Scientific Investigation
Many preschool routines are focused on language development and concern for “care”, devoting very little time to STEAM concepts, despite children’s keen mathematical and scientific intuitions (Clements and Samara, 2007; Farran et al., 2007; World Bank, 2022). Presenting routines that instigate critical investigation and the development of complex thinking are based on discoveries and theories attributed to Friedrich Fröbel, Jean Piaget, John Dewey, Maria Montessori and the Reggio Emilia approach, among others. By incorporating practices, concepts, ideas and activities that encompass the universe of science, the objective is for students to concretely experience problem solving and improving processes and interactions. If, on the one hand, concrete work has never been new in early childhood education, STEAM education brings novelty, predisposition, and a focus on systems, perspectives, creation, and complexity.
Froebelian Approach
Based on Froebel’s idea of Kindergarten and the concepts of unity and play, our students engaged in an investigation about microorganisms. In an environment of exploration, play, and self expression, students experienced the interconnectedness of many fields of interest such as biology, nature, health and hygiene, and also discussed concepts such as community, interactions, and the most diverse beings that are part of life in the most broader sense: our companion species (Donna Haraway, 2003).
The invisible world in the water
Life is an ongoing process where phenomena co-exist. All existing things have a before, a “right here and right now”, and also what comes next. Based on many learning experiences, students and teachers engaged in planting, cleaning, discovering the water cycle and practicing healthy habits. With all that in mind they were exposed to the world of microorganisms. After a book reading, they collectively organized their experiment. With the use of a syringe, a laser pointer, and the water left from plants they improvised a microscope able to project images about 1000 times larger. Students could very clearly observe the microorganism moving around on the image shown on the wall. There was a rich conversation about germs, but also about a whole invisible world that is powerful and full of potential. They also had a chance to repeat the process using clean water. Students analyzed results, compared data, and made assumptions about the two scenarios.
Rethinking Early Education Today
When we offer opportunities to scientific and mathematical investigation we invite students to discover through playful moments concepts such as relation, cause and effect, and transformation. But playful investigations are much more, they develop social skills, creativity, oral language, critical thinking and problem solving. Early Education is about care and the development of self, but it is also about nurturing the seeds of a “lifelong learners” conscious community.
