"Making potions and looking at things"

This week I asked the children what they thought science was.  I did not tell them what the definition was for a reason.  I wanted them to think of the word on their own and relate it to their own experiences.  Some children may have never thought about science or scientists before.  I learned their prior knowledge.  Eventually we will learn together, experiment, define, hypothesize, and experience.  Maybe we will see that science is more than just "making potions and looking at things."

Below are some of the children's ideas.

Scientist looking at a bird.

Scientists make potions.

Once upon a time there were machines.  Science machines.

Things they have at the doctor's office when you have surgery.

planets

volcano erupted

space

Inside the body