The “how to” on Science Centers
A hot topic with new teachers, especially primary teachers right now is how to set up a Science Center.
Kindergarten teacher extraordinaire Julie Gintzler from Maywood Elementary in Indiana has 18 years in teaching. 18 years ago they didn’t have centers, just a bucket of toys and a nap.
Julie does Science Centers in two different ways.
First, there are Subject Centers which focus on projects we have done already, the things the kids would like to revisit, and the living creatures we would like to experiment on.
Julie also does Theme Centers, like a Snow Center that has instant snow in a tub, a center for books about snow, and a center where kids are making polar bear paws. Centers are a great way to expose children to various forms of thought to see these items in different settings.
There is a difference between guided inquiry and self-directed inquiry. When we teach, kids we give them guided inquiry “” the steps to achieve a particular goal.
Self-guiding is when a child can play and learn by making and doing. There are always times that guided instruction is necessary, but there is some wonderful learning that can take place when the teacher steps outside of that …
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