The EYFS framework is structured very differently to the national curriculum as it is organised across seven areas of learning. The most relevant statements for science are taken from these areas of learning:
Communication and Language – Understand ‘why’ questions.
Physical Development – Make healthy choices about food, drink, activity and toothbrushing.
Understanding the World – Use all their senses in hands-on exploration of natural materials, explore collections of materials with similar and /or different properties, talk about what they see, using a wide vocabulary, explore how things work, plant seeds and care for growing plants, understand the key features of the life cycle of a plant and an animal, begin to understand the need to respect and care for the natural environment and all living things, explore and talk about different forces they can feel, talk about the differences between materials and changes they notice.