Kide Science

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CertifiedEducation quality
05/2018
Kide Science

Kide Science

Kide Science
Science
STEAM learning model for educators who teach 3-8-years-old children to provide playful hands-on science experiences.

Kide Science is a Finnish pedagogical STEAM learning innovation that provides for preschool and afterschool educators top quality and scalable curriculum materials online to implement early science education in a playful way. Kide Science's pedagogy is grounded on rigorous scientific research by the founder PhD Jenni Vartiainen.

When children do science with the Kide curriculum, they feel like they're playing and enjoying themselves, while in fact, they are building highly important skills needed in the scientific process and thinking. For educators, Kide Science is an easy plug-and-play method to ensure that their pupils will gain the skills needed in the future. The online platform for educators is complemented with training, lesson plans, peer support and engagement for families but the scientific outcome happens in live lessons with children.

Age groups 
Preschool
Languages 
English
Finnish
Chinese
Platform 
Non-digital product
Browser-based
Registration 
Required
Offline play 
Playable offline
Pictures
Videos
Pedagogy
Educational Quality
Learning Goals

The pedagogical analysis covers how the product supports learning of the identified skills. The student’s role is assessed by four contrary pair parameters, which are selected to cover the most essential aspects on the use of the product.

Passive
Active
Children are in a highly active role as they get to work as scientists. In order to progress and learn new things, children needs to participate in the experiments.
Rehearse
Construct
Children learn through testing, experiencing and observing, and it leads to children constructing new information and knowledge.
Linear
Non-linear/Creative
Kide Science provides clear learning outcomes and it's easy to follow what has been learned both during the science academy and with the application.
Individual
Collaborative
Younger children do activities always together with a parent but the activities can be arranged so that multiple children work together.

The following are the high educational quality aspects in this product.

Children are in a highly active role as they get to work as scientists and do the experiments.
All the materials are well planned and thought and are suitable for the age group. In the science academy, there are three different levels based on the child's age.
Kide Science has an engaging background story which motivates children and gives a reason and frame for the experiments.
Kide Science provides clear learning outcomes and it's easy to follow what has been learned both during the science academy and with the application.

The supported learning goals are identified by matching the product with several relevant curricula descriptions on this subject area. The soft skills are definitions of learning goals most relevant for the 21st century. They are formed by taking a reference from different definitions of 21st century skills and Finnish curriculum.

Subject based learning goals

Identify and compare the suitability of a variety of everyday materials, including wood, metal, plastic, glass, brick, rock, paper and cardboard for particular uses
Find out how the shapes of solid objects made from some materials can be changed by squashing, bending, twisting and stretching
Identify and name a variety of everyday materials, including wood, plastic, glass, metal, water, and rock
Distinguish between an object and the material from which it is made
Use their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions
Perform simple tests
Observe closely, using simple equipment
Identify and classify
Gather and record data to help in answering questions
Describe the simple physical properties of a variety of everyday materials
Compare and group together a variety of everyday materials on the basis of their simple physical properties
Ask simple questions and recognising that they can be answered in different ways
Developing the children's mathematical thinking and supporting positive attitude towards mathematics.
Children have the opportunity to use their imagination and creativity in play activities.

Soft skills learning goals

Practicing logical reasoning to understand and interpret information in different forms
Using technology as a part of explorative process
Practicing categorization and classification
Practicing fine motor skills
Learning to find the joy of learning and new challenges
Practicing persistent working
Learning to recognise and evaluate arguments and their reasonings
Practicing to plan and execute studies, make observations and measurements
Developing problem solving skills
Practicing to create questions and make justifiable arguments based on observations
Practicing to look things from different perspectives
Practicing to take care of one's own and other people’s safety
Encouraging the growth of positive self-image
Encouraging to build new information and visions
Learning to build information on top of previously learned
Practicing to notice causal connections
Learning decision-making, influencing and accountability
Practicing to argument clearly own opinions and reasonings
Practicing to work with others
Practicing to express own thoughts and feelings
Practicing versatile ways of working

The Finnish Educational Quality Certificate

Our Quality Evaluation Method is an academically sound approach to evaluating a product’s pedagogical design from the viewpoint of educational psychology.

The method has been developed with university researchers and all evaluators are carefully selected Finnish teachers with a master's degree in education.

More about the evaluation