Teaching Science

I am so glad that Maddy and Kenna both love science. They look around the world and consistently come up with questions regarding "how" or "why". These types of questions always lead into a science lesson. If they ask a question that I can't answer? Simple. I am honest with them and give a "You know, that's a good question. I'm not really sure, but let's investigate and find out."

As a home educator, I am not afraid to admit that I don't have all the answers. That being said, in all honesty, neither does science. And sometimes I find myself giving a "Because that's the way God planned it," answer followed by a "Someday you'll be able to ask God that question yourself,"

My girls have questions about themselves, as well as tons of questions about this world they live in. Not just in our backyard, but they are eager to learn about the world beyond their reach. Alan and I encourage them to observe closely the things around them...but to do so cautiously (you know the lecture...don't pick up snakes, don't eat things unless we have told you it's safe to eat that particular thing, please don't do an experiment without an adult's permission, etc..). We want them to get out and explore our world. That's how children learn about our world and the things in it.

Teaching our children a basic understanding of science in kindergarten and 1st grade now will help their understandng of the world around them and prepare for future science lessons.

At this young age, I organized and planned my lesson plans for the three basic concepts of science: Physical Science, Earth & Space Science, and Life Science. We go over a lot of background information for each unit we study. My girls take Assessment Tests so that I can evaluate their progress. We do activity worksheets, experiments, projects, and more.

We believe that an understanding of science is best achieved through hands-on experience. You can tell a child how to do something and you can show a child how to do something, but until you actually let them get in there and do it themselves and get a feel for how something is done, well...it's just not the same as hearing about it or watching it being done. Hands-on experience gives them the opportunity to see a project or experiment unfolding in their own hands, giving them a better understanding of the "how" and "why" and also gives them a better view, if you will, to use their thinking skills to predict what will happen next.

While science textbooks, worksheets, and kitchen table labs provide a wide variety of activities for kids, the also need real-life exposure to the world around them. We view the whole world as our classroom! To observe nature's forces and the changes that are constantly going on in nature, we venture outside...to our backyard, to our farm pastures, to the lake (we are fortunate enough to be one of the few locations in Illinois that still has an abundance of the endangered Cricket Frogs --- on the of the local universities spent 4 summers here studying them), to the National Forest, to local parks, anywhere the kids can get out and observe and explore. Our local Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Wildlife Refuge hosts a free monthly F.U.N. program (Families Understanding Nature).

Kids need to be given lots of concrete examples of scientific concepts. We use manipulatives (some we buy and some we make).

Teaching science, especially once your homeschool students reach high school levels, can be challenging. It's been a long time since I was in high school and studied science units! But if you take the time to study up yourself, you will have no problems teaching science during your homeschooling experience. And, if you still find it difficult, contact your local college and ask about available tutors or check to see if homeschool groups in your area have a co-op science class.

Most of all, relax and enjoy the science exploration with your kids!