The research field of science education has gathered questions about what science is, how scientific knowledge is developed and in what ways humans are involved in these processes under the umbrella concept ‘nature of science’ (NOS). Previous research has suggested that teaching ought to focus much more on these issues, but so far the focus has been on older children and students, while there is a lack of research on NOS teaching for the youngest children (up to six years). In this conceptual article,we suggest that NOS should be taught from the outset, and thus be part of science teaching in the early years. We put forward arguments as to why this early introduction coupled to the overall values and aims of democracy and social justice is important, and elaborate on the kind of NOS issues that could be included in science teaching aimed at the youngest children.

How can preschool teachers approach multiplicity and complexity in the preschool? The aim of this article is to discuss two approaches to education, one based on design and the other on open reflection, and to propose ‘situational sensitivity’ as a concept connected within the latter approach. Special attention is paid to the ethical encounter with the child. The first approach is characterised by learning study, didactic analysis, advocate planning, and educational designs, and is guided by a logic which reduces multiplicity. The second approach to education, exemplified here in the ‘Wondering Together’ project, stresses a more open, reflective attitude that welcomes multiplicity. I argue that situational sensitivity is an expression of that open, welcoming logic. Situational sensitivity supports the concept of bildung, the development of the whole person, by educating towards the knowledge necessary for understanding the world and by honouring the child's experience and perspective.