Children are natural-born scientists. At Science, Language & Arts International School, we seize upon this natural curiosity and begin exploring the wonders of our world in our earliest grades.
With observations and experiments contextually linked to thematic units, students develop critical thinking skills through questioning, observing, and carefully drawing their observations and outcomes. These vital skills launch children on a lifelong path of testing and tracking their assumptions, and allow them to take part in the scientific method from a very early age.
Each year, students cycle through several scientific disciplines in their units of inquiry. In a given year, they enjoy in-depth examinations of:
- The human body and its systems: Our youngest students explore the five senses while older students, for example, learn how the eye works
- Plant and animal life cycles: Children delight in building observation stations in their classrooms for close study of insects such as beetles, butterflies, and crickets, as well as the plants they use for food and shelter
- Earth sciences, investigating meteorology, ecology, oceanography, and geology: Daily walks to local parks and frequent trips farther afield allow students to observe changes in our urban and surrounding landscapes throughout the seasons
- Hands-on experimentation in physics, testing principles such as force and motion, electromagnetism, acoustics, and optics
- Building and construction engineering with tools such as wooden unit blocks, Lego bricks, KAPLA blocks, inch-cubes, levels, plumb lines, and T-squares; integrated study with geometry and social studies reinforces and contextualizes these concepts for children
“The way science is taught is incredible. I didn’t do some of the things they are doing until middle school!”
– Parent, pre-K student