Primary school students in the UK should have the opportunity to eat ice cream on sticks, plant vegetables, and knead dough for bread, as these activities would help enhance their knowledge of science, a group of education experts has advised British ministers.
Four leading scientific organizations have called on the government to include a series of “core experiences” in the curriculum for children aged 3 to 11, alongside sledding, digging soil, visiting garden centers, recycling, and playing musical instruments.
The Royal Society of Chemistry, the Institute of Physics, the Royal Society of Biology, and the Association for Science Education have published recommendations for reforming the primary school curriculum in an effort to reduce inequalities in the education of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
“Children with limited firsthand experiences are undeniably at a disadvantage. This is fundamentally an issue of fairness, and providing rich essential experiences for children, particularly in the early and lower years of primary school, will help address this issue to some extent. Concrete experiences form the foundation from which children can draw evidence for their ideas, preparing them for the more abstract learning they will encounter in secondary school,” the report states.
