Experiments in the daycare center

The future of technology-oriented societies depends to a considerable extent on their skills in the STEM subjects (STEM = mathematics, engineering, natural sciences, technology). This is the reason why many initiatives get involved in early education. In day care centers and primary schools, children's interest in science, technology and mathematics is awakened and promoted.

curiosity

Children are naturally curious and questioning – why? – researchers. However, success in daycare centers and primary schools only comes when educators can pass on their personal enthusiasm for scientific questions to the children.

Collaboration of educators

Many employees in daycare centers and primary schools do not dare to actively participate in early education because their knowledge is insufficient and the experimental materials and often also the premises are not available.
In such cases, a senior with professional and life experience – as a "mentor" – can make a significant contribution to closing the knowledge gaps and also provide assistance in setting up a research box or research laboratory.
The joint experimentation of educators, children and seniors is generally successful for everyone involved. The interest and enthusiasm of the children is the reward for the work of the senior and sponsor. There are no more grateful “employees”!

Started

Everything a sponsor needs to get started (documents, literature and experimental materials) is easy and inexpensive to obtain. The " Kinder forschen " foundation (previously: "Haus der kleinen Forscher"), for example, provides all kinds of help for getting started as a kindergarten sponsor.
Below are some exemplary keywords for internet research that provide a good overview of the environment associated with early scientific education.

 

• Early scientific education in daycare centers and chemical industry initiatives
• VDI and early scientific education
• BASF and early scientific education
• Bayer and early scientific education
• Young Spirit - Evonik Industries AG

There is no magic formula for starting an initiative at a daycare center. The future sponsor first looks for a daycare center whose management is interested in early childhood education and enthusiastically agrees to the suggestion of introducing experimental, scientific early childhood education in the daycare center. The daycare center and sponsor develop a concept tailored to the daycare center's infrastructure and then the educator, children and sponsor start carrying out simple experiments. Nothing then stands in the way of further developing the collaboration to the point of certification by the House of Little Researchers.
It works, and the author of this text has experienced it several times. Of course, getting started is made easier if you have a sponsor. In my case, that was and is Degussa and Evonik Industries AG.

Heinz Delle