ABSTRACT
At first blush, it may appear that science and play represent two extremes on a continuum. Science, for example, is often characterized by precision of measurement, rigorous methods, mathematical formulations, and skepticism. Play, on the other hand, is typically regarded as carefree, spontaneous, and fun. Upon reflection, however, one soon discovers many relationships between play and science. As readers of these pages will surely recognize, both play and science are complex, multifaceted human activities incorporating sociocultural, cognitive, kinesthetic, and affective dimensions. Science, or more accurately, the sciences, address phenomena as different in scale and substance as astronomy, psychology, and atomic physics. Scientists employ a range of research methods including dissection, field observation, and laboratory experimentation, and construct scientific theories ranging from mathematical models to reliable qualitative generalizations. In a similar vein, play includes games with rules, sociodramatic make-believe, and “roughhousing.” As authors approaching the theme of play and science, our task is more than one of identifying and cataloging the web of connections between various aspects of science and play. Instead, we will argue that shared systematic inquiry is the heart of science, and that exploratory representational play in middle childhood plays an important role in the making of a scientist. Toward this end we will speculate about the relationship between scientific inquiry and exploratory representational play from a number of theoretical perspectives, share the musing of an active scientist on the role of play in his development, and consider the educational implications of science play for children.
