Science Park Project

The project “Science Park” addresses two important issues related to early childhood education. The first issue is connected with the educational system in Poland. Analysis of international studies and the results of external examination show that Polish pupils demonstrate low skills in mathematics and natural sciences. The second issue is of international nature and is related to very limited time that children spend outdoors which, according to the recent studies, results in a sweeping epidemic of myopia. Our project attempts to address both issues – we want to show how to include the development of the core educational competences in educational outdoor activities for children in preschools.

The long term goal is developing children’s logical thinking, cognitive curiosity and learning by experimenting through implementing the outdoor science projects.

The main objective is implementing a pilot project which incorporates outdoor activities focused on science projects for children.

The pilot project was implemented in cooperation with the parents and teachers from Preschool nr 132 in Warsaw.

Main activities

Building four educational yards in the Preschool garden:

• Educational yard WATER
  In the yard children have access to running water and they are able to conduct experiments with water.
• Educational yard CONSTRUCTIONS
  The yard give children opportunity to create various building structures.
• Educational yard WORKSHOP
  The yard allows children to create and repair educational aids and toys.
• Educational yard GARDEN
  The yard allows children to make simple experiments with earth, water and plants.

Workshop for the teachers to prepare them to use the yards.

Promotion and dissemination through on-line Science Park Manual, which describes the new solution in detail.

In the Manual you will find:

Our on-line Manual “Science Parks for Children” describes the new concept in detail. It includes the necessary information on how to create educational yards: the plans, the budget, the list of equipment, the educational plan statement, and how the yards work, with emphasis on children’s autonomy and creative freedom.

The purpose of the Science Park Manual is:

• To promote the new approach to children’s playgrounds and a new vision of their role in the overall development of young children.
• To encourage other educational institutions in Poland to take bolder steps to provide outdoor activities for children.

The Science Park Manual shows – step by step – the various phases of creating a natural playground for children, including:

• Reasons for creating natural gardens for children – under the Did you know tab
• Detailed descriptions of children’s proposed activities in the Science Park – under the Science Park Description tab
• Who can help you plan and build your Science Park – under the Allies/Volunteers tab
• Calculations of the money needed – under the Funding / Science Park Costs tab
• Instructions for keeping children safe in the Science Park – under the Safety and Certificates tab
• Information on how to use Science Park resources to implement basic curriculum standards – under the Preschool Curriculum Standards Addressed by the Science Park tab
• Teachers’ working methods and examples of children’s activities – under the Science Park Outcomes tab
• Information about the possible partnership with the Foundation for Child Development – under the Experience Sharing tab
• Information about the Science Park – under the Science Park in English tab
• Information about the Science Park – under the Science Park in Russian

Apart from basic information, the tabs contain additional material, including the architectural plan, photographs and videos of children’s activities in the Science Park, interviews with people involved in the creation of the Science Park, examples of good practices, document templates, safety certificates, and a sample thank-you letter to volunteers.