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 role and just becomes a facilitator providing the materials, answering the questions and posing other questions to the child to discover something outside of what they were thinking. Center time is a perfect time for them to be able to explore that.

Start putting some of the materials out ahead of time to tempt children with a taste of what is to come. Give them time to freely explore the materials and get the play out of their system so that they can focus on the learning ahead. We call it “Play with a Purpose”. And “Play with a Purpose” holds true at any age.

Listen to my podcast on Science Centers

(File size is 1.5 MB) (Show length 6 minutes 15 seconds)

 

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You’re in for a treat today, because I’m posting my very first podcast interview.

Listen in on my discussion with Julie Gintzler, kindergarten teacher extraordinaire and instructor at the Hands-on Science Boot Camp as she shares one of her secrets to teaching science.

Julie doesn’t do diagrams on the board or long dissertations. Her secret is her lab coat. After 18 years of teaching, Julie has finally found something that sparks the kids’ imagination right off. The first time she introduces a science experiment, she wears her tie dyed lab coat. From it she pulls out a gem of the day. It might be a test tube. It might be a magnifying glass. It’s a great way to introduce the tools in a fun and exciting way. The kids know the minute her lab coat goes on, science is just around the corner.

Most lab coats are white. One of my teachers in high school had one with burns all over it. Julie tried a plain white one and the kids were frightened. They thought “doctor”? or “nurse”?. So Julie’s is tie dyed from head to toe in primary colors.

Not only is it a cue that it is time to talk about science, but the children get excited about science. Get them excited when they are young and while their minds are open.

Listen to my podcast interview of science teacher superstar Julie Gintzler

(File size is 1.2 MB) (Show length 5 minutes)

What’s your secret? Is there something you use like Julie’s lab coat to let your students know that they’re in for something special? Click on the comment button to share your ideas.

 

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