Preschool News

Science - What Will Happen ...

Several basic science elements have been a source of learning in recent weeks at Oak Flats Public School Preschool. Our little scientists have been problem solving, predicting, testing, hypothesising, and describing findings during our indoor and outdoor play sessions. One particular area of interest has been 'keepie-uppie' with a balloon. This game was played on our meeting mat, below the fan. It was requested by some children that the fan was turned off which we did, just to be sure it didn't pop! The next day our trusty Miss Nicole, suggested we start hypothesising what could happen if we left the fan on. Several children suggested that the fan would pop the balloon, however others said that the air from the fan would push it away. We ran some experiments which proved that the fan pushes the air down. Everyone's faces showed relief that the balloon would not pop - until .... one big ace hit caused the balloon to ricochet off a picture wire and head straight for the fan! Luckily the balloon bounced off and sent a ripple of excitement amongst the children. One little scientist exclaimed that "the fan had a turn!" while another proved that the fan did hit the balloon by pointing out the mark on the side. This event occurred at the end of the week and was a source of conversation for the children. It looks like we will be working on force and motion next!

The children in Preschool are often tipping, pouring, filling, mixing, balancing and floating various natural and human-made items. They often look like scientists as they peer closely at their work, observing and noting any changes that have occurred. As educators our Preschool team support the children to hear words for their actions, to extend their problem-solving and to pose questions that challenge their thinking. Young children often need time to process these events, to revisit their learning and to build upon a concept slowly. Preschoolers rarely learn the basic concepts of our world quickly and they require patience and understanding to support them to learn through access to concrete materials. Young learners also have to transfer their learning to new but similar activities, for example does mixing dirt and water provide the same result as mixing sand with water? Science also connects to many other areas of learning including mathematics, cooking, art, safety and music. Safety first is always an area that we discuss during our play and the children are becoming very aware of keeping themselves and others safe. If you would like to support your child further at home with some science exploration, please visit our local Discovery Space website for some great ideas:

https://www.earlystartdiscoveryspace.edu.au/discovery-at-home/

Elisa Higgs and Nicole Tate

Preschool Team