In our home, we are fortunate enough to have (what I consider to be, at least) a complimentary situation in terms of the backgrounds my wife and I have. She is a primary teacher (Kindergarten), and therefore is well-equipped to know what will be expected of our daughter in the early years. I, on the other hand, am an engineer, and bring a host of different perspectives about the physical sciences (specifically physics because my major was electrical engineering). So, what each of us considers "science" is very different, offering our daughter a unique perspective.
There are a number of ways we have introduced science to our daughter:
Biology
- planting seeds in pots in the spring to witness them sprout
- transferring some of those plants outdoors and later eating the vegetables that they produce
- finding and discussing various insects around the backyard
- talking about physiology, nutrition, development, and growth
Chemistry
- mixing various liquids to see the results
- baking (the concept of mixing and then heating something is chemistry)
- variations on recipes to change playdough to slime or "gak"
Physics
- experimenting with sound (amplification, dampening)
- playing with optics (glasses, prisms, magnifying glasses)
These are just some of the ways we try to teach our daughter about science, but there are many more.
This post has been prepared as part of the Parent Bloggers Network blog blast entitled Bringing Science Back, Baby! on behalf of the Zula Patrol - a show on PBS promoting science education among 4-8 year olds, and its accompanying newsletter - the Zula Intergalactic Inquirer, are ideal ways to help you open your kids' eyes to science. The newsletter is full of fun activities that can easily be done at home with common everyday items. Better yet, these activities are designed to help parents encourage and nurture their child's natural curiosity and promote the development of critical thinking skills - skills that are vital for excelling not just in science, but in all subjects.
5 shared their side:
We have a garden that yields quite a bit of vegetables and a teensy bit of fruit (think raspberries). The kids love to pick beans and berries and tomatoes in the summer and it's really cool to see them go out every day to check the status of the growing veggies. It's a great way to learn!
Gardens are a great way to introduce science (from cycles - seed to plant to food to more seeds) to the host of insects that visit them.
We use our gardens alot to reinforce science concepts.
Those are all great ways to introduce kids to Science. If we think the curriculum is a little light in some areas or even if we just want to take an interest in our children's education, we should help and encourage them to get interested. Lifelong learning is for everyone.
Unfortunately, I missed this blog blast, but I am a strong advocate of science. (I am a science teacher, after all!)
I like your suggestions. I also suggest that we teach our children science everyday. We take them in the car, and they learn about motion. We watch them throw balls and drop toys, and they learn about gravity. In our house, our trains have magnetic connectors (most wooden ones are, these days, I think), so they learn about magnetism.
Science is learning about how the world around us works, and what better way to learn then living life!
Getting science to be a part of everyday life is tricky, but totally fun.
The garden is a great project. We also spend a lot of time out in the forest or the beach focusing on the ecology of Vancouver Island.
You guys really do have a good match in the professional universe. Your family is very lucky.
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