Talking and Doing Science in the Early Years: A practical guide for ages 2-7

This book recognises that children are in intuitive scientists and that most of our actions at home and in other settings have a scientific basis. It is through these early experiences that children formulate their ideas about the world around them. This book introduces the simplest form of the principles and the big ideas of science and provides a starting point for encouraging children to have an interest and experiential understanding of basic science and engineering. It shows how adults can support young children in exploring everyday phenomena and develops their scientific language skills through readily available resources and hands-on experiences. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of science and includes a summary of 'big ideas' to refresh adult scientific knowledge, numerous activities that encourage young children to observe, question and carry out their own investigations, a useful list of everyday resources and relevant vocabulary.