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Science
Supporting Activities
The overall goals of children's development in science are to deepen their conceptual understandings of the world around them, to increase their comprehension of how science is practiced and to develop their abilities to conduct scientific investigations. Adults can help children achieve these goals with a supportive environment.
Everything is new and interesting to one-year-olds. They want to use their five senses to actively explore the world around them. The process of shaking, tasting, banging, dropping and otherwise manipulating objects teaches children important scientific properties. Experiencing cause and effect is exciting too. And once a discovery is made, one-year-olds want to make it happen again, and again, and again!
Inquiry Skills
Learns primarily through sensory exploration of the world. Explores objects in many different ways (e.g., shaking, banging, throwing, dropping). Repeats an action to make it happen again, experiencing cause and effect (e.g., dropping items off highchair tray).
Uses all five senses (touching, tasting, hearing, seeing, and smelling) to collect information about the world.
May use motion or sound to represent observations (e.g., shows with hands how big or fast, makes sounds of animals).
Enjoys playing next to others and sharing the same experiences.
Knowledge of Physical Sciences
Actively explores objects and experiences their properties (e.g., color, texture, weight, taste). Begins to develop his or her vocabulary for describing properties.
Notices sounds and light and responds to their variations.
Enjoys playing with water (e.g., pouring, splashing).
Enjoys creating movement in toys (e.g., pushing, pulling).
Knowledge of Life Sciences
Shows interest in own body.