Young children naturally inquire about how the world works. As teachers, we need to nurture this sense of inquisitiveness, instead of killing children’s curiosity and desire to try things out by telling them what we believe is the correct answer. Science provides the right context to foster the development of inquiry skills. Science activities in primary are to be based on asking questions about nature around us and to go about observing closely what happens, looking for information, and based on the evidence collected to construct possible answers to our own questions.

The teacher needs to provide children with a role model of how to inquire. Rather than being the bearer of knowledge, the primary teacher is one who, together with the children, asks questions, develops ways of investingating and making observations, based on which, it is possible to draw conclusions. Primary science thus involves the teacher and children inquiring together.