Early Science Matters

 

“Rowan, I see a bug! It’s a beetle!” Parker calls out from across the playground. “Quick, can you bring me a bug box?”

Rowan runs to the sandbox with a bug box in hand. “Oh wow!” she exclaims. “That looks like a six-spotted tiger beetle. They are usually super fast. He must be hurt to be moving so slow. I have never, ever caught one in my whole life!”

Our resident science expert and budding entomologist, Rowan really knows her insects. She’s the first person we turn to for all bug-related questions and insect investigations.

 

 

Rowan looks at the wounded beetle more closely as she gently guides it into the clear bug box. “See those little white spots on its shell? That’s how I know it’s a six-spotted tiger beetle.”

“Is this beetle an insect or a bug?” Parker asks Rowan. “You told me that all bugs are insects but not all insects are bugs, so what is this?”

I don’t see a piercing mouth part,” replies Rowan, “so I think it’s an insect and not a bug.”

 

Parker and Rowan continue to observe the beetle. “Shall we get some food for him?” Parker asks.

“We could,” Rowan answers, “but I don’t think he will live very long. Something is wrong with him if he didn’t fly away when we came by. We can hide him under the leaves in the rain garden so another bug or bird doesn’t eat him. Maybe his family will come help him.”

Rowan is ready to move on to another activity. “Let’s go ride our bikes,” she suggests.

“I want to keep looking at him,” Parker responds, captivated by the small but complex creature that shares her world. “Then I will let him go. I will call you if I need help.”  

 

After Rowan runs off, Parker begins to study the bug more closely. She is truly interested in learning more about this unusual creature—and finding out how it is the same or different from the more common beetles that she sees daily.

When young children catch and observe insects, they are learning about them in an immersive, hands-on way. Some bugs have wings, others have lots of legs, some are really tiny, and others are big.

In other words, they are not just playing: They are collecting data and learning how to think like scientists.

 

Observation is an integral part of the scientific process—and children excel at this step because they are naturally curious.

When children catch an insect, their first instinct is to ask: “What kind of bug is this?” After attempting to identify the bug, they’ll often wonder about its behavior, where it lives, and how it moves from place to place.

When young children ask questions like these, they are engaging in the scientific method in a natural and playful way.

When Rowan identified the bug, she was making a prediction or forming a hypothesis.

Parker then made observations about details such as its color, size, and spots.

 

So, the next time you’re outside, encourage your early learners to ask questions, observe insects closely, collect data, and draw conclusions.

Then sit back and watch as their curiosity inspires a spontaneous scientific investigation, fueled by the joy of play!