Ohio Assessments for Educators (OAE) Early Childhood Practice Exam

What physical science concept is best promoted by providing three-year-olds access to water or sand tables with various containers?

1. Conservation of mass

2. Forces and motions

3. Properties of materials

4. Energy transfer

The correct answer is: Properties of materials

Providing three-year-olds with access to water or sand tables featuring various containers promotes an understanding of the properties of materials. Through hands-on exploration, children can observe and interact with different substances, allowing them to learn about characteristics such as texture, weight, and volume. For instance, they can experiment with how water fills a container, how sand behaves when poured or sifted, and how different materials (like plastic and metal) might feel or change when interacting with water or sand. This type of sensory play encourages children to classify materials based on their properties and understand how different substances can behave in various ways. Such experiences lay a foundational understanding of scientific concepts, as children begin to make connections between their observations and the characteristics of the materials they are exploring. Overall, this fosters curiosity and inquiry in a lively learning environment, making it an effective approach to teaching early science concepts related to the properties of materials.