I spend the first week of each school year covering the nature of science. One day is for safety, one day is for science tools, and two to three days are for the scientific method. Science is an exciting subject for kids. They are curious inquisitive creatures and science allows them to explore the world.
Let the kids practice the science safety rules to make it stick in their memory. Provide mock stations where a science safety rule is needed, and challenge the students to pick the rule(s) needed.
Setting up a gallery around your room of science tools introduces them to the tools while letting them play and explore. Place the tools out for the kids to explore their uses. Let them measure how many grams are in their pencil using a triple beam balance. It’s an easy set up and you can follow up with some interactive notebook activities. Here are some mock stations for the kids to decide which safety rules need to be followed. The first is a spill, which would require telling the teacher. I used water with green food coloring and oil to make it look interesting.
This second picture is a simple lab set up, and the students would need to follow the safety rule “wait for the teachers instructions.”
The real fun comes in with the scientific method. To teach the scientific method, you should practice the scientific method, which means experiments! And what’s more fun than science experiments?
I know the nature of science is just the introductory lessons preparing for the more exciting units, but you can make it fun and interactive. Get the kids involved in their learning and they will return to you daily, excited to learn.