The literature identifies methods that teachers can use to uncover student interests, and describes ways of responding that allow students to become involved in authentic science experiences. Missing from the literature are studies that examine teachers' thinking about student ideas, and the decision-making process they go through to weave student interests successfully into science lessons. Using a framework of cognitive apprenticeship, this study examines ways in which two elementary teachers become aware of student thinking, and use their own knowledge and student ideas to design lessons that create bridges between students and curriculum. The teachers were able to include student ideas only when they stepped away from the procedural focus of guided lessons and made time for student explorations. The primary assertion of this study is that developing the ability to listen for and use student ideas in science is a complicated process that requires teachers to change the way they interact with students. Teachers need to become familiar with lesson structures that encourage student explorations, and learn strategies for eliciting and managing student questions. Implications include the need for professional development aimed at increasing teachers' understanding of science by involving them as adult learners in explorations and investigations that provide them with the content and the process skills needed to support student learning.