Providing a Science Rich Environment in Early Childhood

Running head: NURSING
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How would you provide a science rich environment in the early childhood
environment?
With the present expansion of the transitional kindergarten and universal preschool and
other associated childhood programs along with attention to children’s health related issues,
environmental education plays an important role in early childhood development skills
acquisition (Meier & Sisk-Hilton, 2017). According to Kanus (2013), children have a natural
ability to learn from observations and daily living experiences. This in born sense of learning
from experience and inquiry about the unknown lays the framework for science and
mathematics in the early years of life.
Verdine et al. (2014) proposed the use of building blocks as a source generating science
rich environment. The arrangement of building blocks helps in gaining knowledge about size,
colour matching, shapes and art of balancing smaller objects over bigger structure and basic
idea about the surrounding infrastructure like the houses, buildings and bridges. Czalczynska-
Podolska (2014) highlighted that use of water bath or water play as scientific learning. The
use of water will help the student understand the basic characteristics of water for example,
water is liquid in nature, it has no shape and colour and at the same time enlightens the
students about the marine life. Fleer (2009) stated that designing play based program for the
generation of the scientific environment for the early childhood science promotion and
learning helps in the establishment of dialectical relations with the everyday scientific
concepts. The dialectical relationship in turn promotes greater understanding about the basic
science. The concept proper by Fleer (2009) coincides with the theory of Vygosky (1987)
who proposed that children learn science concepts at school when the act is designed based
on the everyday practice (Poehner & Lantolf, 2014). However, Vygosky (1987) argued that
for learning insulation, putting different fabrics around jars filled with hot water, to determine

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which will stay warmer for long, will only be useful if it relates to everyday experiences of
the child (Poehner & Lantolf, 2014).
Separate approach must be undertaken while providing a science-rich environment for
the Aboriginals and the Torres Strait Islander Children because these groups of children
experience educational and social disadvantage and the majority of them are not engaged
with the concept of schooling and learning (Hackling et al., 2015). One of the effective
approaches for providing science rich environment for the Aboriginal children includes
collaborative, active and inclusive approach. Here it is role of collaborator to convey the
message of inclusivity to the students and taking the student’s suggestion into active
consideration. Direct access to material for hands on activities helps to increase Aboriginal
students participation in the science directed learning such that students in groups will be
provided with small scientific tools or equipments to work with. Direct engagement with the
tools and live experience helps to grow interest among the children (Hackling et al., 2015).
What it is important?
The involvement of the children in the science driven environment during early
childhood helps in the explicit development of the cognitive and logical reasoning skills
among the children. These skills help the children to flourish in the later stages of life, in their
academic career. Grissmer et al. (2010) are of the opinion that proper understanding and
constructing meaning about the world around them is a direct indicator of the early-year
children’s scientific and mathematical learning along with reading and processing.
In the domain of designing science rich environment for the child, it must be kept in
mind that as a child grows; they come in contact with numerous new situations and objects.
This coming across new objects lead to the development of misconception and it is the duty
of an educator to clear up these misconceptions (Broström, 2015). However, Charlesworth