This document describes a project called "Comenius Project 2013-2015 Science and Pre-School Education as a Field of Pedagogical Innovation", also known as "LITTLE SCIENTISTS". The project involved teams from Romania, Turkey, Lithuania, and Bulgaria conducting experiments and activities with preschool children focused on science. The goal was to foster children's natural curiosity about the world and help train future scientists through well-prepared, hands-on learning experiences about topics like water, sowing and growing plants, and astronomy. Photos show children engaged in experiments, outdoor activities, art projects, and more to explore scientific concepts in a fun, developmentally-appropriate way.

1. Comenius Project
2013-2015
Science and Pre-School Education as a Field of
Pedagogical Innovation
,,LITTLE SCIENTISTS”
2013-1-LV1-COM06-053962
Şcoala Gimnazială,,Dimitrie Cantemir’’ RO
Germencik Yedieylül İlkokulu TR
Rokiškio lopšelis-darželis "Varpelis"LT
Обединено детско заведение "Чиполино"BG
ISBN- 978-973-0-18973-5
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.‘This publication
[communication] reflects the views only of the author,and the Commission cannot be held
responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

2. From the game to scientific research,
the way is much shorter than it seems at first glance.
The child goes easily and naturally on this way if you take
advantage of one of his greatest qualities which is curiosity. Small
experiments done with children at preschool age are not wasted
science activities allow the child a natural contact with the
surrounding time or exaggeration. Well prepared and carefully
guided by teachers, world. The activities won’t answer any
question the children have, but it will be a starting point for a
serious study, for new questions and will help, why not, to the
training of future scientists.
Come and enter together in a world of experiments from vital
’’water’’, ’’growing and sowing’’ to ’’astronomy’’ and ’’light-
shadow’’
EVERYTHING IS FASCINATING!
With much consideration and dedication
project teams from Romania, Turkey, Lithuania, Bulgaria

3. 3
WATER

4. EXPERIMENT:
“WATER DOESN’T FLOW OUT
FROM THE GLASS”
4
EXPERIMENT:
“WATER MILL”
WORKING PROCEDURE:
Pour water from a container
into the mill hopper.
MATERIALS: mill,
container for the water, water
vessel.
WORKING
PROCEDURE:
A glass of water is covered
with a sheet of paper and
turned upside down
Materials: water,
transparent glass, a sheet of
paper

5. EXPERIMENT:
“WATER FEATURES”
WORKING PROCEDURE:
Observe the water samples:
color, smell, taste
MATERIALS: drinking water,
tubes, glasses
5
EXPERIMENT: “OBTAINING
HOMOGENEOUS MIXTURES”
WORKING PROCEDURE:
Pour water into the tube. Add
different colored watercolor
MATERIALS:
water, tubes, watercolors

6. EXPERIMENT:
“THE RAIN”
6
MATERIALS:
a transparent glass, shaving
foam, spoon, plate, paint
brush, glass with blue
watercolor.
WORKING PROCEDURE:
The transparent glass is filled
with water. The remaining
space is filled with shaving
foam by using a spoon. Take
blue watercolor with a paint
brush and drip it slowly in the
shaving foam glass

7. EXPERIMENT:
BUILDING “A DROPPER”
7
EXPERIMENT:
“THE CAPACITY OF RECIPIENTS”
WORKING
PROCEDURE:
Moving the same amount
of water from one
container to another.
MATERIALS: recipients
of different shapes and
capacity.
WORKING PROCEDURE:
The straw should be placed in
a glass of water and covered
with a finger. By raising the
finger and quickly cover the
straw, it works as a dropper.
MATERIALS: transparent
glass, water, plastic straw.

8. EXPERIMENT:
“THE FILTRATION OF WATER”
8
EXPERIMENT:
“WE HAVE A TAP”
WORKING PROCEDURE:
Take a bottle and make a hole
at the bottom, insert a plastic
straw.
Pour water in the bottle and
then pour water in a glass
through the plastic straw
MATERIALS: bottle, water,
plastic straw, glass.
WORKING PROCEDURE:
Put in a transparent
container water then sand
Shake well the mixture
Put in a funnel some filter
paper and gradually invert
MATERIALS: transparent
container, water, sand,
filter paper, funnel.

9. LIFE IS WATER
9
Water you are not only
necessary to life, you are
the life it self; you are the
irreplaceable treasure of
EARTH; you are the most
delicate, the most pure and
you are the soul of
EARTH”

10. 10
Teacher shows a picture expressing need of water.
Teacher shows a model of water cycle.

