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From your perspective, what science topic did students in grades K-2 find most interesting? What topic were they most engaged with?

My students loved buoyancy/density. When we wanted to understand why something might float or sink, students tested as many things as they could, first making a prediction about what they thought would happen. We decided we learned the most from the things that surprised us (heavy things that floated, tiny light-weight things that sank), so we talked about the qualities that made the things do what they did.

It was the most engaging because they got to throw things in the water and test anything in my classroom that (1) wasn't on my teacher desk and (2) would fit into the water-filled bins. They were running around the room, shouting in excitement, excited to share when they found something that surprised them, drying things off and returning them to their places, using more and more paper towels...

Anything to do with physics. There are several reasons for this:

1.) they can innitative an action on their own without adult help

2.) the result of their action is immediate (physics, not a teacher, will inform them if their idea is right or wrong)

3.) the result of their action is immediate

4.) there is something to vary.

I'm posting some links to free resources that have worked well for us:

Ramps & Pathways

More info on implementing Ramps & Pathways

Light & Shadow

WaterWorks

Tinkering with Tops

Air Dynamics (in process)

Physics of Sound

Chemistry in Cooking

Investigating Bubbles

If you want in-depth information, we have a published series 'STEM for Our Youngest Learners' with Teachers College Press. You can find more info on our website.

I taught first grade for 24 years, but didn't include physics until the last 8 years. I wished I'd figured out how to work with physics from the beginning. When I finally did, we worked in STEM experiences to occur during small group reading instruction. It worked beautifully. A second grade teacher who also does this is working on an article to submit to Science and Children.