Discovering the World of Science

Discovering the World of

by ELIZABETH BECKWITH EARLY CHILDHOOD SCIENCE TEACHER

“S cience! Science! Science!” is what Abe the blue-tongued skink and Polly the ball python hear as the Toddler classes enter the Early Childhood science lab each week. Through this simple activity, our youngest scientists learn to associate the lab with the word “science.” The science lab is a state-of-the-art space designed to foster curiosity and collaboration in young children. In early 2019, St. Martin’s opened its newly rebuilt Early Childhood Learning Center complete with a STEAM Village featuring an intentionally connected science lab, tinker lab, art room and outdoor classroom. The science lab and adjoining spaces encourage children to ask questions, think innovatively and make discoveries about the world around them. This unique space has proved to be a model for many other schools around the country.

THE EC SCIENCE LAB AND ADJOINING SPACES ENCOURAGE CHILDREN TO ASK QUESTIONS, THINK INNOVATIVELY AND MAKE DISCOVERIES ABOUT THE WORLD AROUND THEM.

The minds of young children are sponges, constantly absorbing what is going on around them. “Why is this caterpillar fuzzy?” “Why do toys have batteries?” “Were Tyrannosauruses nice?” “Why does it thunder?” These wonderful questions cannot be answered through pen and paper. Instead, our young scientists discover how the world works at an age-appropriate level in the science lab by taking apart old toys with screwdrivers, mixing up slime and goo or observing a fuzzy caterpillar move. In 13 years as the Early Childhood science teacher at St. Martin’s, I’ve learned that teaching science to two- through six-year-olds is not about teaching in the traditional sense. It’s about facilitating an exciting environment with opportunities to play, explore and make discoveries. And not just any discoveries, but their own discoveries. Research has shown that making an independent discovery sparks a memory that can last a lifetime. St. Martin’s Toddlers discover that frogs are green by watching the Ribbits family of Australian tree frogs hop around their habitat in the critter corner. Kindergartners uncover states of matter by making giant blobs of slime, and 1st-grade students learn to think like engineers by completing building challenges in the outdoor classroom.

The flexible stools and tables in the science lab allow access to an array of experiments and activities. Simultaneously, a large skylight and floor-to-ceiling windows invite natural light and encourage observations about the weather and sky. The large tables and open space SOME STUDENTS provide ample room for investigating SPEND MOST and making messes, all in the name OF THEIR of science! While children are discouraged from being messy in most spaces, in the science lab, students quickly learn that not only are they UNSTRUCTURED LEARNING TIME IN THE CRITTER allowed to mix up oozy slimes and CORNER, concoct gloriously messy experiments, INCLUDING A they are encouraged to do so. DOZEN ANIMAL The critter corner, sensory bins, Lego HABITATS AND wall and science library offer additional “TOUCH TANKS.” active-learning opportunities for students. Some students spend most of their unstructured learning time in the critter corner, including a dozen animal habitats and “touch tanks.” They can watch Tammy the turtle swim around her 200-gallon tub or Elsa the Madagascar hissing cockroach eat her daily fruit salad. Student favorite critters include Turbo the tortoise who loves to sniff shoes, Dill the Giant African Bullfrog and the lab’s many colorful fish. Students develop a healthy respect and wonder for the natural world while building relationships with the animals in the critter corner.

Photo - 2019 Tinkering in the tinker lab inspires children to become innovative thinkers through hands-on activities. Students find the answers to important questions such as, “Why does this toy have a battery?” and “How does a clock work?” Imagine a safe and age-appropriate woodshop where children have unstructured time to explore the properties of materials and take apart various mechanisms. This freedom is the heart of invention. Toddlers discover how magnets work while 1stgrade students use screwdrivers and hammers to create gears and pulleys. There is no right or wrong way to tinker. With an engaging, magnetic wall of ramps and gears, a wall of tools organized enticingly for curious minds and an endless array of toys and materials to tinker with, the tinker lab is a space uniquely designed to inspire the next generation of creative thinkers and problem solvers.

THE OUTDOOR CLASSROOM IS A CERTIFIED NATURE EXPLORE CLASSROOM AND CERTIFIED SCHOOLYARD HABITAT, WHERE STUDENTS CONNECT WITH NATURE IN A NON-PLAYGROUND SETTING.

The outdoor classroom is a certified Nature Explore Classroom and certified Schoolyard Habitat, where students connect with nature in a non-playground setting. Children are innate scientists and love to experience the sights and sounds of nature. Students learn to be friends with animals when they feed the fish in the pond, fill the bird feeders and provide leaves, weeds and food scraps to the hardworking bugs in the composter. As they dig for fossils in the dinosaur dig and build rivers and dams in the trough connected to the giant water cistern, students begin to wonder about the earth sciences and the forces and properties of the sun, water, wind and earth. The large outdoor classroom also provides the perfect space for fun and messy experiments like 30-foot eruptions and giant bubbles! Whether it is 1st-grade students taking a mask break while doing experiments in the outdoor classroom, or virtual students discovering camouflage through video lessons about tree frogs, the unique design of the STEAM Village allows all students to make their own discoveries. Just as our Toddlers chant, “Science! Science! Science!” as they enter the lab, before leaving the lab, students give a thumbs up and say, “science rocks,” then point to themselves and say, “we rule.” And you know what? Science does rock, and with the help of our unique STEAM Village, I hope to inspire a future generation of scientists, nature friends, and inventors for our ever-changing world.