The resources offered to children will greatly affect the nature and quality of their scientific learning. Practitioners need to ensure, therefore, that the resources they offer inspire children's curiosity and provide a broad range of scientific experiences.
Interactivedisplays
Displays that engage children physically and intellectually can be very powerful in supporting scientific learning. They can:
* inspire curiosity and motivate children to find out or solve problems.
* provide children with opportunities to revisit ideas and with additional experiences that extend or consolidate their learning.
* serve as a central resource bank so that children know where they can independently access the tools they need to carry out investigations in other areas of the setting. In this sort of display, children may initially need support in using the equipment appropriately and reminding to return tools to the correct place after use.) Examples
Magnets and materials Provide magnets, a range of objects and materials and two trays. Encourage children to place items that are attracted to magnets in one tray, and those that are repelled in the other.
Mirrors and reflections Cover a vertical surface and an adjacent horizontal surface with unbreakable mirror tiles. Line the inside of a shoebox with reflective material. Provide hand-held mirrors and a basket of natural objects. Encourage children to experiment with reflections and to look at repeated images.
How things work Provide a selection of safe objects such as clocks, toy vehicles, a pepper grinder and plastic tongs, and allow children to explore these. Supervise children in dismantling some of the objects to find out how they work.
Permanent equipment display Provide, in clearly labelled baskets or on templated shelves, 'bug boxes', magnifying glasses, torches, magnets, collection trays, plastic tweezers, telescopes, periscopes, safety mirrors and colour paddles. Also display information books and posters.
Science resources
* Collecting trays - sturdy polypropylene trays ideal for collecting specimens, 240cm x 2cm x 31cm, 3.50 each; 25.5cm x 5cm x 35.5cm, 4.99 each (NES Arnold, tel: 08702 433400).
* Bubble kit, includes rings of different sizes to make big and small bubbles (NES Arnold, 5.99).
* Hope's 35-piece magnifier set includes 'bug boxes' and magnifying glasses of different strengths (16.16, Hope tel: 08451 20 20 55).
* Junior trowel and fork set (Hope, 5.75).
* Plastic vivaria 37 x 22 x 24.5cm (NES Arnold, 9.99).
* A set of ten robust, easy-to-hold torches (Galt, 24.99, 08702 424477).
* Colour paddles - a fan of coloured acetate paddles (NES Arnold, Pounds 4.25).
* Giant horseshoe magnet (NES Arnold, 5.25).
* Three mushroom kaleidoscopes made from rubber wood (Galt, 8.95).
* First periscope with single mirror periscopes (NES Arnold, 1.99 each).
* Water pump (NES Arnold, 3.97).
* Plastic tubing (Galt, 3m of flexible plastic tubing 3.99).
* Giant sand and water wheel system, including one silo, two wheels, four uprights, two bases, one scoop, is an exciting introduction to energy and motion (NES Arnold 29.95).
* Touch-and-see tank allows children to feel objects through hand holes, exploring through the sense of touch (Galt, 72.95).
Stories
Stories can provide children with a meaningful context for scientific learning, even taking them into worlds outside their own experience. They can also be used to reinforce prior learning or as a starting point for discussion. Try these:
* Mr Archimedes' Bath by Pamela Allen (Puffin, 4.99)
* Mr Gumpy's Outing by John Burningham (Red Fox, 4.99)
* Mrs Mopple's Washing Line by Anita Hewett (Red Fox, 4.99)
* Billy's Beetle by Mick Inkpen (Hodder Children's Books, 4.99)
* The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (Puffin, 4.99)
* The Blue Balloon by Mick Inkpen (Hodder Children's Books, 5.99)
* Winnie in Winter by Korky Paul and Valerie Thomas (OUP, 4.99)
* Titch by Pat Hutchins (Red Fox, 4.99)
* Jasper's Beanstalk by Nick Butterworth (Hodder Children's Books, Pounds 4.99)
* One Snowy Night by Nick Butterworth (Picture Lions, 5.99)
* Mrs Lather's Laundry by Allan Ahlberg (Puffin, 3.99)
