Elementary school children can be introduced gradually to nine basic scientific concepts-ones that all scientists learn. Three of these concepts are listed below. They provide a framework into which scientific facts can be placed.
You can easily introduce your children to these ideas at home or in the community. The activities described in each section are based on these concepts, as are many other simple science-related projects.
1. Organization
Scientists like to find patterns and classify natural occurrences. We can encourage our children to think about objects according to their size or color-for instance, rocks, hills, mountains, and planets. Or they can observe leaves or insects and group the ones that are similar.
2. Change
The natural world changes continually. Some objects change rapidly; some at a rate too slow to observe. We can encourage our children to look for changes in things:
Ñ What happens to breakfast cereal when we pour milk on it?
Ñ What happens over time when a plant isn't watered or exposed to proper sunlight?
Ñ What changes can be reversed? Once water is turned into ice cubes, can it be turned back into water? Yes. But if an apple is cut into slices, can the slices be changed back into the whole apple?
3. Diversity
Even very young children know that there are many kinds of objects. One thing to do is help your child explore and investigate a pond. Within and around a single pond (depending on the size and location of the pond), there may be tremendous diversity: insects, birds, fish, frogs, turtles, other water creatures, and maybe some mammals. Looking at a pond is a great way to learn about the habits, life cycles, and feeding patterns of different organisms.
INTEGRITY
The early years of elementary school are a good time to start teaching children scientific ethics. We should tell them how important it is to be accurate about their observations. They need to know it's all right to make mistakes-we all make mistakes, and we can learn from them. But explain that important discoveries are made only if we are willing and able to correct our mistakes.
Help your children understand that we can't always take someone else's word for something. That's why it's important to find out for ourselves.
From How to help your child learn science by N. Paulu. (1991) U.S. Department of Education.
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Activities at Home
This section contains a sampling of science activities-organized roughly from easiest to most difficult-suitable for children from preschool through the early elementary grades. In a box near the end of each activity are a few facts and explanations for those who want them. But exploring, questioning, and having a good time is more important than memorizing facts. And, although your children may be able to do the following activities alone, we encourage you to join them.
Science activities are safe with the appropriate supervision. Some require help from an adult. Others can be carried out by children alone, if they are old enough. Be sure your children who can read know which activities you do not want them to try by themselves.
Young children may not fully understand that bad things can happen to them. We don't want to scare our children away from science, but we must:
Ñ Provide supervision when it is appropriate-for example, when using heat or mixing chemicals;
Ñ Teach children not to taste anything unless you know it is good for them and is sanitary;
Ñ Insist children wear goggles whenever fire or splatter could endanger eyes;
Ñ Teach children to follow warnings on manufacturers' labels and
instructions;
Ñ Keep toxic or other dangerous substances out of the reach of young
children;
Ñ Teach children what they can do to minimize the risk of accidents; and
Ñ Teach children what to do if an accident occurs.
RESULTS
Keeping records is an important part of science. It helps us remember what didn't work as well as what did work. Someone asked Thomas Edison if he weren't discouraged after trying thousands of experiments--without results--to make the incandescent light bulb work. He replied:
Results! Why, I have gotten a lot of results. I know several thousand things that won't work.
So before starting, get a notebook for recording observations. If your children cannot write yet, they can draw pictures of what they see, or you may want to take notes for them.
We should remember, too, that seeing isn't the only way to observe. Sometimes we use other senses; we hear, feel, smell, or taste some things (children should be careful, of course, about what they taste).
LET'S GO
Science can be learned in many places and environments and just as easily from everyday experiences as from formal projects and experiments. We can get our children interested in science with simple toys, books, and objects around the house and have fun while we're doing it.
Taken from Helping Your Child Learn Science by Nancy Paulu (1991) US Department of Education.
