EXPLORING MIXTURES, SOLUTIONS AND WATER DROPS WITH FIVE-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN USING AN EMERGENT APPROACH

This contribution describes a learning path on the properties of water for 5-year-old children based on the emergent approach, according to which the science curriculum emerges from children’s ideas and interactions. We collected data on a case-study group of 11 children engaged in activities about mixtures, solutions and water drops. We examined the children’s drawings, the conversations during the activities, the teacher’s observations, and a final interview to the children in order to gain insights into the process of knowledge building. Our results suggest the emergent approach is effective in building scientific knowledge on the properties of water in early childhood settings, and support its main advantages: the co-construction of knowledge, the active role of children, valuing the differences among children, valuing children’s interactions, and valuing the role of the teacher.