Will a magnet pick up blocks of wood? Will a wet paper towel hold a rubber duck as well as a dry paper towel? What steps should be taken to find answers to these and other science related questions? Kelly Doudna gives young children a good start in beginning to pose these types of questions and following a set of steps to find answers in the book It’s a Date, Let’s Investigate! The book discusses the terms investigate, hypothesis, conclusion, experiment, test, notion, question, and inquiry. Examples of all steps are listed in the book along with pictures, making it easy for young children to understand the process. There are several examples of children who have questions about something in the world around them and steps the children could follow to find answers.
This book would work well in a kindergarten classroom to get students thinking about scientific skill processes. I like that the book covers the steps of an investigation and includes pictures all along the way. If I used this book in my classroom, I would start by reading the book to the class. At the end of the book, there is a child who has a question about what type of foods birds like to eat. The book asks what steps the child should take in order to answer her question. I would have the students in my class answer what steps she should take. I would continue the lesson with the class actually carrying out the investigation about what types of foods birds like to eat.