The role of imagination in science education in the early years under the conditions of a Conceptual PlayWorld

Scientists imagine when thinking scientifically, often conceptualised as thought experiments (Albert Einstein), reconciling both the study of the universe and the molecular world (Stephen Hawking) or when engaging with complex ideas, such as in genetics when imagining going down a microscope to study genes (Barbara McClintock). These imaginings are important in science. But does imagination matter in science education? What is the role of imagination in science education in the early years of school? To answer this question, we undertook a cultural-historical study of 18 children (5.6–7.4yers mean 6.4) and 4 teachers who participated in an educational experiment of a Conceptual PlayWorld over 11 weeks. A total of 34.2 h of digital video data were recorded. The results show how imagination was brought to bear on the scientific problem of the relations between the earth, moon, and Sun. The complex science being imagined by children and teachers brought forward imaginary moments and situations as embodied actions, socially engineered affective imagining, common play problems for motivated conditions for science learning, and the need for creating tangible pivots. These conditions developed different expression of imagination: affective imagining, embodied imagining, amplified imagining, and collective imagining. We argue that complexity in science under the conditions of a Conceptual PlayWorld develops different forms of imagining, thereby contributing to a more nuanced understanding of imagination in science education.