Creating Inquiry Based Science Centers

Here's a basic plan for creating Inquiry Based Science Centers for children. Overviews the differences between inquiry, touch tables, experiments, and demonstrations with some great tips on choosing materials and how to journal to give closure to the inquiry process.

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Closed Caption:

hey there it's LeeAnn from particular in
Solution Center in today we're going to
look
act creating inquiry-based learning
Center and one of the things that I
really wanna stressed throughout this
video
is the difference between a tree based
learning center
and a science experiment a demonstration
or just a touch table so many really
look at the principles
in rate based learning week first one to
realize
a tree based learning starts with
questions it starts with
ideas it's in areas with a thought that
a child has and Carlos teachers
is not to show them and demonstrate
something
but is to facilitate the building
knowledge is to provide them with the
tools the eighty years the materials
but letting them really leave the
learning in a constructivist manner
and we want them to come up with their
ideas on their own
come up with their solutions come up
with different things that they can test
everyone you doing these investigations
projects
small-scale research and you can't do
this as yeah as in the early childhood
classroom
children that's great sense of wonder if
you ever worked with fathers are have
your own you know that the question why
happened a hundred times a day
so why not give them an opportunity for
some inquiry based learning
so we start with the injury based
learning center
we have a goal it asks a question
now I want to show you I took some
yogurt containers
and basically furious fight them so this
one is labelled
beach glass and shells and I questions
on the outside
but %uh so it says is speech class a
seashell
wire some shows different shapes where
speech class come from
wire again writers themselves difference
she
there's questions all over the outside
at this time and materials are quite
meaty
difference I see shells in your it got
through a magnifying glasses in the tabs
for each other it's pleasant
something each class living like Lake
Erie this is something that a lot of
people
black class curies critique popular in
this area
got some smaller peery legal shall and
some other really small shells that were
collected along the shores of Lake Erie
here them other shells here's
I'm some take the Majlis I don't
remember what it is but it's something
we can look up three
using a pre materials and method but
this year is a very meaningful
to the children here I safety is
important that something you're worried
about
I'm you have a child class with a
shellfish allergy make sure you're
reading these in a sterilizing bleach
solution
on if necessary giving them some goggles
aprons gloves depending on the materials
and also you working with young children
screening for children hazards movies
don't
pass the toilet paper to test and
therefore they
are choking hazards for children under 3
summer these larger materials not so
much but
those are materials in here and
you start with some questions how does
this work what is this about did
something happen that I don't understand
what's going on here now I've got some
questions on the time here and I want
you to pay
are these inquiry questions
are these questions that are gonna leave
children to more investigations to learn
more about a subject
into determining knowledge on their own
well let's take a look at the other
science stuff that I camped here for
senator
this is our air investigation I'm and I
have some questions on the outside is
there anything inside a bubble
care change things there take up space I
was there things
now serve some other questions here on
the screen I'm
which ones are you angry questions where
remember
a free teaches children the pro more
it doesn't have a simple yes no answer
and it's not a single definition
we can look up in a book or we've got
her phone with us
asking %uh digital assistant or say okay
Google
so what we want to look at is the first
point is there take up space
it's a yes or no answer but we've got to
do some
investigation to determine a so we want
to see does there take up space
I've got some materials in here that are
gonna let us do that got some baliles
no
looks like air as to take up space
because it's filling this up
does the air Google it can move on my
part
lower haven't air change things like
that some other
I'm things in the truck here I will
these little games
that I can see how busy are things
I
it up I've got some strides in here and
some
feathers that I can look at
that way employer things a lot but I've
got a lot
differ materially of it in this little
tough something up
guess what else I have here have to
bubbles
so i cant see what is inside a bubble
cam we know that it's careful got the
things here for the children try
Sydney break questions here we're
looking at does there take space
take up space have a zero it can you
change things these are all
investigations that are going to leave
the children to try more
date to experiment with the items into
what is there
now that might be a little bit of a
harder question for children to learn
established the early childhood level
order children this is something we just
google what is airlines such percent
oxygen such percent nitrogen other
percentage pollution
I'm in my imagining your that's a
question my five-year-old came up with
overlooking again at that's more a bus
insert that's going to be a bit more
subjective looking at what is inside a
bubble we can explore those answers we
can determine more from their
now inquiry-based lessons have great
berms look at them terms that we have
here
Explorer experiment question observer
organized make
