is encouraged to explore on their own, but guidance is ESSENTIAL. Some activities will require and adult to assist, eg addition of food colour, pouring oil from a big bottle, cleaning up any spills, reaching equipment that is higher etc. Although I encourage the children to proceed at their own pace, they still require guidance to read and follow the steps of the experiments.