Introduction

Most children go to their doctor regularly. Some have visited or stayed in a hospital. They know that doctors and nurses can offer treatment or give them medications that will make them feel better. By following the doctor's directions they will probably recover quickly and return to their life of school and play.

But how did the doctor know what was wrong with them? How did she/he know what illness or condition caused so much pain and discomfort? How did the doctor know what medicines or treatment would help? How did the doctor know what medicines were safe to prescribe? And why, with all these wonderful treatments, are there still times when doctors can't make people feel better?

Building on a child's personal knowledge and experience is one of the most effective ways of making science "come alive" for young people. By learning how scientists perform medical research in laboratories, children can better understand how and why doctors are able to help people to get well.

What does a laboratory look like? What does a scientist do in the laboratory? How do other people help scientists in their work? What materials and equipment do scientists need to conduct their investigations? How do animals help scientists in this work?

The Let's Visit A Research Laboratory tool can provide you with helpful illustrations to answer these questions and inspire classroom discussion and activities.

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Invite your students to explore a real research laboratory. How can you make your own classroom into a learning laboratory?

Also choose from the following resources to help in your classroom: