Eyes Wide Open series

Each module in this book has been developed around a philosophy that acknowledges: the place of young children as natural scientists; the active involvement of children in their own learning through play and guided inquiry; the recognition of children as co-constructors of knowledge with other people and their social and cultural contexts; an integrated approach that emphasises links between all areas of learning; and, the use of multiple representations to allow children to demonstrate their understanding and learning in different ways.

Ages: 3-7 years

About the Authors

Picture of Christine Howitt

Christine Howitt

Christine Howitt is an Associate Professor in early childhood science education in the Graduate School of Education at The University of Western Australia. Her research interests relate to enhancing the science identity of young children and learning science in informal contexts. Christine has published a range of books to make science more accessible to young children and their educators and parents, including Science is Everywhere, Planting the Seeds of Science and Colour Ideas for Kindergarten Children.
Picture of Katie Weppner

Katie Weppner

Katie Weppner is an early childhood teacher with over 10 years' experience. She believes in developing children's self-confidence and independence by the creation of a rich learning environment where students feel safe and are provided with opportunities to explore and discover how they fit in the world about them.
Picture of Natalie Birrell

Natalie Birrell

Natalie Birrell is an early childhood teacher with 28 years' experience. She is passionate about teaching science in the early years and strives to make science accessible to all children in fun and engaging ways. Natalie supports rich, integrated science programmes with a focus on play-based learning and literacy practices that encourage children to enhance their wonder and natural curiosity about science concepts and the world around them.