Science
“The true definition of science? It’s the study of the beauty of this world.” (Simone Weil) Children are naturally curious. They observe carefully and want to investigate everything. Our aim is to nurture that curiosity, develop their observational skills and give them every opportunity to investigate. Since science is all around us, we must facilitate and guide children in order to develop and challenge what they know about the world.
At Black Firs, we have made our approach to science open ended and practical in nature, which allows for children to work together fuelling their curiosity, while using a wide range of engaging resources. From there, we allow the children to lead their own learning that leads to them making their own observations and discoveries. This, in turn, will allow them to develop their investigational skills, ability to problem solve and work as a team (and share an experience together).
First-hand experiences, practical investigations and hands-on learning are the central part for fostering curiosity and raising questions around the science topic. Further to this, further questioning/testing/observing (by teacher and pupils) and sharing findings are also integral to the development of knowledge. Through both of these avenues comes the development of skills gained from studying the topic. Finally, the children use their newly acquired knowledge and skills to create an outcome that demonstrates their understanding of the topic at hand. After completion, children are given chance to reflect on their learning and evaluate it against the topic-specific objectives set for them.
Our aims in teaching science are that all children will:
• retain and develop their natural sense of curiosity about the natural world around them, and have an appreciation, care and concern for animals, plants and the maintenance of an unpolluted environment.
• develop the following positive attitudes to science: open mindedness, perseverance, co-operation, awe-and-wonder.
• develop the following skills: come to understand the nature of scientific method involving observation, solving problems in a logical way, design and construction, investigation in a fair way, and the drawing of meaningful conclusions.
• begin to build up a body of scientific knowledge and understanding which will serve as a foundation for the future.
Our Science Mindmap
*When using the Mindmap, to view evidence for statements, click on the 
at the end of each statement or the 
on the right of the page to follow links to Earwig where the evidence is stored. You will need to log in with the details - User: blackfirs@black-firs.co.uk and the Password: Parent1
Science Earwig Timeline
To view the timeline, click on the image above. You will need to log in with the details - User: blackfirs@black-firs.co.uk and the Password: Parent1