This document discusses assessing child development and methods for early childhood education. It recommends observing children using concrete materials and pictures, and taking anecdotal records of what they do. Interviews should also be conducted to assess how children arrive at solutions, without focus on whether the answer is right or wrong. Records of a child's progress should be kept in a dated portfolio. Later sections discuss science as a way of thinking, not just facts, and differentiate types of science like life science, physical science, and earth and space science.