11. Teacher explains the importance of water by using
pictures and story telling.
11
Children observing what floats on water and
what sinks in water.

12. 12
*observing how oil floats on water;
*putting white carnation in coloured water and observing the
changes day by day;

13. 13
*Students put shaving foam over water and put liquid paint on the foam
then see how paint goes inside the water like a rain and foam is like a
cloud.
*putting a boiling water in a glass and a holding a plate over it,
students understand how rain is formed by seeing the water
drops;

14. 14
At the end of the lesson
students make water balloons and enjoy.
*heating ice bar and seeing how it changes
into liquid and gas;

15. 15
CHILDREN ASK:
“Why did the flowers fade?
CHILDREN ANSWER:
“The flower needs water”
CHILDREN ASK:
“Why must we wash our hands?”
PROCESS:
The dirty background is touched
The hands are washed
CHILDREN ANSWER:
„There are a lot of bacterias on
the hands.”

16. 16
CHILDREN ASK:
„What melt in the water?“
MEANS:
•Glasses, teaspoons
• Sand, paint, salt
•Water
Process:
•The individual jars with teaspoon
are filled with colour, salt, and
sand . Observed, how it is melt in
water.
OBSERVATION TIME – 10min.
CHILDREN ANSWER: „In the water melts salt.
The paint not only melts but colours the water too.”

17. 17
CHILDREN ASK: “How does the water change to ice?”
MEANS:
• water
• gouache
• cups
PROCESS:
• Pour into cups simple and
colored water and freeze it.
OBSERVATION TIME:
2 days
CHILDREN ANSWER:
“The water converts into blue
and white ice and it increases
its capacity”.

18. 18
CHILDREN ASK:
“What will happen
when we put the egg
into salted water?”
CHILDREN ANSWER:
“the water will be unclear
And the egg will float
On the top of water”.
CHILDREN ASK:
“what will happen with the
uncooked egg when we put
it in the drincable water?”
CHILDREN ANSWER:
“The egg will be wet and
fall down”

19. 19
CHILDREN ASK:
„why is it not allowed to eat snow?“
MEANS:
Magnifying glass
Conteiners
Snow
PROCESS:
Watching the snow from
the yard
OBSERVATION TIME:
2 hours.
CHILDREN ANSWER:
„The melted snow is very dirty“

20. 20
CHILDREN ASK:
„How does the drop look like?”
MEANS:
Microscope
Pippete
Different size cons
Water
PROCESS:
It is estimated that the number of
drops can fit on different sizes of
coins
OBSERVATION TIME:
10 min.
CHILDREN ANSWER:
„The drop of water is clear and small“

21. 21
PAINTINGS AND POSTERS
MADE BY CHILDREN

22. 22
.
.

23. 23
SOWING AND GROWING

24. 24
GERMINATION PROCESS puts children in the position of
making small research through handling, observation,
exploration and investigation of the seeds
The children are involved in the seeds research by asking:
”What is inside the seed?”

25. 25
In every stage of the germination process children
explore the seed which becames plant.

26. 26
Children are responsible to assure
all the necessary conditions for the plants to grow.

27. 27
When the plants were 5-6 cm we put them in the
kindergarten yard!

28. Learning through discovery seeks students cognitive activation!
28

29. 29
Carving the gourds and filling them with soil then painting the gourds
and seeding the soil…an attractive activity to have students love
seeding and growing..

30. 30
Diagram of causes and effects

31. 31
An enjoyable activity for kids: making grass men.Students are very
excited while grasses are appearing. They fill nylon women socks
with sawdusts and grass seeds then use buttons for face making.

32. 32
Students cut the plastic bottles making little circles and plant
onions in the circles.The onions grow over the circles.

33. 33
Purpose: to sow, grow, observe and explore the plants in the
immediate surroundings.
OLIMPIAD OF SEEDS
The idea
To find out which
of the selected
seeds faster
germinate in a
damp wool, soil.
SEEDS IN A SOIL
THE SEEDS IN A COTTON
- different seeds germinated differently.

34. 34
GREENHOUSE EFFECT
IDEA
To explore the seeds
germination in the
greenhouse conditions.
Greenhouse effect accelerates the germination of seeds;

35. 35
MATERIALS AND DIVERSITY
of flowerpots
Idea
To explore the seeds germination in
various conditions and different
materials: water, earth, sawdust,
plaster, egg shells, pots
(glass, plastic, clay, ecological)
Water
Earth Sawdust

36. 36
Air Gypsum
Seeds in egg shells
Findings
In disadvantage conditions
seeds did not spring up:
In glass pot seeds roted,
because water cannot flow;
In a sawdust the onion did not put
the roots, because they are not
suitable for plant germination.

