Science Corner: The science of exploration

Every child loves to create things and my daughter is no exception. I'm always amazed at the different things she creates. Sometimes I get frustrated by all the mess (I know that I'm not the only one who feels this way!). I have to remind myself that she's learning. Exploration is the purest form of learning. I can tell her that she needs to have at least three sides for a building and that the roof helps to give the building more strength and she might even listen to me :), but chance are she will forget. But when she sits down and tries to put it together on her own, she learns through trial and error what gives her building the strength it needs to stand. She internalizes this information and the next time she tries to build a castle, she'll remember what she has learned and apply it to her latest creation.
So how do we as parents encourage exploration as a form of learning?

1. Provide them the materials: I keep a box of school stuff, such as masking tape, paper, card-stock, paper clips, rubber bands, pencils and so on. She knows that she can take things from this box without asking at any time and I won't be upset (unless she doesn't clean up :)). I also entertain all requests for other materials she needs. For example, when she asked to borrow my plastic bowl and several chopsticks. I asked what she wanted them for; she said for a project. So I said that it was fine, knowing that I probably wouldnt get my chopsticks back. That day she build a bridge for her Littlest Pet Shop animals to go across. She learned which way to place to chopsticks so that they would hold the weight of her animals as they crossed. That day she learned firsthand about the principles of physics. For me, it was worth losing a few chopsticks.
2. Fill their minds with ideas: We regularly watch Mythbusters which has been fodder for many a project! We use a science program that encourages experimentation and exploration. We also read a lot of books, both fiction and non-fiction. Books are great sources for inspiration. The book Castle Diary inspired my daughter to build her own castle out of construction paper and masking tape. A book on minerals inspired her to grow her own crystals and the list goes on and on. The point is to provide an environment in which they can be inspired to explore the topics more.


3. Explore things yourself: When your child asks, mom how does this work? Don't be afraid to say I don't know, let's try to figure it out.

It's so important to give our children the opportunity to stretch their imagination and to try out their ideas through exploration.

What happens...

when two chemists find the street with all the science supplies on it?

They come home with a microscope...

and pH paper...

and more than I can show here!

One of the benefits of living overseas is that we have places like cell phone street, plumbing supply street, wood boards street and science supply street! You'd be amazed (or maybe a little horrified) at what we can get. It's a dream for a chemist!

Science Corner: What about lapbooks?

We have used lapbooks in the past for science with great success. They are a wonderful way to review what you have learned and to create a quick reference guide to use in the future.

So what are lapbooks?

A lapbook is a record of what your child has learned in scrapbook form. You can make one after a field trip or as a form of notebooking or to review what you have learned. Lapbooks are extremely versatile and can be used for any subject.

How can we put one together?

You begin by deciding what information you want to include. For example when we did our solar system lapbook, we started by looking back through her notebook to see what we could include. Princess decided that she wanted the Sun, all the planets-Pluto included and some information about the other stuff out there-meteors and so on. I decided that the poem we have worked on memorizing also needed to be in there. Next you decide into what you will put your information. Usually you use a file folder to for this, but I have found that two pieces (or more) of cardstock taped together also do a great job. Then you decide how to fit it all in and what types of mini-books and flaps we would use. There are websites with free templates, but once you get the hang of it you'll be making your own mini-books and flaps. The next step is to add the information to your mini-books and flaps. This can take several days or an afternoon depending on how much your child wants to do. Finally you glue all your mini-books and flaps into your lapbook and your fantastically beautiful resource is finished!

Some websites to look at for ideas...

Getting started is sometimes the hardest part, so here are a few places to look for ideas.

• Homeschool Helper: This website has lots of free mini-book templates and directions for lapbooks that you can make.
• Jimmie's Collage: This is another homeschooling mom's blog. She has some fantastic resources to share, plus she has some great post on lapbooking that are sure to inspire you.
• Finally do a google search. There are so many homeschoolers that do lapbooks and lots of ideas out there. So do a search and see what you find :).

My daughter has treasured each lapbook we have taken the time to make. She looks back at them often and reads what she wrote. It's a sneaky way of reviewing, but more than that lapbooks give her an educational resource she can enjoy for years to come.

Science Corner: How does nature study fit in?

So where does nature study fit into a science education? Easy, nature study can be the core of your science education or it can just be the icing on the cake. Either way, there is so much to learn from the outdoors (and the indoors).

What is nature study?

It's the study of the plants and animals around you, which can be found both inside and outside your home. This makes nature study very accessible!

How do I do nature study?

Nature study can be as simple as, "Hey kids look at this caterpillar I just found on the driveway. You see the way he walks along my hand. What does he feel like to you? Do you want to put him in a jar and go look him up on the internet to find out what kind of caterpillar he is?" You can take it a step further and try to "hatch" you caterpillar into a butterfly or moth. The idea is to introduce your children to the nature around them and spark their desire to learn more. Your kids will learn so much from this type of study.