evaluate shoes they're putting all these
different things going on
if we look at the air investigation
we've got all those things going on
they're exploring different hears
they're experimenting with the different
types and blowers
with the strong is the hoppy Easter
gonna move the same the murder there as
the milkshakes drop we can determine
this weekend
formulate a plan we can see can I blow I
know I can go along with that there but
they may be able to blow the bubble
container how can they do this I think
designed to experience I can
formulate hypotheses and the it's all my
job here is just to guide the children
like
provide them with the bucket I can help
them ask the questions that are on the
site here
and get past the deeper questions is the
same stuff that's in the bubble
in the balloon how do you know what's
going on
how can you tell the answer I'm not
going to be just showing them and saying
look boys and girls
I ended up with a feather that's how it
moves
backs air that's a demonstration it's
not
inquiry now when we look back
what inquiry objective formula
is going to look like so few we're
getting clear
measurable objectives here's a good
formula any
free Center children will she's here for
a free burger
list your materials are concept in order
to determine
and therefore we put our hypothesis a
question the adult will put an adult
burr
by in describing and appropriate adult
intervention
so here's an example he free centered
learning about air
children will explore properties are
they are using straws in bottles
in order to determine if they're takes
up space and how it removes stains
the adult guide the investigation by
providing
bubble straws balloons and other
materials and questioning appropriately
now let's take this to about our beach
glass container
this 83 Center not so much
remember we've got them to think prop
materials we've got
choosing activities but this is attached
table these are engaging materials their
materials that are meaningful to the
children
but can they ask a lot of questions
about it
if they ask lived in the shower again I
can't learn any answer
with these materials if I see how a
speech last night
I can't determine this with the
materials I didn't feel there's some
really interesting textures there's some
great sensory things going on
it by really what it's like until this
up with sayin didn't happen go through
per
wat sensory experience but this isn't an
increase under even if I use my
magnifying glasses and try to look at
them a little bit more closely
I'm not really gonna get act its recent
the
questions look at the questions that are
on the outside of this totally different
level
than the fact on the air pocket so again
this is attached table this is just a
sensory exploration area
its not any race centre because we're
not building that knowledge were not
asking those questions yes Leah
meaningful activities
yes we can look at it we can explore the
different things
but not in a way that's going make us
create are
own knowledge the way air back it well
so we learned about
air we've got all those different things
in there think what else can I put in
this container
I could put in some pebbles maybe they
can try to move out with air
I could create a maze and see if I can
blow feather through with a strop
what other items are going to be
appropriate to put in the section about
air I could definitely get some
pinwheels I'm
I could put a little battery-operated
they have in there
take can't talk about how can we get air
terminal
have we get children to see what air who
and what can we do with it
now and excellent Enquiry Centre
always wraps up with an opportunity for
some journaling documentation
we want to give an opportunity for the
children to show
what date now it provides closer to the
learning
and it also requires them to synthesize
what they've observed and evaluated
so we want them to recall things we want
them to sequence
first I tested the balloon then I tested
the bubbles
I realized that hair done take up space
because I could feel
balloon with it we can do this by having
them dropping
for it
after pictures look into a process
illustration
we can do it outcome illustration if
you're working with young children
definitely take dictation order Chiltern
her evil right near it it's about this
they can discuss how they tested the
hypotheses
you could teach them diapers I can put
air in
a balloon I can not get air to stay in
this trough
I was able to move the little basketball
toys I was able to move the feathers I
was not able to move the entire bucket
or the pebbles for the container I'll
bubbles
so we're wrapping this all I want to
think again
he worry is a critical developmental
skills it's an opportunity for children
to create a hypothesis
develop what they now ask questions
in a safe guided structured environment
we're at an adult role is simply to be a
facilitator
are all here set up an experiment it's
not
saying bigger baking soda bowls
by the way please don't call that an
explosion and a volcano has nothing to
do with the vinegar and baking soda
reaction just a little so boxing there
this is attached table
this seashell bucket opportunities for
them to explore sensory
but not opportunities for them to
explore a hypothesis
so again at inquiry Center learn more
do more create ideas and explore
touch table sensory exploration a
demonstration experiment is
you the teacher during all the work and
the children just watching him
processing
so you know the difference and get ready
to get those kids in there and get their
hands dirty
now here's my contact information here
you can you email me
L kramer et curriculum Solution Center
got on fine curriculum Solution Center
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or Twitter you can also check us out on
this YouTube channel for more great
teaching ideas
and I hope to see you or hear from you
soon thanks a lot