I’ve discovered that young children are far more capable, intelligent and interested than most people (and educators) could imagine! My little learners have hidden superpowers. Each day my goal is to show EACH child how he or she can be amazing. Another top priority is to foster CURIOSITY—they are learning the joy of asking “why” and “how” questions—and that there is more than one “right” answer to the Socratic questions I ask them.

If you think about it, every young child is a “scientist”—trying to make sense of the world around him or her. I have the amazing advantage of teaching children who (mostly) do not read or write. Therefore, there are no notes, no difficult words to memorize or worksheets. They come each week full of enthusiasm to “find out what we’re going to discover today.” I don’t teach them complex vocabulary or the “scientific method” explicitly. But by Pre-K, they inherently have a sense of using the skills of inquiry to explore basic phenomena and materials in the world around them. I’ve become a “science storyteller” in order to make some of the traditionally “complex” concepts make sense to them. For example, chemical reactions, basic physics, how bodies work, life cycles of different creatures, etc.

Our activities, while incorporating many of the STEM or STEAM ideas, go far beyond that. All Levine science students know things about air pressure, for example, that many well-educated adults are unaware of. Because they’ve DISCOVERED them! Too many science (or STEM OR STEAM) programs out there use premade kits or Pinterest demonstrations that make something cool happen but leave out the science altogether. (STEM is an acronym for curricula incorporating science, technology, engineering and math. STEAM adds art to the mix).

“A sense of place”—that is the overarching theme of EC Science, not specifically noted that way. I want my students to understand the natural world and their place in it—why water is unique and amazing—and why life in all forms REQUIRES it; why certain plants and animals grow and live in certain places; how life cycles and evolutionary change happens; how magnets and electricity work. I like to integrate ideas they are learning in other classes as well—how are apples and honey seasonal and how are they made?

Last week we studied the structure and function of flowers, fruits and seeds. Who knew there is an embryo inside a seed, just waiting for water? Your children do. This week we experienced earthworms and composting—the critical work of breaking down “stuff” into basic parts so more creatures (animal and plant) can be made. AMAZING!

There it is...the joy of helping children discover and understand their world. And my continued happy challenge of finding new ways to stimulate their curiosity. Thank you, Levine Academy!