You can also use the Handbook of Nature Study to help guide your nature study time. This valuable resource has information that is written to the parent, so keep that in mind! It provides backround information about a topic and some relevant questions to use to guide the nature study time. Barb at Harmony Art Mom has put together a wonderful guide on how to get started with this book. She has also hosts the outdoor hour challenge which give you topics to focus on and how to go about doing accomplishing those nature studies. You can access all this information at her blog. I highly reccommend that you take a look as it will be well worth your time!

When do I do nature study?

Nature study can be a scheduled part of your week. In the past we have set aside one day for nature study and a library trip, that way we have plenty of time to explore both! You can also make nature study a part of your life. Take the time to take advantage of the crazy things you run across, like snails in a house plant, carrots sprouting in your fridge or the bugs crawling on the milkweed pod you pass while out on a walk.

Some of our best memories of our study of science have been during our nature study time. So, whether you chose for nature study to enhance your science curriculum or whether you choose nature study to be the core of your science education, you can't go wrong!

Science Corner: Impromptu Nature Study

We live in a very big city, that's full of people, cars and buildings, which leaves little room for wide open spaces to view nature. Our parks, which are few and far between, are more concrete than grass. So needless to say that our nature studies have not flourished. This year I have felt the challenge to discover nature where we are at.


I have been growing an herb garden so that I can have some of the herbs that I am accustomed to. Let me first say that I don't have a green thumb, so we have had a few discussion on the many ways that mommy can kill a plant! Recently my majoram plant was returned from my friend the herb doctor who managed to save it for me. While it was at thier house, it began to bloom. I was disappointed because now I won't get as many leaves from it, but glad because at least he was able to revive it! What I didn't realize is that the flowers on my plant would attract butterflies all the way up to the sixth floor. We've had a great time observing the butterflies from our window, talking about how they eat, how we know their butterflies and looking them up online. I really couldn't have planned this one if I tried!



Another impromptu nature moment came from our vegetable bin. Apparently the conditions were right for my carrot to sprout, so I cut off the top and put it in a bowl with some water. Then I used the rest for Thai Chicken Wraps (super yummy!). A few days later my daugther reminded me that our carrot was growing and it should be planted, so we did. I'm not sure how this will work as I've never grown carrots, but so far it's been a lesson about where our food comes from and how there really is nature all around us.


Hope that this weeks Science Corner inspires you to look for nature study wherever you are!

Science Corner: Experiments, but I don't have everything I need...

...so I can't do the experiment, right? It happens to me all the time, I forget to look ahead in my plans and so I didn't get all the materials I needed for the experiment we are suppose to do. (I know that I'm not the one one this happens to!) So do we ditch the experiment all together, pushing it back till another week that probably will never come?

Heaven's no! As the Super Slueths do, we think, think, think. Here are some helpful hints for doing experiments with what you have on hand...

1. See if you can substitute an ingredient: For example if the experiment calls for vinegar, try lemon juice. If you don't have a potato for your starch test experiment, try using a piece of bread or cooked pasta. For baking soda, well there just is no substitute for baking soda that I know of :). The internet and your cookbook are great places to look for "recipe" substitutions.
   
2. See if you can substitute a material: For example, I use my meat thermometer for all our experiments. Don't laugh, there's no need to go out and buy thermometers for you to use in science when you have two of them sitting in your kitchen. I have used my oven and a heat lamp (they look like fans here) for the Sun. We don't get too many sunny days here, so when our experiments have called for the Sun, I've had to improvise! If you don't have a two liter bottle, make a mini-experiment using a one liter. The list can go on and on, but the basic idea is that you don't have to have the exact item, just something close to it :).


3. See if you can subsitute the experiment: Take a look at your experiment book. They usually have several experiments for any given topic. If you don't have the supplies for the one that was scheduled and you can't make a substitution to make it work, go ahead and change the whole experiment. Your kids will still learn about science!

Hope that these tips give you some ideas about how you can continue to share hands on science with you kids even if you don't have all the materials. Trust me, it's worth the time and effort!

Science Corner: What about experiments?

Experiments take time and preparation. You have to make sure you have the supplies. You need to read ahead to make sure you know the science behind it. You have to be willing to answer the questions that will inevitable come up. So is it worth doing experiments with your elementary age student?

Most definately YES! Experiments are the best way for your student to learn the principles of science in a fun and enjoyable way. Experiments make science an exiciting adventure. It's a sneaky way of teaching your student the principles of science and it's definately worth the time and effort you put in.

So how do you go about adding experiments to your week?

I highly recommend any book by Janice VanCleave! She uses common household items for her experiments and gives thorough explanations of the science behind them. She has books for every discipline of science and most are available at your local library. Add in some living books about the topic you are studying and you've got a complete science curriculum free from the library.

If you don't want to do the planning yourself, find a curriculum that does it for you. Elemental Science offers plans that include reading schedules, narrations, experiments and ongoing projects. Biology for the Grammar Stage was what sparked my own daughter enthusiasm for science. Although I believe Elemental Science offers the best, it's not the only program to include frequent experimentation. You could also check out NOEO and Real Science by Pandia Press.

The main goal of science in the elementary age is to get your student interested and excited about science. They will learn far more about Newton's law through experimentation than they ever would by reading a book. So get up, get yourself an experiment book and start learning!