“Natural Science is everywhere” : A qualitative study of how preschool teachers in Reggio Emilia inspired kindergartens look at the work with Natural Science whit children of one to three years old.

The purpose of the study was to determine the attitudes of the teachers of Reggio Emilia inspired preschools concerning the science work with children between the ages of one and three, as well as their opinions on how the physical preschool environment and the choice of materials influence their scientific work. The study was conducted in three departments of two different kindergartens. Although both kindergartens called themselves Reggio Emilia inspired, their working methods and their environments differed largely. None of them were originally built as Reggio Emilia inspired preschools. One of the kindergartens strived to design their indoor environment the same way as the preschools of Reggio Emilia are constructed, there for they were setting up different stations where the children themselves have the opportunity to explore various scientific areas. They also had their pedagogical documentation clearly visible. The other kindergarten did not have a “station mind-set” of the indoor environment and their pedagogical documentation was not visible. Their teachers claimed that their preschool was new and under construction, and that the pedagogical documentation would soon become a natural part of their activity. All three preschool teachers that were interviewed felt that it is important to work with science with children between the ages of one and three, saying that science involves many areas and is found everywhere. All preschool teachers, however, had the forest as their basis for the scientific work and it was mostly the forest and outdoor activities that were in focus in their development of educational activities