37. 37
CREATIVE WORK
Idea
To use a variety of available
materials, seeds, vegetables
for children's creative artistic
piece of work.

38. 38
The teaching excursion allows students the possibility to observe,
investigate and to know directly a wide range of issues.

39. 39
The creative and dynamical student detaches himself from
information, moves freely within knowledge, showing initiative
and independent spirit.

40. 40
Students assume the role and the behaviour of those
working in a particular field.

41. 41
Teachers, students and parents of the students have also
planted outside and inside our school

42. 42
EXPLANATIONS OF THE PROJECT’S
TOPIC ACTIVITIES

43. 43
ASTRONOMY

44. Theme Project – The Universe
44

45. Science
„ Fill in by keeping the given order”
45

46. Art
Drawing „astronaut”
46

47. INTEGRATED ACTIVITY
DS-The environment
Interpreting images „The Universe – Earth, the blue planet”
DEC
Drawing „The blue planet through children’s eyes”
47

48. Integrated Activity
„The Universe – Earth, the blue planet” finalizing the map of the
projec DLC “Language and communication”
Retelling of „The Little Prince”
48

49. 49
Students are learning the movements of the earth
and how seasons occur

50. 50
Students are making rockets and robots, using toilet rolls,
foil papers and waste materials

51. 51
Students are making stars, sun and moon using
colorful and foil papers.

52. 52
Students are observing sun via
sooty glass

53. 53
Students are making telescopes and
observing planets
Students are making sun using yellow balloons
and coloring them

54. 54
Children built model rockets, modules and Martian exploration monthly
surface, satellites, a model of the Solar System and an astronaut suit
from concrete working conditions and what they must do.

55. 55
Theme ,,Astronomy“ in practical papers.

56. 56
Teachers create problem situations, that require students’ use,
restructuring and completion of prior knowledge

57. 57
An educational environment stimulating favors the learning!

58. 58
Projects Sun, Earth and Moon and Journey through the Solar
System have been highly appreciated by children.

59. Musical game
„Eurythmy elements” music J.M.Jarr
59

60. 60
The teacher is the mediator of student’s learning in a
heuristic framework!

61. 61
.
The moon – a sky element that arises the
student’s curiosity

62. 62
. The world seen as a puzzle

63. 63
Active methods used during lessons illustrate their instrumental
function: the student himself achieving the objectives, they aware
them as their own finalities

64. 64
LIGHTS AND SHADWS

65. 65
Procedure:
Light a torch and light
headed toward the
mirror, table or
cardboard
Receiving and scatter light
fixtures are called light
fixtures.
65

66. In terms of light passing through
them, the bodies are as follows:
transparent (light switch and it is
obvious object behind them),
translucent (light switch but
there is clearly subject) and
opaque (no light passes)
Light travels in a straight line.
66

67. 67
Experience Crystal MAGIC
Instructions:
1. Turn off the light in the room,
close the curtains and light the torch.
2. Sit in front of a white wall and you "crystal" in one hand
67

68. 68
3. With other hand, take the torch and light it.
4. Rotate slowly "crystal"
View all reflexes multicolored on wall?
5. You can also realize experience using sunlight and
place the flashlight

69. 69
Demonstration method serves to facilitate understanding of new
knowledge through observation and analysis of an intuitive material,
and the correct execution of some activities.

70. 70
The light and shadow experiments facilitate the learning
process making the activities more appealing!

71. 71
Learning develops naturally, from what knows the student, to
discover the variety of nature and of the phenomenon he
experiences.

72. 72
It's fun and interesting - theater of shadows!

73. 73
We are great actors !

74. 74
The group
activity
brings extra
value to the
acquired
knowledge!

75. 75
Interactive learning strategies stimulate the participation of
subjects to action, socializing them.

76. 76
The experiment can create favourable emotional states,
may lead students to use their experiences after making further
experiments and in other future activities

77. 77
Students use scientific approach to understanding and active
participation in social life.

78. 78
The assessment is less criterial and more reflexive, integrating
alternative methods of assessment;

79. 79
Active methods used during lessons illustrate their instrumental
function: the student himself achieving
the objectives, they aware them as their own finalities.

80. This is my shadow!
80

81. A Game of Shadows
81

82. 82
We bring many thanks to the project teams from
Romania, Turkey, Lithuania, Bulgaria.
Long live the Little Scientists!