Here's why:

* Observation is the foundation of scientific inquiry. It involves carefully noticing and recording phenomena in the world around us.

* This initial observation sparks curiosity and leads to questions about the natural world.

* Example: Observing that a plant grows taller when placed in sunlight leads to the question: "Does sunlight cause plants to grow taller?"

The scientific method then proceeds with formulating a hypothesis, designing an experiment, collecting data, analyzing results, and drawing conclusions. But it all starts with that initial observation.