The Nuts and Bolts of Discovery Centers

Kent Chrisman

This month Science and Children is exploring the integration of language arts into science. The Early Years is tackling the topic by showing how to link literacy with science activities—through the use of science centers. Fellow early childhood educators are sharing their views on the topic online—i.e., their favorite science centers and more—at the Early Years Blog: http://nsta.science.org/earlyyearsblog. See the box below to read excerpts from some of the best comments.

Young children are born scientists, exploring everything in their world around them. Yet, many teachers still find it hard to integrate science into the daily schedule. However, open-ended science or discovery centers are a perfect way for teachers to help students develop science processes and build literacy skills while they integrate science into the curriculum.

Discovery centers for preK to kindergarten foster observational and problem-solving skills through exploration and examination of objects, which best matches this age group’s interests and abilities. Through these explorations, however, students can also develop vocabulary and be encouraged as they learn to write. Later, as children gain literacy and language skills in first and second grade, science centers can include more “advanced” writing and documentation tasks along with the exploration, providing an opportunity for teachers to reinforce science content while supporting reading, writing, and communication skills.

In the example that follows, students examine and make predictions about various nuts and bolts. Teachers can create similarly successful science centers that address other topics using this model as well.

The Nuts and Bolts of Discovery Centers

In a nuts and bolts science center, children develop skills in comparing similarities and differences among objects; developing fine motor control; classifying by size and shape; noticing and identifying similar objects in the classroom; using words to describe objects; and predicting.

These skills can be addressed using other objects as well, including working with simple scales (comparing objects that are heavier or lighter and recording observations); experimenting with pulleys and ramps (noticing movement and speed and using words to describe actions); and sorting rocks (using visual clues to categorize and graphing the categories discovered by shape, color, and weight).

I usually keep science centers open for about a week at a time, so that all the students in the class have time to visit the center and do the activity at least once, if not more.

Meanwhile, during group time, we conduct activities that reinforce science content and encourage development of literacy skills, including reading aloud books, doing finger plays, or singing songs that relate to the center’s theme. I include books at the center both for reading and for reference. For example, some of the resources I use in the nuts and bolts center and during read-aloud time include:

• Gibbons, G. 1992. Tool Book. New York: Holiday House. The colorful illustrations provide content and context to words about tools for greater comprehension.
• Rockwell, A., and H. Rockwell. 1971. The Toolbox. New York: Macmillan. This book supports children’s memory in retelling the kinds of tools they remember from the illustrations and words.
• Morris, A. 1992. Tools. New York: HarperCollins. A multicultural look at tools used by many people around the world for a variety of tasks.

Also, I provide plenty of art and writing materials at the center. This encourages students to record what they see and documents changes in their thinking during the activity. Students’ work can be displayed or collected for assessing children’s level of scientific understanding and level of writing development.

Words that describe students’ experiences (e.g., rough, smooth, hard, heavy, short, long, and round) can be recorded on a chart or cards and hung in the center or posted on a science word wall in the classroom. After all of the children have had the opportunity to visit the center activity, the whole class builds graphic organizers to summarize what they have discovered.

Examples of graphic organizers include webs (showing what things are held together by nuts and bolts), charts (showing the different lengths of the bolts used), or clustering of words that describe nuts and bolts (such as hard and scratchy or heavy and long).

The possibilities for integrated discovery centers are as numerous as the topics we teach. They are an effective place for teachers to help students develop both science and literacy skills.

Nuts and Bolts “Feely” Box

Objective
Students predict which of the various sizes of nuts and bolts they have touched and record their prediction, practicing both science-process and writing skills.

Materials

• A “feely” box (sealed cardboard box with holes cut out on two sides)
• At least five sets of nuts and bolts (short, long, light, and heavy)
• Direction Chart (a poster that says “Feel the nuts and bolts in the box (without looking) and record what you felt on the prediction sheet.”)
• Prediction Sheet with columns (a worksheet that says “Circle the size of the nuts and bolts that you touched,” or for older students, “Write words about the size, length, and weight of the nuts and bolts.”)

Procedure

1. Preview the use of the feely box and direction chart at group time and discuss the prediction sheet.
2. Place the feely box, with nuts and bolts inside, on a table with prediction sheet and markers next to the box. Place the direction chart at eye level above the box. Over several days or weeks (depending on the class size and the number of feely boxes), make sure the whole class experiences this center and records their predictions using a prediction sheet.
3. During the group time following this activity, ask the class to describe the experience of touching something without looking at it. Have the students tell how it felt, if they noticed differences, and have them generate a list of descriptive words such as hard, smooth, rough, long, heavy, short, and light. Post the list in the center so it may then be used for a writing activity or for reviewing what has been learned in the activity.

Extension
Encourage reading and writing about center activities at home by sending information to the students’ families each week. Suggest simple activities for follow-up, such as asking questions, noticing changes in a similar situation, or looking for patterns.
For example, for this activity, students and their families might identify places around the house where nuts and bolts are used, record the names of these places on paper, and post the name of the places on the wall in the science center at school.
Similarly, the teacher can challenge the children to record all of the places that they can see nuts and bolts in the classroom, such as cabinets, carts, and cots. Write, or have the children write, the names of these places on cards and display them on a board in the center with the feely box.

Kent Chrisman (jkchri@ship.edu) is an associate professor of early childhood education at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania and has coauthored books on family and community involvement in schools.

Resource

Pattillo, J. 1978. Pre-primary learning center activity cards. Nacogdoches, TX: Stephen F. Austin State University Bookstore.

Teacher’s Picks

In addition to his teaching duties at the university, Kent serves on a county “Success By Six” Readiness Committee and a Preschool-Collaboration committee with a local school district. Some of his favorite resources for developing science centers are listed below.

Books

Investigating Science with Young Children. R. Althouse. 1988. Teacher College Press.
Contains activity plans for creating science experiences with water, food, motion, colors, etc. Very clear and workable ideas for preK through second-grade classrooms.

101 Science Poems and Songs for Young Learners. M. Goldish. 1996. Scholastic.
This book includes songs that can be sung to familiar tunes, poems with science terms, and book lists.

Using Children’s Literature in Preschool: Comprehending and Enjoying Books. L.M. Morrow and L.B. Gambell. 2004. International Reading Association.
Explains a variety of ways that books can be used in preschool. Provides lists of books for different activities.

Open the Door, Let’s Explore More! R. Redleaf. 1996. Gryphon House.
Includes songs, fingerplays, and resource lists to encourage exploration beyond the classroom.

Everybody Has a Body: Science from Head to Toe. R. Rockwell, E.A. Sherwood, and R.A. Williams. 1992. Redleaf Press.
Skills that promote observation, inference, and prediction are included.

Sandbox Scientist. M. Rose. 1996. Gryphon House.
Hands-on science activities including ice and bubbles, magnets, gears, and plant prints.

Online, your colleagues are also discussing these questions:

• How do you entice teachers to use a new school garden area?
• How do you use toys in teaching science?

Read more and join the conversation at http://science.nsta.org/earlyyearsblog.

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