Discussion

Through this engaging activity, Foundation students play and build a 'tower' to explore materials and their properties. This task aligns with Piaget's Constructivist theory, in which he states that children construct their knowledge through directly interacting with their environment (The Education Hub, 2021).

By manipulating different materials, students learn new information and accommodate their existing schemas, fostering cognitive development.

This activity corresponds with the Australian Curriculum’s Foundation Science Understanding, particularly the Chemical Sciences content descriptor (AC9SFU03), which focuses on everyday materials and their observable properties (ACARA, 2022). As students experiment with various materials to build their towers, they observe and discuss properties such as strength, flexibility, and texture, thereby deepening their understanding of material suitability for construction purposes (AC9FU02).

The Conceptual PlayLab at Monash University underscores the significance of play-based learning in early childhood education, highlighting that such approaches support the development of problem-solving skills and scientific reasoning (Freer, 2024).

In this activity, students hypothesise which materials will create the most stable towers (AC9SFI01), test their ideas (AC9SFI02), and reflect on the outcomes, thereby engaging in foundational scientific inquiry processes (AC9SFI04). Incorporating play-based activities like tower building not only adheres to curriculum standards but also promotes active learning, critical thinking, and collaboration among young learners, laying a solid foundation for future scientific exploration.