Changes to the National Curriculum in England in 2014 placed a stronger emphasis on children working scientifically while developing a range of science enquiry skills. As science subject leaders, the authors noticed that colleagues in their schools were only confident when teaching enquiry as a fair test, which the authors now know is not always…

The water cycle is taught to 4- and 5-year-olds in Cyprus even though it is quite an abstract topic. By using an active and drama-based approach, Maria Kambouri and Anthia Michaelides hoped to support the children in understanding the process. Their aim was to enable the children to: (1) represent the water cycle (the journey of a water droplet)…

With the introduction of the new Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in September 2008 in England (for 3-5-year-olds), some early years practitioners have had to include a formal early years curriculum into their practice. Training is being offered by local authorities to assist in the delivery of a quality early years curriculum in line with the…

For practitioners in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in English schools (ages 3-5), the ethos of learning by "investigating and doing" is a major component of the pleasure of teaching very young children. The "Knowledge and understanding of the world" area of the EYFS (where scientific learning is mainly anchored)…

Sefton School Advisory Service has been working with Crossens Nursery School in Southport on a project to develop science and technology. The overall project was inspired by the visit of the headteacher to the Reggio Emilia school in Italy. Central to the Reggio approach is a philosophy which values the children as researchers and as partners with…